10 Actors Who Should Play Gambit In The MCU, According To Reddit

At long last, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is poised to introduce the mutants. Several years after Disney’s acquisition of Fox, the X-Men and the Avengers will meet on the big screen, with the building blocks for such a crossover seeming to be laid in the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where Patrick Stewart’s Professor Xavier is set to appear.

While there are dozens of mutants whom fans are ecstatic to see make their MCU debut, one that fans are particularly excited about is Gambit. As a character with a troubled history in film, Gambit has been the subject of many Reddit fan castings, some of which seem just plausible enough to work out.

Josh Holloway

Sometimes, the perfect casting choice is one that studio executives deliberately overlooked. This seems to be the opinion of Redditor redlurk47, who reasons that “Josh Holloway would still have been a really good Gambit,” before lamenting that the actor’s age might be the only thing keeping Marvel Studios from casting him in the role at this point.

Ironically, the actor, best known for playing Sawyer, one of Lost‘s very best characters, was passed up for the role of Gambit for this very reason. Having been initially cast in the role for X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Holloway revealed years after the fact that he was passed up for the younger actor Taylor Kitsch. Given the film’s poor reception, however, it seems as though Holloway was better off waiting for a later date to place the fan-favorite mutant.

François Arnaud

Redditor Jean-Luc_Pikachu believes that Marvel Studios should cast someone relatively unknown for such a massive part. Commenting on a post discussing possible actors to play the X-Man, they write “I always see François Arnaud as Gambit — look him up, he’s a French-Canadian actor.”

Though far from a Hollywood A-Lister, Arnaud has appeared as a reliable talent in a number of television series, including Blindspot, The Borgias, and Yamaska. Given his career history, it would seem that Arnaud is at the perfect level of fame for an MCU-casting, where he can build his career up from such a prominent role without overshadowing the part with his own fame.

Scott Eastwood

Certain casting choices for Gambit fly in the face of other popular theories regarding the MCU’s X-Men. Turning a popular fan cast on its head, Reddit user RichyWoo says “I know fans want him cast as Wolverine, but I would cast Scott Eastwood as Gambit.”

Scott Eastwood, son of the Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood, has been the subject of numerous fan castings calling for him to appear in the MCU as Wolverine. However, should Marvel be considering a different actor for the role, including him in the franchise as a different character might make for a fantastic consolation prize for disappointed fans, as both the actor and Gambit himself deserve to join the MCU.

Matt Bomer

The occasional X-Men fan cast sparks a bit of controversy amongst fans. “I personally think Matt Bomer could pull off Remy [LeBeau] appearance-wise,” writes mpowers1987, sparking a bit of debate in the comment section, with some in favor and others against this particular casting choice.

Bomer is best known for his work on the DC series Doom Patrol, the police procedural The Sinner, and The Normal Heart, a role which won him a Golden Globe. Though perhaps getting too old for such a role, the actor does bear some resemblance to the comics character, an asset which proves in favor of many actors seeking to win over a fanbase.

Trevor Jackson

Responding to a comment deciding that a relatively unknown actor should fill the shoes of Remy LeBeau, Redditor FictionFantom makes their own suggestion: “Trevor Jackson from Grown(ish) is my top pick.”

Gambit wouldn’t be the first role in the action genre for Jackson, should he be cast, as the actor also appeared in 2018’s crime thriller Superfly, portraying the protagonist Youngblood Priest. The actor has kept up an admirable career since then, as if preparing himself for a higher level of fame than that which he currently enjoys.

Lucas Black

While Reddit user eremite00 admits to liking Taylor Kitsch’s performance as Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, they concede that “Lucas Black might also be a better choice.” The 39-year-old actor is perhaps best known for his work in Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift and as the beloved agent Christoper LaSalle in NCIS: New Orleans.

Outside of his work in the Fast and Furious saga and NCIS, Black has not appeared in many projects over the last several years. A prominent role in the MCU, however, could be just the budge the actor’s career needs to put him back in the limelight.

Regé-Jean Page

Discounting the prospect of casting Jared Padalecki for the role of Gambit, Redditor ubiquitous-joe offers their humorous take on how the character should be portrayed: “Gambit needs to be like if the Duke from Bridgerton lived in a swamp.” In their post, the Redditor, of course, refers to the breakout star of Bridgerton, Regé-Jean Page

Regé-Jean Page certainly attained a new level of fame after his appearance in the first season of Bridgerton, igniting outrage after revealing that he would not be returning for Season 2. However, given the actor’s recently opened schedule, he could make for a perfect choice to play Gambit, who could certainly grow into a leader of the MCU under his watchful guidance.

Jared Padalecki

Certain actors certainly look the part that fans would love for them to play. Such is the case when it comes to Supernatural star Jared Padalecki. Redditor fabiwabisabi writes, “I know Channing Tatum still wants to play Gambit, but wouldn’t Jared Padalecki be a great casting choice for that role? At least looks-wise.”

Padalecki has seen a great amount of success in his career, even since the end of Supernatural. The actor has proven to be quite in-demand, starring in the generally well-received reboot of Walker, Texas Ranger. However, Padalecki has yet to corner the market when it comes to featured films, something that could easily be remedied with an MCU casting.

Channing Tatum

Some actors deserve to be recompensed after missing their due, as some fans argue. One such fan, by the handle of kratom_day, calls for Channing Tatum to finally get his chance to play the mutant. “People really need to stop underestimating Tatum,” they write, “Anyone that passionate to play the character will probably do a decent job.”

As many fans of Fox’s X-Men franchise know, Channing Tatum had been cast as the lead in a Gambit spin-off film, which, after going through several production delays, was ultimately canceled following the Disney-Fox acquisition. Nothing is out of the question in terms of casting, however, and Marvel could use plenty of explanations to bring the actor back into the fold, finally giving Tatum a chance to redeem himself after his portrayal of Gambit fell through.

Matthew McConaughey

Certain casting choices don’t require much explanation at all, but the actor speaks for themselves. This seems to be IndyPoker979’s line of thinking when, after being prompted to provide their own choice to play Gambit, they simply wrote, “Matthew McConaughey.”

While McConaughey may not be the first person to come to mind when someone considers Gambit, the actor simply has a certain aura about him that fits the Remy LeBeau character. Though he airs on the older side, he could certainly portray a more seasoned mutant, perhaps acting as a teacher at Xavier’s school for mutants, thus training up the next generation of X-Men to take on the world.

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