Even before Disney acquired Fox, we were seeing our favorite mutants once again enjoying prominence over at Marvel. And to be more specific, we’re talking on the comic book side of things. You see, after being somewhat cast aside for a number of years, the X-Men have been experiencing a resurgence of sorts over in the 616, with one top notch book being rolled out after another.
Believe it or not, the House of Ideas have opted to debut yet another title in the near future, that being X-Men Red. This time, though, it’s the all-star creative team of writer Tom Taylor and artist Mahmud Asrar who’ll be co-piloting this particular journey. And, in it, we know that none other than a returning Jean Grey will be leading a newly formed team of mutants.
Previously, we also knew that Namor, Nightcrawler, All-New Wolverine, her sister Gabby (Honey Badger), the Wakanda mutant Gentle, and a mysterious new character named Trinary would be among those accompanying Jean, but it was teased that another fan favorite would be joining them, too.
Now, we know exactly who that’ll be, as Gambit has been confirmed to board the series with issue #3 this April. And, as you can plainly see in the gallery above, he’s proudly being displayed on the cover art.
Here’s what series editor Mark Paniccia had to say about this development:
“Things have heated up with attacks on mutants across the globe. We know that one of the X-Men’s most powerful villains is behind the chaos, but will Jean, Nightcrawler, All-New Wolverine and Honey Badger have a chance to stop the next deadly wave? A favorite Cajun mutant might be able to tip the scales in their favor… but at what cost?”
Personally, I think this is a very smart move to be made by Marvel. With Gambit set to feature in a big budget movie of his own next year, he’s going to need to be prominent in the public’s consciousness because, let’s be honest, he hasn’t really been a major player since the 1990’s. But now that he’s popping up in books like X-Men Red, perhaps True Believers far and wide will be more excited about seeing him on the big screen.