X-Franchise: Definitely Not Dead Yet

Since we seem to be on an X3 binge the last couple weeks, I've been meaning to post the following tidbit of information. Those involved with X3 admit there's more X-fare in the pipeline. The topic of another movie slipped out during a discussion of Gambit's absence from the first three X-films.

Let me stop and process that for a second. Gambit's absence from the first three films? Gambit? Gambit, the ragin cajun whose mutant power is the ability to deliver a kinetic blast via throwable items (namely playing cards)? That someone would even ask about Gambit's absence from the films, and the fact that one of the authors of the script even considered involving Gambit, speaks volumes regarding the generation of X-fans targeted by the movie industry. They're certainly not catering to the old schoolers like myself. And that's the reason why I'm starting to lose interest in the franchise. I want to see Cyclops, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Kitty, Storm, Wolverine, Rogue, Ice Man, Beast, and Jean emerge as one the premiere super teams on the planet Earth. These are the X-men, with a few other occasional guest stints by folks like Havok, Polaris, Banshee, and Sunfire, who I came to know and love. I want to see them engage the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, the Hellfire Club, the Sentinels (what a lame reference to the Sentinels in X3), the Brood, Belasco, and any other number of interesting antagonists. I want to see them engage emotionally, to create friendships, to develop dislikes for one another, to set differences aside when everything is on the line. I realize adjustments need to be made to the original storyline(s) in order to resonate with contemporary audiences. I'm down with that--the first two X-flicks did just fine in that department.

The fact that Gambit is going to appear in future X-incarnations tells me the franchise is headed in the Age of Apocalypse direction, a storyline that resulted in me dropping the X-men as a regular comic. With the exception of Astonishing X-men, written by Josh Whedon, I haven't returned to the X-realm in 11 years. Gambit didn't interest me when he appeared 15 years ago and he doesn't interest me now. Gambit's appearance marks a shift away from the X-men as a morality play with likable, yet flawed, characters. The X-men of Claremont's run were interesting and complex people who found themselves thrust into extraordinary events. Some of my favorite comics from that era focused on the X-men hanging around the mansion between intergalactic travels or terrestrial battles to save the Earth. The Gambit era toward the end of Claremont's run, on the other hand, marked a shift toward style over substance. Comics became more about slick new characters with flashy powers, not the humanness of said characters. Ultimately, I suppose that's my issue with X3. Considering the gravity of the story, I didn't feel much emotionally ::shrugs:: And that's exactly what a feel when I hear Gambit is likely to make an appearance: nothin', mon cheri.