Of all the biggest cameos in Deadpool & Wolverine, perhaps the most surprising was Channing Tatum’s Gambit. Unlike folks like Wesley Snipes’ Blade and Jennifer Garner’s Elektra, Tatum never played the Ragin’ Cajun before, as the Gambit spinoff was shelved by Disney in 2019 following half a decade of trying to get it off the ground at 20th Century Fox. As such, the 34th of the Marvel movies in order had to design the look for Tatum’s Gambit from scratch, and that included ditching the trademark glowing eyes that the character usually has. However, there’s a big reason why this change to his appearance was made.
Bill Corso, the makeup designer on Deadpool & Wolverine, went on Instagram to share a picture he took of Channing Tatum suited up as Gambit, but with glowing eyes photoshopped in, as well as a closer look at the character’s cowl, one of the staples of Gambit’s costume. On the subject of why Gambit’s eyes didn’t glow during the latest MCU installment, Corso said this:
For those of you who were wondering about his eyes, initially I proposed ‘comic accurate’ black contacts with a glowing red center, but it was decided that his eyes should only glow red when he was energized or energizing something, which occurs through most of the big fight. That was all done digitally and I agree, it probably would’ve looked a bit creepy and frankly would’ve distracted from all his wonderful dialogue otherwise.
This isn’t the first time a cinematic Gambit’s eyes haven’t glowed 24/7, as this was the same approach taken with Taylor Kitsch’s Remy LeBeau in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. In the case of Channing Tatum’s Remy, although Corso initially pitched for the actor to wear contacts that simulated the character’s constantly glowing eyes, it was ultimately decided that wouldn’t have looked good for fear of making him look creepy. I guess this is one of those instances where just because something looks cool in the comics or in animation doesn’t mean it will translate well in live-action.
The good news, though, is that if you’re looking for an onscreen Gambit to have eyes that are glowing even when he isn’t using his kinetic energy-manipulating and generating abilities, you can check out another 2024 Marvel Studios release, X-Men ’97, which can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription. As far as Channing Tatum’s Gambit goes, Deadpool & Wolverine does’t make it clear what happens to him after the title characters escape The Void. Fortunately, a deleted scene released in August confirmed he does ultimately make it out of that realm, as evidenced by his eyes reflecting one of those magic portals.
It remains to be seen if Channing Tatum will reprise Gambit, whether it’s in his resurrected movie or as a supporting character in one of the upcoming Avengers movies. Either way, there continues to be a lot of chatter over his appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine, so hopefully Marvel Studios is at least entertaining bringing him back.
