Channing Tatum’s role as Gambit in Deadpool and Wolverine was one of the most memorable appearances in a Marvel movie in recent memory. A lot of that can be attributed to the ridiculous Cajun accent he used. It was a spoof of what people from New Orleans sound like, and Tatum leaned into it. He said as much during an interview with Jimmy Fallon (that you can see here).
While people enjoyed it so much that memes, gifs, and videos were made in honor of it, it sounds like we won't hear the exaggerated voice return in Avengers: Doomsday.
Channing Tatum reveals one major change to Gambit in his Avengers return
During an interview with Variety, Channing Tatum spoke about his return to the MCU as Gambit in Avengers: Doomsday and he revealed that there will be one significant change to the character, saying: “I’m not gonna go full Cajun.” He added that directors Anthony and Joe Russo “want things to be funny, but they don’t want to go full Deadpool. They want to keep the drama and keep it tight. When Gambit gets serious — when he drops the Mardi Gras mask — things do matter.”
Those comments leave this writer to wonder if this is a good or bad thing. Honestly, it’s a bit of both.
As I mentioned earlier, Channing Tatum’s over-the-top accent and diction were part of Gambit’s charm in Deadpool and Wolverine. It made people laugh because it was outrageous. However, the Russo Brothers want a more serious approach than the MCU movies we’ve seen recently. And that's a good thing. It means that sincere moments won’t be ruined by puns or quips. That’s not to say there won’t be any jokes; they’ll just be placed better. Hopefully, this means Avengers: Doomsday will resemble Captain America: The Winter Soldier more than Avengers: Endgame.
Also, we can acknowledge a few things. First, the movie isn’t done filming. The creative team may change their mind and have Tatum come back and redo some lines. Second, something could happen in the film that makes the character of Gambit end up more serious. Lastly, Tatum could simply be throwing us off a little bit and saving some Gambit surprises for Avengers: Doomsday itself. Marvel actors have been known to do this to avoid spoilers or sustain surprises. Regardless, I have faith in the direction the Russo Brothers are taking.
The next question we should ask is if this is the same Gambit from Deadpool and Wolverine? We know that some of the characters and actors are returning from previous movies (like Alan Cumming's Nightcrawler). But that doesn’t mean they’re from the same universe. Perhaps Gambit not having the exact same accent could mean that he’s not the one we know. Or, maybe there won't be an explanation, leaving Deadpool to make a joke about him sounding different if the two cross paths again.
There isn’t much to go on with Channing Tatum in Avengers: Doomsday other than the toned-down accent and that he fights Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. Certainly, there will be more revealed about this movie over the next year. We’ll likely learn more about Channing Tatum’s Gambit, other characters joining the movie, and, certainly, about Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow for all of those updates.
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