Marvel Comics Emasculates Popular X-Men Member Gambit In Tini Howard’s ‘Excalibur’
I know at this point it just seems like Iâm dogpiling on this poor Excalibur book. I railed about how irked I was with Rogueâs unjustified and sudden change of heart about children. Iâm also sure Iâve taken little pot-shots at the book in other articles.
To be honest, so far, itâs been more about my disappointment than anything else. So far. Excalibur has, not one, but two of my favorite comic book characters in it â those being Gambit and Rogue. I wanted to like this book. True story.
Regrettably, due to odd pacing, and offensively off characterizations of basically every subject within the title â I donât find it enjoyable. The book is simply hard to follow from one panel to the next, and there are times when the dialogue just doesn’t match up with the art.
Related: X-Men: Marvel Comics and Tini Howard Change a Fundamental Aspect of Rogue in Excalibur #6
This is unfortunate because Marcus Toâs art is the best part of the book. His lines are smooth and action sequences are masterful. His work has been so consistent and attractive, itâs most likely what’s keeping the natives at bay. That and possibly questionable taste.
Tini Howardâs interpretation of Betsy Braddock has got to be the stiffest in X-Men history. Jubilee is barely there past running after her adopted son (I thought humans werenât allowed on Krakoa?). Rictor is⌠passable. Apocalypse behaves and speaks like a caricature of himself, and RogueâŚ
By far, the biggest head-scratcher has been Howardâs handling of Gambit. From the first issue of this title, I sensed something was off. Especially concerning his interactions with Apocalypse. For those who are unaware, Gambit was once one of Apocalypseâs horsemen. Specifically, his right-hand, Death.
Unlike other horsemen, Gambit agreed to join Apocalypse of his own free will, but not to serve him –Â to keep an eye on him and funnel information back to the X-Men. Stupid plan, yes, I know. One that I blame on another less than impressive X-writer, Peter Milligan.
Related: 10 Greatest Rogue and Gambit Moments in Marvel Comics
Gambit would eventually free himself of the physical and mental transformations forced on him, thanks to the efforts of Mister Sinister. That was the last interaction Gambit had with En Saba Nur up until Excalibur, so Howard at least got Gambitâs loathing of him correct.
What doesnât make sense is how Gambit could ever allow himself or his wife to partner with him. However, perhaps maybe that could be attributed to how strangely all the X-Men have been acting throughout Dawn of X. I’ll give her a little pass, there.
What I cannot hand wave away is Gambitâs moron-a-thon. After witnessing Rogue get fridged, Gambit threw a punch at him. A punch. He. Tried. To. Deck. Apocalypse. In terms of tact, Gambitâs not exactly Cyclops â but in that same breath, heâs also not Hellion. That was stupid.
There are only a handful of X-Men strong enough to even attempt hand-to-hand combat with Apocalypse, and Gambit, being the veteran X-Man that he is, should know he isnât one. Watching that scene unfold coupled with the horrid Apocalypse one-liner â he doesnât do those â disturbed me.
Related: Gambitâs Top 10 Team-Ups!
That was just the second issue. It didnât get any better from there. Understandably, Gambit had to put up with his wife in a less than pleasing state â but itâs not something he hasnât endured before. Having to suffer his pouting, as a reader and fan for several issues, has been akin to torture.
From that point on, we watched Gambit get talked down to by insta-teen-mom, Jubilee, Betsy, and even Rictor. #@$#% Rictor? A C-lister X-Man on his best day with a fraction of Gambitâs experience, and even less character development, was depicted calling Gambit an âidiotâ while rescuing him from falling. FALLING.
Gambit – one of the most agile and supernaturally coordinated X-Men in history – needed to be saved by Rictor from falling into a hole. Depicting Gambit as clumsy goes against character as much as saying Rogue doesnât want a family after having a bad dream.
He can dodge bullets, outmaneuver Iron Manâs scanners, and battle the likes of Daredevil and Spider-Man â but ineptly needed to be saved from falling into a chasm during battle. By Rictor? Give me a break on the character assassination. Just a bit, please.
Related: X-Men: Could Marvel Writer Donny Cates Be Interested In A Gambit Solo Series?
All this is multiplied with how the rest of the cast treats him. Like heâs actually a bumbling idiot. And honestly, yeah, thatâs exactly what heâs been portrayed as. In the later parts of issue #5, Gambit and Apocalypse finally have it out and the Cajun lost – as he should. Thatâs not the problem though.
Diplomat or not, when Jubilee, Rictor, and Betsy – another victim of the Death seed – saw Apocalypse and Gambit go at it, at the very least they should have intervened. Betsy, now that she has the power of Captain Britain, on top of her vaunted omega-level mutant powers, is one of the most powerful beings on Earth.
Thereâs no question that she should have been able to easily break up the fight. But what does Howard do instead? She has the character validate Gambitâs buffoonery by having her say aloud that Gambit was in the way. So I suppose that meant it was ok to nearly be killed.
Related: 10 Things Gambit Fans Want You To Know About the Best X-Man
The next bit of âwhat the #$#%â arrived during a hot tub âconversationâ between Gambit and Rogue. During which she dropped an âI donât think I want kids, nowâ bomb. Letâs be straight here. Thatâs not out of bounds. What was, is how it was handled and presented.
Rogue coming to that conclusion should have been handled as a huge turning point for the character. Not just for her, but the marriage sheâs a part of. By no means should Gambit have attempted to pressure her â but he didnât even have an opinion. Thatâs not a realistic reaction from anyone.
Itâs a more Stepford Husband-like depiction of how a modern-day feminist thinks a man should react to a decision like that. Howard effectively relieved Gambit of all agency and just âyes, dearedâ it away because itâs âher body.â Thatâs not how marriage works. Itâd be like Gambit getting a vasectomy without Rogueâs input.
I could look at a lot of these as isolated incidents. The product of a writer getting used to her characters. That is until I saw a preview of Excalibur showing Gambit brushing his wifeâs hair⌠Thereâs nothing wrong with pampering your significant other. Iâve done it, myself.
However, this, stacked with everything else Iâve mentioned has painted a picture I didnât want to see. For a couple of years, many of my friends have been less than enthused by Gambitâs usage since he and Rogue reconciled in Rogue & Gambit and then married in Mr. and Mrs. X. Personally, I enjoyed Kelly Thompsonâs writing.
However, what weâre seeing with Howard has become the worst-case scenario. While Thompsonâs writing was admittedly Rogue-centric â at least Gambit was still himself. He was clever, resourceful, and calculating, for the most part.
Under Howardâs pen, heâs been little more than Rogueâs whining, doting husband. And sheâs barely been in the book! One would assume with Rogue being sidelined itâd be a great opportunity to flesh Gambit out or at least establish his role. Perhaps thatâs exactly what Howard has done.
If she intended to solidify his role in this book as the comic relief, the damsel in distress, or Apocalypseâs inept foil â then mission accomplished. I cannot for the life of me understand what readers are enjoying here.
This sorry version of Gambit (and most of the other characters) is the poorest Iâve ever witnessed outside of those silly one-panel recaps of him being cartoonishly decked by Captain America in Avengers Vs. X-Men. Like so many of my dear friends, Iâm just waiting until something better comes along for the Cajun â because this ainât it for me, fam.
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