Ryan Reynolds Says Marvel is ‘Obsessed’ with Channing Tatum’s Gambit After Deadpool & Wolverine

Ryan Reynolds Says Marvel is ‘Obsessed’ with Channing Tatum’s Gambit After Deadpool & Wolverine

Ryan Reynolds hopes that the latest Marvel film can pave the way for a major Gambit comeback.

Channing Tatum’s portrayal of Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine has fans eager to see what’s next for the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to Ryan Reynolds, who starred in, co-wrote, and produced the film, Marvel Studios is “obsessed” with Tatum’s take on the Cajun card-slinging mutant. This could be promising for the character’s future in Marvel’s lineup.

“I don’t know exactly what happens in Marvel’s meetings, but I do know they’re crazy about him in this role,” Reynolds shared on Entertainment Weekly‘s Awardist podcast. He compared Marvel’s response to Tatum’s Gambit to the buzz created by the 2014 test footage for Deadpool, which ultimately convinced the studio to greenlight the character’s standalone film. “Sometimes they just need to see it come alive on screen,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds famously admitted earlier this year that he “might have helped” leak that Deadpool test footage to rally fan support. Now, he hopes Deadpool & Wolverine can similarly prove to Marvel that Tatum’s Gambit deserves a full return.

“Channing is so unique in his approach to the character,” Reynolds continued. “There’s also just something incredible about the way he moves; he has this natural agility, and he really brought that to Gambit.”

Before Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, Tatum had been set to star in a standalone Gambit movie, where he would portray the fan-favorite mutant with the power to turn potential energy into kinetic energy—charging objects, typically playing cards, and using them as explosive weapons. However, the project was shelved once Disney absorbed Fox’s assets, including the X-Men franchise.

While Deadpool & Wolverine has allowed Tatum to realize his dream of playing Gambit, Reynolds and director Shawn Levy even added a subtle Easter egg online to confirm that Gambit survives. In a not-quite-deleted scene shown in the background, Gambit’s fate was hinted at but initially went unnoticed until it was released in full by Reynolds and the team.

Whether Tatum’s Gambit will return for future Marvel projects remains uncertain. “I hope so,” Reynolds says, hinting that the character’s future might just be a matter of time.

Catch the full conversation on EW’s Awardist podcast, where Reynolds, Levy, and Hugh Jackman discuss Deadpool & Wolverine and share stories from the set, including an attempt to bring Nicolas Cage back as Ghost Rider.

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