Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Uncanny X-Men #5! Gambit is a fan favorite X-Men hero, and has been since his debut in the 90s. The reason is that Remy LeBeau is just plain cool, and his unique playing cards contribute greatly to that unquestionable fact. But now, Gambit is trading in his playing cards for trading cards, the ones that will make ’90s kids (aka Gambit’s original fan club) totally lose their minds.
In a preview for Mysterious X-Men #5 by Gail Simone and David Marquez, the X-Men face a terrifying new villain: Sarah Gaunt. Gaunt was once a woman who reportedly had a child with Charles Xavier, although she raised the child alone. When the boy was nine years old, tragedy struck when his home was hit by a deadly hurricane. Gaunt’s son was killed and she was swept away by the storm. When she emerged from the rubble, Sarah was no longer a human woman, but some twisted monster with sharp claws and near-invulnerability.
In the previous issue, Rogue faced Sarah Gaunt alone after the villain mutilated Wolverine. In this preview, Gaunt is nowhere to be found, but that doesn’t mean the X-Men are out of the woods. The mutant heroes are being attacked by a group of Gaunt’s followers, all displaying a fraction of their seemingly supernatural powers, making them a deadly threat. Fortunately, the X-Men are prepared for battle, especially Gambit, who has an entire box of trading cards that are a clear replacement for Pokémon cards.
Gambit is using ‘Pokémon Cards’ as his new weapon of choice
Gambit Supercharge Pokémon Cards have meta-hilarious implications
Although the cards Gambit is using are technically called “Brute Force” cards, Remy describes them as trading cards with “little cartoon monsters in them”, and since Pokémon it’s literally ‘Pocket Monsters’, which is enough similarity to make a comparison. Furthermore, just like in the real world, the ‘PokémonThe cards that Gambit will be supercharging (and effectively destroying) are very valuable, especially considering that the ones he has are all collectibles.
What’s interesting about this – besides the awesomeness of 90s viewing X-Men‘s Gambit fighting enemies with Pokémon cards – is that Remy’s new weapon has hilarious meta implications. In the 90s, X-Men: The Animated Series and the Pokémon anime were competing shows, each vying for children’s collective attention – and Pokémon it was a more popular program at the time. So it seems unlikely that Gambit would feel bad about destroying Pokémon cards in battle, as their respective franchises were competitors in the 90s.
An X-Men hero would NOT be happy with Gambit’s new weapon
Wolverine’s Son Akihiro Secretly Loves Pokémon
While Gambit may not care about destroying Pokémon cards, there’s one X-Men hero who would be sick to his stomach seeing this happen: Wolverine’s son, Akihiro. In X Factor #3 by Leah Williams and David Baldeon, Akihiro makes it clear that he is a big fan of Pokémon during a friendly conversation with her teammate, Aurora. This means that (90s meta-feud be damned), Akihiro would be disgusted by the idea of Gambit casually destroying valuable objects Pokémon trading cards – even if he was only doing it during battle.
Fortunately for Akihiro, Gambit isn’t actually destroying Pokémon cards, just the world’s substitute for them,”Brute Force”. However, fans know how to read between the lines and can see that Gambitthe new weapon in X-Men Canon is, indeed, collectible Pokémon cards – and that’s enough to make ’90s kids go crazy.
Strange X-Men #5 from Marvel Comics will be available on November 13, 2024.