Why do some people hate Gambit?

Omega Red

Great thread. Lots of people doing a great job at articulating ideas I had in mind, but wasn't good at putting into words. My exposure to the character came from X-men 1 to 40-ish. Those runs were done by Claremont/Lee/Tibert and later by Nicieza/Andy Kubert. I actually liked the Nicieza run more as it seemed darker and more introspective and personal. I never liked the cartoon so I have no opinion on that.

I think the reason why Gambit resonates so much among certain people is because of the type of aspirational character he was in the early nineties. A handsome, masculine flashy guy with a foreign accent. A charmer, a player always hitting on the hot girls. He had a theme and a style, somewhat like a skateboarder in that the theme helps you project a personality and a narrative without the need of much substance. If you were a teenage male with a libido, an interest in the opposite sex and the will and confidence to actually engage in the pursuit of love interests; this guy represented who you wanted to be.

Why I hate him, well, I guess it is because the characterization is somewhat crass, tacky and a little too obvious. You don't need much brain to realize what buttons they're trying to push to make you like him. "Ok, I like women and I would like to have success with them. Oh, look! A character who is exactly what I want to be! I must like him!" Uh, no.

On more specific points, I think his speech was very annoying, particularly during battle or when addressing the whole team. When he was one on one with Rogue he actually sounded more like a human being. I think if they never used the stereotyped fake french speech he would not be so hated. Costume design didn't age well, but the same can be said about Cyclops' or Jean's design from the same era. What made the character really cringy for me was his speech and what it represented.

Omega Red

Also, I totally get the comparisons with Wolverine which is another aspirational character for young boys and teens. Wolverine is this masculine, though, resilient guy. Wise, strong, a protector and a father figure for the younger X-men (Jubilee comes to mind). Maybe I'm stretching it a bit, but Wolverine was James Dean while Gambit was a bad Marlon Brando.

D4Ni13

Omega Red said:

Also, I totally get the comparisons with Wolverine which is another aspirational character for young boys and teens. Wolverine is this masculine, though, resilient guy. Wise, strong, a protector and a father figure for the younger X-men (Jubilee comes to mind). Maybe I'm stretching it a bit, but Wolverine was James Dean while Gambit was a bad Marlon Brando.

Gambit was a father figure for Jubilee as well. More so than Wolverine I believe. There is a scene in the cartoons where Rogue asks Jubilee to do something, and she doesn't do it before Gambit told her so. Also Jubilee joined the X-Men because of Gambit.

My point is that I hate the comparisons between Wolverine & Gambit. You cannot go over the flashy look and stereotype cool guy appearance of 'Gambo', I'm fine with that.

But for the love of God, he has nothing in common with Logan. They are miles apart as characters. And the comparison is not justified, because Wolverine was made to be the 'best' & beloved X-Men. They went so far to killing Morph in the second episode of the cartoon just to make you feel for Logan and go deep in his past from there. He is the longest survivor of the team and always pop up in mind at the word X-Men. Comparing someone to him is like comparing Lamborghini with a tinykitty Prius. 

I understand why people hate Gambit, and I respect that. Maybe if I didn't grew up with the cartoon and never witness his relationship with Rogue, I would be content about him too. But I like both him & Logan, and while their interactions are plenty, they are not the same. I see them quite opposite to one another. So please, stop comparing them. 

Every mutant has a complicated past, that doesn't mean anything. Even Magneto is loveable if you know his past. Lets compare him to Gambit as well if we're at it... sure is cooler than Gambit in any comparison you could think off. "Oh, no, Magneto is a badass and Gambit is a Poochie..."

I mean Rogue is not loved because she is better than Storm or Jean or other female X-Men. She is loved because she has a likeable chatacter. So should Gambit be hated (if you want) for his unlikeable character and not for comparisons between paper and rock.

thisone

Wolverine has always been the fatherly figure in the X-men. Kitty. Jubilee. Hisako. And even Rogue herself.

Acted as an older brother to a hell of a lot too. 

If you haven't read the comics, that's cool. But don't claim things that aren't true. Research is your friend

D4Ni13

thisone said:

Wolverine has always been the fatherly figure in the X-men. Kitty. Jubilee. Hisako. And even Rogue herself.

Acted as an older brother to a hell of a lot too. 

If you haven't read the comics, that's cool. But don't claim things that aren't true. Research is your friend

He is older than most of them and it is easy to make him big brother. He is the toughest and you can rely on him to protect you. But that's my point, he was made to be better than most, so it's not fair to compare anyone with him. Even Prof X would lose in a comparison with Logan as popularity...

BoyWonder1914

I'm definitely one of those 90's kids that grew up watching the animated series. However my love for Gambit had nothing to do with his accent and demeanor, it was his powers. You find Kinetic Energy in literally EVERY object in motion, so I always thought the potential (lol, no pun intended for you physics buffs) for his power was beyond ridiculous once I got old enough to understand that it wasn't just "exploding cards".

But alas I never read the comics, so I can't speak on all these other character flaws that people are bringing up. As a kid I didn't understand the inner workings of good writing or good character development, so I'd have to rewatch those things through a different lens now. He remained one of my favorite X-Men even after all this time though, and I still have high hopes of him being done right some day. I haven't even looked at his power set yet, but the past couple of 3-stars have been nothing to get all too excited about so I hope he changes that.  

thisone

D4Ni13 said:

thisone said:

Wolverine has always been the fatherly figure in the X-men. Kitty. Jubilee. Hisako. And even Rogue herself.

Acted as an older brother to a hell of a lot too. 

If you haven't read the comics, that's cool. But don't claim things that aren't true. Research is your friend

He is older than most of them and it is easy to make him big brother. He is the toughest and you can rely on him to protect you. But that's my point, he was made to be better than most, so it's not fair to compare anyone with him. Even Prof X would lose in a comparison with Logan as popularity...

You can play it down as much as you like, it's one of the layers of his character.

The only layer Gambit has, is that damnable trenchcoat

Logan is not my favourite X-men character, though is he is in the top 5. Kitty, Kurt, Rogue and Emma are my other faves.

D4Ni13

thisone said:

D4Ni13 said:

thisone said:

Wolverine has always been the fatherly figure in the X-men. Kitty. Jubilee. Hisako. And even Rogue herself.

Acted as an older brother to a hell of a lot too. 

If you haven't read the comics, that's cool. But don't claim things that aren't true. Research is your friend

He is older than most of them and it is easy to make him big brother. He is the toughest and you can rely on him to protect you. But that's my point, he was made to be better than most, so it's not fair to compare anyone with him. Even Prof X would lose in a comparison with Logan as popularity...

You can play it down as much as you like, it's one of the layers of his character.

The only layer Gambit has, is that damnable trenchcoat

Logan is not my favourite X-men character, though is he is in the top 5. Kitty, Kurt, Rogue and Emma are my other faves.

I'm not trying to play it down or deny the qualities of Logan. 

I just want Gambit to be loved or hated for what he is and not how Wolverine is awesome in comparison to him. That's all. 

Rogue is my fav female X-Men and Logan is the male counterpart. I also like Storm, but not as much as Rogue. Other than that I'm pretty much content about the others.

I didn't grew up with Nightcrawler, so I'm not a fan. I do like that he is added in the game though. I also like to see Angel/Archangel in the future & of course the best villain of the X-Men: Mr Sinister.

thisone

D4Ni13 said:

thisone said:

D4Ni13 said:

thisone said:

Wolverine has always been the fatherly figure in the X-men. Kitty. Jubilee. Hisako. And even Rogue herself.

Acted as an older brother to a hell of a lot too. 

If you haven't read the comics, that's cool. But don't claim things that aren't true. Research is your friend

He is older than most of them and it is easy to make him big brother. He is the toughest and you can rely on him to protect you. But that's my point, he was made to be better than most, so it's not fair to compare anyone with him. Even Prof X would lose in a comparison with Logan as popularity...

You can play it down as much as you like, it's one of the layers of his character.

The only layer Gambit has, is that damnable trenchcoat

Logan is not my favourite X-men character, though is he is in the top 5. Kitty, Kurt, Rogue and Emma are my other faves.

I'm not trying to play it down or deny the qualities of Logan. 

I just want Gambit to be loved or hated for what he is and not how Wolverine is awesome in comparison to him. That's all. 

Rogue is my fav female X-Men and Logan is the male counterpart. I also like Storm, but not as much as Rogue. Other than that I'm pretty much content about the others.

I didn't grew up with Nightcrawler, so I'm not a fan. I do like that he is added in the game though. I also like to see Angel/Archangel in the future & of course the best villain of the X-Men: Mr Sinister.

Ah good, it was coming across a little like you hated him to be honest hah!

Nightcrawler is a showman, his idol was Errol Flynn. Bit of a swashbuckler, and definitely a ladies man. He really brought out the fear and persecution aspect of mutants like no one else had at the time. Even Kitty was freaked out by him when they first met.

If you get the chance definitely delve into the earlier X-men stories. They are a treat.

BigMike182

The Gambit/Wolverine comparison is not about how similar the characters are. It's about the approach used to introduce and market them.

Wolverine was introduced in the '70s. He had no known origin, and it wasn't even clear what his powers were (besides "stabby"). He wasn't even a fan favorite at first. Gradually, writer Chris Claremont & artists who also plotted (notably John Byrne & Frank Miller) introduced hints about his past, while giving him scenes in which he bonded with his teammates. Wolverine went from jerk outsider to mysterious cool guy organically. 

Gambit was introduced in the late '80s, in Uncanny X-Men 267. He had no known origin, loosely -defined powers, and was written as if he was charismatic. He instantly bonded with Storm, then got caught up in the X-Men's adventures. 6 issues after his introduction, he beats Wolverine in a fight, making it seem like the creators tore down an established character in order to pump up fan reaction to the new guy. And then Professor X can't read his mind! And then he can take down Gladiator, a guy who once beat up the entire Fantastic Four! And then he beats some of the others at basketball while someone talks about how cool he is! And then he dates Rogue! Wow, readers, isn't Gambit the kewlest?!? 

They were trying to speed up the Wolverine process, and it felt inorganic. Gambit was being shoved down our throats. I was a teenager and I felt like he was a manufactured attempt at hipness. "Here kids, it's your new favorite character! Why, he could be the next Wolverine!" 

i didn't like Gambit as a teenager. Now I don't mind him. Some writers have even made him likable. But his character development was never going to be as natural or interesting as that of pre-1990 Wolverine.