Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Uncanny X-Men #5! X-Men hero, and has been since his debut in the ‘90s. The reason is that Remy LeBeau is just cool, and his signature playing cards greatly contribute to that unquestionable fact. But now, Gambit is trading his playing cards for trading cards, ones that will make ‘90s kids (aka Gambit’s original fan club) absolutely lose their minds.

In a preview for Uncanny X-Men #5 by Gail Simone and David Marquez, the X-Men are facing off against a terrifying new villain: Sarah Gaunt. Gaunt was once a woman who allegedly had a child with Charles Xavier, though she raised their son alone. When the boy was nine years old, tragedy struck, as their home was hit by a deadly hurricane. Gaunt’s son was killed, and she was swept away by the storm. When she emerged from the rubble, Sarah was no longer a human woman, but some twisted monster with razor-sharp claws and nigh-invulnerability.

In the previous issue, Rogue took on Sarah Gaunt alone after the villain mutilated Wolverine. In this preview, Gaunt is nowhere to be found, but that doesn’t mean the X-Men are out of the woods. The mutant heroes are being attacked by a group of Gaunt’s followers, all of whom exhibit a fraction of her seemingly supernatural powers, making them a deadly threat. Luckily, the X-Men are prepared for battle, especially Gambit, who has an entire box of trading cards that are a clear stand-in for Pokémon cards.

Gambit is Using ‘Pokémon Cards’ as His New Weapon of Choice

Gambit Super-Charging Pokémon Cards Has Hilariously Meta Implications

While the cards Gambit is using are technically called “Brute Force” cards, Remy describes them as trading cards with “little cartoon monsters on ‘em”, and since Pokémon is literally ‘Pocket Monsters’, that’s enough of a similarity to draw the comparison. Plus, just like in the real world, the ‘Pokémon’ cards Gambit will be super-charging (and effectively destroying) are pretty valuable, especially given the ones he has are all collectibles.

What’s interesting about this - aside from the ‘90s awesomeness of seeing X-Men’s Gambit fighting enemies with Pokémon cards - is that Remy’s new weapon has hilariously meta implications. Back in the ‘90s, X-Men: The Animated Series and the Pokémon anime were competing programs, each vying for kids’ collective attention - and Pokémon was a more popular show at the time. So, it seems unlikely that Gambit will feel too bad about destroying Pokémon cards in battle, since their respective franchises were competitors in the ‘90s.

One X-Men Hero Would NOT Be Happy About Gambit’s New Weapon

Wolverine’s Son, Akihiro, Secretly Loves Pokémon

While Gambit might not care about destroying Pokémon cards, there is one X-Men hero who would be sick to his stomach watching that happen: Wolverine’s son, Akihiro. In X-Factor #3 by Leah Williams and David Baldeon, Akihiro makes it known that he’s a big fan of Pokémon during a friendly conversation with his teammate, Aurora. This means that (‘90s meta-feud be damned), Akihiro would be disgusted by the idea of Gambit casually destroying valuable Pokémon collectible cards - even if he was just doing it during battle.

Thankfully for Akihiro, Gambit isn’t actually destroying Pokémon cards, just the in-world stand-in for them, “Brute Force”. However, fans know how to read between the lines, and they can see that Gambit’s new weapon in X-Men canon is, indeed, collectible Pokémon cards - and that’s enough to make ‘90s kids lose their minds.

Uncanny X-Men #5 by Marvel Comics is available November 13, 2024.