For years, Gambit had been the great “what if” of the X-Men franchise. Originally lined up for a small role in X-Men: The Last Stand, the Cajun card-slinger was never a big-screen priority, despite Channing Tatum’s name circling the role for years. That false start was followed by an even stranger twist: Gambit was finally in play for X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), but when Tatum’s schedule kept him tied to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, the part went instead to Friday Night Lights alum Taylor Kitsch.

Kitsch’s version of Remy LeBeau showed up for a brief stretch of the ill-fated Origins, but the performance never quite hit the spot with fans — and Gambit went dormant again. Tatum remained publicly attached to the character throughout the 2010s, even as Fox tried (and failed) to launch a standalone Gambit movie. After years of development hell, Disney’s acquisition of Fox put the final nail in the coffin. Last year, in one of Marvel’s strangest full-circle moments, Tatum finally got his chance in Deadpool & Wolverine, playing Gambit as one of many characters stranded in The Void. It’s both a wink to his long campaign for the role and a nod to the character’s oddball, stop-and-start cinematic history.

With Gambit back in headlines, when speaking with Taylor Kitsch for the new season of The Terminal List​​​​​​, Collider’s Therese Lacson asked if he’d ever been approached for a cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, but the answer was a “negative.” When asked if he would consider returning to Gambit if the MCU ever did come calling, Kitsch didn’t hesitate:

“I don’t think so, man. I love where I’m at. Not that you can’t have both, but serving these true stories, I don’t know, I feel very fulfilled where I’m at. I think that ship has sailed.”

When Will We See Gambit Again?

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x-men-origins-taylor-kitschImage via 20th Century

For fans, the divide between Kitsch and Tatum’s Gambits feels almost symbolic. Kitsch’s version was a casualty of Fox’s messy Origins era, while Tatum’s cameo was born out of Ryan Reynolds’ meta-humor playground. Neither version has given the character the breakout moment his fans believe he deserves.

But while Tatum’s dream finally came true, Kitsch has found satisfaction outside the superhero machine. Between The Terminal List: Dark Wolf and American Primeval, he’s carving a career in more grounded projects — the exact opposite of a New Orleans thief who can turn playing cards into explosives. For Gambit, his future in the MCU is still uncertain, though Tatum will reprise the role in Avengers: Doomsday next year. For Kitsch, it’s already settled.

The Terminal List: Dark Wolf is streaming now on Prime Video. Stay tuned at Collider for Lacson’s full conversation with Kitsch!

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Release Date

August 27, 2025

Network

Prime Video

Directors

Fred Toye, Liz Friedlander


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