“It’s Going To Melt Your Brain” [Exclusive]

Ladies and gentlemen, Gambit has finally arrived. After years of false starts and cancelled projects, Channing Tatum is now firmly in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he’s not just dropping by for a cameo. First appearing in Deadpool & Wolverine, Tatum’s Gambit quickly became a fan favorite — so it was no surprise when Marvel announced he would return for Avengers: Doomsday.

While promoting his upcoming Derek Cianfrance movie Roofman, Tatum spoke with Collider’s Steve Weintraub about what it was like to step onto Marvel’s biggest stage yet.

Tatum reflected on that first day on the set of the third Deadpool movie, admitting that he felt like he was having an out-of-body experience as his childhood came to life again, and that happened again tenfold when he stepped onto the set of Doomsday.

“Yeah, it happened on Deadpool & Wolverine. I came to set, and I’ve seen Ryan [Reynolds] as Deadpool, but I hadn’t seen Hugh as Wolverine. Then I show up on that set, and then I’m Gambit, I feel like I’m like cosplaying my childhood, essentially, and then I look over and I’m like, ‘There’s Wolverine!’ Then I look over and I’m like, ‘It’s Blade. It’s Elektra! It’s everybody!’ I’m freaking out inside. I’m fully freaking out, and it’s the exact same way on Avengers [Doomsday]. You just can’t understand what this is going to be. Anybody that has loved these things growing up, it’s going to melt your brain. It’s going to be the biggest thing that they’ve ever done, that is for sure.”

Asked whether he had wrapped filming yet, Tatum admitted that, despite other actors who have already been and gone from the set, he confirmed he wasn’t done filming yet, saying he’s still “got more.” But when he was pressed on whether that meant Gambit has a substantial role, the actor kept things close to the vest, saying, “Oh, no, I can’t say that. I definitely can’t say that. You know Marvel.” But one thing he had no problem talking about was his love for the character:

“He’s such a fun character. It’s such a fun character. Even when he’s fighting somebody, he’s flirting with them. He’s great. He’s like my favorite guy.”

Will ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Have the Same Gambit?

Tatum’s passion for Gambit runs deep, tied in part to his own Louisiana roots. The actor revealed that his “singular focus” in the role was getting Gambit right — not just as a superhero, but as a flawed, messy person. “He likes women, he smokes, he drinks. He’s not just a save-the-world kind of guy,” Tatum explained in a previous interview, before admitting that Gambit’s trademark Cajun accent won’t be as heavy this time. “I’m not gonna go full Cajun. [The Russo brothers] want things to be funny, but they don’t want to go full Deadpool. They want to keep the drama and keep it tight. When Gambit gets serious — when he drops the Mardi Gras mask — things do matter.” Tatum even revealed he only took the Doomsday job after making sure his daughter was comfortable with it, making it clear just how much it meant to him to throw those cards after all these years, finally.

Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on December 18, 2026. Deadpool & Wolverine is streaming now.

Avengers: Doomsday

Release Date

December 18, 2026

Writers

Stephen McFeely, Michael Waldron, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee