Warning: SPOILERS for X-Men ’97 are ahead!
Although A.J. LoCascio took over Gambit voicing duties for X-Men ’97, which has become one of the best Disney+ TV shows, Chris Potter, who voiced Gambit in X-Men: The Animated Series, is still getting to participate in this revival. Potter is now voicing Cable, the cybernetic mutant from the future who was revealed in the latest episode, “Bright Eyes,” to be Nathan Summers, Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor’s son. With just three episodes left to go in X-Men ’97 Season 1’s run on the 2024 TV schedule, Potter has discussed the possibility of Cable being key to bringing back certain dead characters in this Marvel TV show, and I have mixed feelings about this.
During his appearance at Fan Expo Calgary (via Toonado), Potter was talking about how he learned he’d be voicing Cable instead of Gambit on X-Men ’97, and during the recollection, he may have accidentally let slip that Cable holds the key to resurrecting Gambit. The actor specifically said:
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.' Now, as it turns out, Cable is the only one who can bring Gambit back.
If you need a refresher, at the end of X-Men ’97’s fifth episode, titled “Remember It,” a Wild Sentinel attacked Genosha and killed dozens of people, including Magneto… or at least we thought so at the time, as it was revealed in “Bright Eyes” that Magneto is still alive and being held captive by Bastion. But arguably the episode’s most tragic twist came when Gambit sacrificed himself to blow up this Sentinel. Now, however, Chris Potter has seemingly indicated that Cable could bring Gambit back to life, and if that happens, maybe the other casualties on Genosha can be undone too.
On the one hand, Gambit is one of my favorite members of the X-Men, so if there’s a chance to see more of him in X-Men ’97, I wouldn’t necessarily turn that down. Plus, time travel is Cable’s bread and butter, so it’s hardly surprising he’d be trying to make changes to the timeline. Whether or not he’s successful, however, remains to be seen.
On the other hand, Gambit’s death raised the stakes in a way that’s never been seen in this continuity before. Even Morph, who died in X-Men: The Animated Series’ opening two-parter, was later resurrected by Mister Sinister. By putting Gambit back on the table, it takes away the significance of his final act on Genosha and also follows through on the old trope about how no one stays dead in Marvel and DC stories. Going a step further, if everyone from Genosha comes back to life, then it might feel like the Wild Sentinel attack was just a cheap way to toy with our emotions.
Either way, we’ll learn soon enough is Gambit will be back as X-Men ’97 wraps up its first season to Disney+ subscribers in the coming weeks. Also, remember that Season 2 is already in production and Season 3 is in development.
