Marvel Studios/Disney
The character Gambit, portrayed by Channing Tatum, is one of the most appealing guest appearances in the box office hit “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Tatum was unveiled as the new Gambit at San Diego Comic-Con 2015, but he never got the chance to play the role of the Cajun thief in the expected “X-Men: Origins” movie, which got stuck in the Hollywood equivalent of the Void, also known as development hell. This was a significant letdown for fans as Tatum seemed ideal for the role and could have finally given the character the mainstream attention it deserved. However, this didn’t happen until “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Among the numerous cameos in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Tatum’s Gambit stands out not only because it offers fans a peek at what might have been, but also because of an ongoing joke about Gambit’s accent. The character, created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, is famous for his New Orleans roots and speaks in a mix of Cajun English and Louisiana French. This unique accent is humorously highlighted in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” with Gambit’s Cajun accent causing mostly indecipherable speech that regularly annoys Ryan Reynolds’ character, Wade Wilson. This accent joke is a fun addition to a movie already filled with one-liners and Reynolds’ irreverent humor. However, it appears there was more to this seemingly minor gag than initially meets the eye.
Ryan Reynolds’ strategy for Gambit’s accent
Marvel Studios/Disney
In “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Channing Tatum’s Gambit is among the many Marvel characters wandering the Void – a place where elements of the MCU and the former 20th Century Fox Marvel universe that are no longer required are discarded. Gambit, in particular, was never utilized in the first place. Clad in a costume closely resembling Gambit’s attire from “X-Men: The Animated Series,” the Cajun hero joins Deadpool, Wolverine, Blade, X-23, and Elektra to confront Emma Corrin’s Cassandra Nova. However, before the showdown, he and Deadpool establish their ongoing banter.
Tatum, sporting an exaggerated Cajun accent, delivers his lines in such a thick accent that it’s almost impossible for Dafne Keen to stop laughing, while Ryan Reynolds’ character, Merc with the Mouth, can’t comprehend a word and enjoys poking fun at his new ally. However, it appears that Ryan Reynolds had a specific plan for this running joke beyond just making it sound funny.
In an interview with Access Hollywood, Tatum discussed his cameo in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” revealing that there was “very little improv” on set. He explained that his upbringing in Mississippi and his father’s New Orleans roots influenced his performance. He said, “The Cajun dialect is a very particular one […] it’s one of those things that I grew up around, but I’ve never done it.” However, in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” he certainly does it, but not without some guidance from Reynolds. Tatum explained:
“There are certain little isms that are very Cajun-y, but we actually intended it to be somewhat unintelligible. That was sort of the joke. [Ryan would] come up to be and say, ‘I don’t want to know anything that you’re saying on this [take],’ so I just dialed it all the way up. And then other ones he’s like, ‘All right, I’ve got to understand what you’re saying now.'”
Will we see more of Channing Tatum’s Gambit?
Marvel Studios/Disney
The “Deadpool” franchise is known to be a passion project for Ryan Reynolds, who embodies the character in the same way Robert Downey Jr. did Iron Man, or Hugh Jackman does Wolverine/Logan. Despite his seemingly casual approach to these “Deadpool” movies, there’s a lot of planning that goes into making the films just the right amount of crude to remain attractive to the general audience. For instance, Reynolds decided to remove a joke about Wesley Snipes’ Blade from “Deadpool & Wolverine,” demonstrating his ability to exercise “restraint” when necessary. Editor Shane Reid also mentioned to iO9 that Reynolds knows “when to not give something that feels like it’s overindulgent.”
This certainly appears to be the case with Channing Tatum’s Gambit. If every line had been incoherent, the joke would have quickly lost its charm, but Reynolds showed unexpected restraint in advising Tatum on when to dial up the accent and when not to.
This resulted in one of the best guest appearances in the film. Following the box office success of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” there has been speculation about a potential Gambit solo movie led by Tatum. The future of this project remains uncertain at this time. However, Reynolds did post a clip on Twitter/X showing that Tatum’s Gambit survived the chaos in “Deadpool & Wolverine.” The clip also seems to show the character encountering a Doctor Strange ring portal, or what Reynolds referred to as a “Marvel Sparkle Circle.” This essentially suggests that Tatum’s Gambit could be officially introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, as Reynolds notes, this clip was only used in the film “on one of the monitors in the deep background of the TVA,” so we’ll have to wait to see if Marvel Studios follows through on this hint.
Credit: www.slashfilm.com
