It finally happened. After much foreshadowing and two years of waiting, X-Men ’97’s Gambit (Remy Lebeau) is back as Apocalypse’s Horseman of Death!
It’s a moment that was teased back in the season 1 finale where Apocalypse finds one of Gambit’s playing cards in the wreckage of Genosha. But out of all the mutants who were killed during the massacre, why Gambit specifically? And did Rogue unknowingly inspire Apocalypse’s decision?
A failed attempt at bonding
At the start of season two, several X-Men (Magneto, Professor Xavier, Beast, Rogue and Nightcrawler) are stranded in Ancient Egypt around 3000 BC. It’s where they run into a young En Sabah Nur, the first mutant who will one day become the villainous Apocalypse. Magneto takes Nur under his wing because he believes he can guide Nur into becoming a force for good. Rogue supports his plan in the vain hope that having Nur on their side would prevent Genosha’s destruction, which in turn, would prevent Gambit’s death as well.
One night, unable to sleep, Rogue and Nur share a brief conversation. Nur notes that out of all the X-Men, Rogue seems the least enthused to return to her original timeline:
“What is awaiting you there?” Nur asks.
“It’s more about what’s not waiting for me,” Rogue says as she struggles to put her grief into words. “Someone I lost…someone special. What about you? You ever been in love?”
Nur’s tone is cold and distant. “My mother abandoned me in the desert as an infant. And ever since, everyone I have ever known I’ve lost. Love is pain. A weakness I cannot afford.”
“And the only thing that makes life worth living,” Rogue lets out an exhausted sigh. “And there’s the rub. I do hope you get to experience it one day….for all our sakes.”
Instead of opening himself up to the possibility of experiencing real love, Nur embraces his destiny by allowing the Celestial Eson to transform him into Apocalypse. Then he celebrates by trying to destroy Ancient Egypt and Magneto foils those plans, Apocalypse vaporizes the Master of Magnetism until only his helmet is left behind. But hey, I give props to Rogue for trying to bond with the guy.
Gambit is the perfect weapon to use against Rogue
Fast forward to the present day and it’s hard to ignore there’s a very strong chance Apocalypse resurrected Gambit as Death to mess with Rogue.
First, he’s a villain so it’s natural for him to exploit the weaknesses of others. Remy is Rogue’s Kryptonite. Thanks to his powerful psychic abilities, Apocalypse probably has a very clear picture of Rogue’s relationship with Gambit. Including her breaking up with him to pursue a relationship with Magneto who was immune to her life/power absorption abilities. And while we the audience know that Rogue came to regret that decision and wanted to reconcile with Remy, Remy himself doesn’t know this because he died shortly after they broke up.
So yeah, this is a messy situation and Apocalypse is going to have a lot of fun using Gambit to psychologically torture Rogue for the rest of this season.
Second, seeing the teammate you thought had died is now the henchman of your mortal enemy is a knife to the heart. The X-Men wouldn’t want to hurt Gambit but after everything Apocalypse has done along with Xavier’s own grief, will Gambit find himself dying a second time if he can’t be cured of Apocalypse’s brainwashing? Will Rogue be forced to take down the love of her life to save the world from Apocalypse’s tyranny? Will she even want to be an X-Men anymore after the dust settles? Even if Apocalypse fails, he’ll at least succeed in inflicting some serious emotional damage.
This theory fits Apocalypse’s character
It’s the type of cruelty Apocalypse is known for. Back in the original 1992 series X-Men: The Animated Series, he tricked Angel (Warren Worthington III) into funding a cure for his mutation. But it was a trap that subjected Angel to genetic engineering and brainwashing that turned him into the Horseman Archangel.
Remember when I said that Apocalypse murdered Magneto? Did I mention that he did it in front of Magneto’s dear friend Professor Xavier? Then placed his giant foot in front of Xavier’s forehead long enough to make him think he’ll be reunited with Magneto in the afterlife, only to keep walking while calling him an ant? Apocalypse has always been a piece of shit.
Rogue shared her grief with Nur in good faith, trying to make a connection with someone she thought had the potential to be good. Now as Apocalypse, he’s made notes on Rogue’s pain and molded it into the perfect weapon.
Season 2 of X-Men ’97 is available to stream on Disney+, with new episodes premiering every Wednesday at 3:00 a.m. ET/12:00 a.m. PT.
