Warning! Spoilers Ahead for Ultimate Wolverine #3!
WithWolverineoperating as the Ultimate Universe’s Winter Soldier under Colossus’ control,Gambithas become a leading member of the Opposition, stepping up along with Kitty Pryde as the freedom fighters for mutant-kind. The Maker’s new Ultimate Universe has flipped the script of well-known X-Men heroes, and while Wolverine is trapped as a pawn of the Eurasian dictators and the Maker’s Illuminati, Gambit has taken on the role of Wolverine.
Instead of Wolverine being one of the leading heroes to stop mutant oppression, it’s Gambit making moves against fascism.
In a preview forUltimate Wolverine#3—written by Chris Condon and illustrated by Alessandro Cappuccio—the Eurasian military reveals that Gambit and Kitty Pryde are wanted dead and that Gambit was responsible for the death of Colossus’ brother, Mikhail Rasputin.
While on a mission to neutralize Gambit,Wolverine falls into a trap set by Remy LeBeau, who kinetically charged several chess pieces to explode—setting the stage for an explosive reunion between the former teammates. Now that Wolverine has become a weapon aimed at his old allies, Gambit finds himself in grave danger.
With Wolverine Under Colossus' Command, Gambit Emerges as Mutantkind’s Last Hope
Ultimate Wolverine#3–Written By Chris Condon; Art By Alessandro Cappuccio; Color By Bryan Valenza; Letters By Cory Petit; Cover Art By Alessandro Cappuccio & Frank Martin
Within the Ultimate Universe,Wolverine is not the X-Men heromany have come to know. Instead,Logan is presented as a shell of his former hero and becomes a weapon to uphold fascism as the Winter Soldier. Though the Maker ensured that heroes like the X-Men were not formed as they are known in the Earth-616 Universe, there is the inevitable rise of resistance to oppose the fascist regime of Eurasia and its abuse of mutants. The Mutant Opposition is most comparable to the main Marvel Universe’s X-Men, with its members including Gambit, Kitty Pryde, Nightcrawler, and Mystique.
Gambit takes on a more battle-hardened appearancewith a face of scars, an eye patch, and tactical attire to align with his freedom fighter status with the Mutant Opposition, a resistance that reinvents the X-Men team.Instead of Wolverine being one of the leading heroes to stop mutant oppression, it’s Gambitmaking moves against fascism as one of the Opposition’s more prevalent members. From Nightcrawler’s letter inUltimate X-Men #2, it’s revealed that Wolverine was originally part of the Opposition and friends with Kurt Waggner, and most likely Gambit and Kitty Pryde, before hisbrainwashing at Directorate X.
Marvel’s Ultimate Gambit Replaces Wolverine as Mutantkind’s Leading Resistance Fighter
Will Gambit and Kitty Pryde Survive the Brutality of the Ultimate Universe’s Winter Soldier?
The current Ultimate Universe is a massive departure from tradition, offering a groundedreimagining of Marvel’s beloved heroesrooted in realism—a sentiment reinforced bythe shocking deaths of Mystique and Nightcrawler at the hands of an indoctrinated Wolverine. Although Wolverine’s mind has been wiped clean of his past, he still experiences nightmares of his former life, leaving the door open for Gambit to potentially rescue him from his brainwashed state. However, with Nightcrawler’s death establishing that no one is safe in this universe, even Gambit’s fate remains uncertain.
Major X-Men Death: Nightcrawler’s Last Words Expose the Core of the Character
Sadly, Ultimate Nightcrawler has been tragically slain by his best friend Logan, acting as the new Winter Soldier, in his Ultimate Universe debut.
In a complete departure from his well-known origins, Wolverine’s current status as the Winter Soldier has turned him into a threat to mutantkind, while his former allies, like Gambit, struggle to resist the authoritarian rule of Colossus’ Eurasia and the Maker’s Illuminati. In Wolverine’s absence, Gambit steps up as a member of the Opposition, essentially becoming a Wolverine-like symbol of the mutant resistance. ThoughGambitand Kitty Pryde may have the potential to breakWolverinefree from his mind control, there’s also a very real possibility that theX-Mencould meet the same tragic fate as Nightcrawler.
