The card-throwing mutant shockingly died in the middle of X-Men ’97 but there are some wild possibilities of him returning to the series.

Warning! This article contains spoilers for X-Men ’97 season 1.

The animated MCU series X-Men ’97 shocked audiences with its mid-season finale after killing off Gambit during a Sentinel-led attack in Genosha. The death came as a shocker to fans initially disappointed by Gambit’s storyline in X-Men ’97. The kinetic energy-manipulating X-Man was introduced in the series mostly for comic relief, and his love for fellow mutant Rogue was also overshadowed by Rogue’s controversial romance with Magneto. Gambit’s demise in Genosha reversed this character depiction, emphasizing how the ex-thief is powerful enough to go against an army of Sentinels and brave enough to sacrifice himself in the line of fire.

Gambit’s death can shape his MCU future with a much-needed origin story (like the canceled movie starring Channing Tatum). A single live-action appearance by Taylor Kitsch in X-Men Origins: Wolverine doesn’t do enough justice. But considering that Magneto supposedly died in the same episode, and he’s alive, there might just be a way to resurrect “The Ragin’ Cajun.” With X-Men ’97 connecting X-Men: The Animated Series to the MCU timeline, some level of time travel can be used to rewrite Gambit’s tragic end. True to the comics, the 90s animated series has itself resorted to such measures in the past.

Gambit’s Return Has Already Been Teased

An X-Men: The Animated Series Veteran Might Have Foreshadowed Gambit’s Fate

Chris Potter voiced Gambit in X-Men: The Animated Series but he joined the X-Men ’97 voice cast as Cable, being replaced by A. J. LoCascio. Before the three-part finale “Tolerance is Extinction” began airing, the original Gambit voice actor teased that Gambit might return to the show with some help from Cable. To quote Potter from his appearance at Fan Expo Calgary, “Now, as it turns out, Cable is the only one who can bring Gambit back.” The actor added that he was informed that Gambit would be killed off in episode 3 (and not episode 5 as it happened).

They told me I’d be playing a new character. I said, ‘What do you mean? I’m Gambit.’ They said, ‘Not anymore, we’re killing him off in episode 3. You’re going to be Cable now.

It must be noted that neither Marvel nor Disney have confirmed Potter’s claims so they remain unverified at the moment. While Potter’s words from the Fan Expo hint at Cable going back in time and preventing the annihilation of Genosha (like he has already done before), Gambit’s return is more difficult in the face of Marvel’s time travel rules. As explained in X-Men ’97 episode 8, the Genosha event is an absolute point event. Much like Doctor Strange’s unsuccessful efforts at bringing back Christie in What If…?, Genosha’s destruction simply cannot be undone as it can destroy the entire timeline.

X-Men ’97’s Creator May Have Revealed How Gambit Can Return

Beau DeMayo Teases A Star Trek Easter Egg

X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo has seemingly confirmed that time travel can’t help out the X-Men this time, as is evident from his tweet reading “no time travel to get us outta this one, folks”. However, DeMayo has some “extra credit homework” for the audience before the finale airs as he cryptically posted an image of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Season 5 episode 18 “Cause and Effect”. In this particular episode, the crew of the USS Enterprise find themselves stuck in a time loop as their ship is destroyed over and over, with Picardo trying to solve the anomaly.

DeMayo’s tweet suggests that all events of X-Men ’97 are taking place in a time loop. Considering that episode 9 featured shocking cliffhangers like Jean Grey’s death at the hands of a Mister Sinister-controlled Cable and Magneto tearing out Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton from his body, the finale must address their fate. But if undoing a time anomaly can prevent the Genosha massacre and Gambit’s death, this theory would then undo Cable’s rule of absolute points. As DeMayo’s hints again remain unconfirmed by Disney and Marvel, the Star Trek: The Next Generation connection cannot be set in stone as of now.

X-Men ’97 Could Revive Gambit As Apocalypse’s Horseman Death

Gambit’s Dark Return Will Be True To The Comics

Apocalypse has had a villainous presence throughout X-Men: The Animated Series. If the ancient mutant returns in X-Men ’97, Gambit can serve as one of the Horseman of Apocalypse. Following the events of the House of M storyline “Decimation”, Gambit had been going through a rough patch. He temporarily lost his powers and his relationship with Rogue was on the rocks when her shapeshifting mother Mystique tried to woo him. When Apocalypse returned to a world of depowered mutants, Gambit chose to side with him for mutant-kind and to keep a watchful eye on him unless he betrayed the mutants.

This allegiance turned him into the Horseman Death, giving him a darker persona and amplifying his kinetic charge powers to more destructive levels. Gambit eventually lost all self-control when Apocalypse ordered him to kill the X-Men, a mission that he couldn’t achieve as he still couldn’t bring himself to kill Rogue. He later rejoined the X-Men, but the mental trauma of serving Apocalypse lingered on. Considering Gambit’s relationship with Rogue was getting increasingly turbulent before he died in X-Men ’97, there is comic-accurate scope for the fan-favorite Marvel mutant to be resurrected as one of Apocalypse’s accomplices in future episodes.