Gambit has the ability to tap into the potential energy contained within an object and transform it into kinetic energy. When he charges an object with kinetic energy and throws it at a target, the object releases this energy explosively on impact.

Remy LeBeau was adopted into the Thieves Guild of New Orleans as a young child. By the time he was a young adult he was considered one of the Guild's best and brightest. The leader of the Thieves Guild, Candra, joined forces with Apocalypse and became one of his Horsemen but was murdered by Holocaust during the Horsemen's War of Succession. Gambit fled and hid in the ruins of New Orleans. He found himself caught in the middle of a battle between the X-Men and a small band of Apocalypse's Infinite Soldiers. Gambit could have slipped away quietly but he chose to help the X-Men and saved the life of Magneto, preventing Havoc from killing him with a plasma blast.

Magneto invited Gambit to join the X-Men and the two became close friends. He once served as one of Magneto's most trusted trusted aids until he he discovered that he and Magneto had a shared romantic interest in Rogue. Gambit began to have feelings for Rogue and considered asking her to marry him despite her powers preventing them from having physical contact. He had spoken with Magneto on several occasions discussing the possibility of working around her powers. After much contemplation, Magneto was able to find a means that would allow Rogue to touch another person. However, the method was reliant on their magnetic powers and, as such, only allowed Rogue to come into contact with Magneto.

On the day he planned to propose to Rogue, Gambit saw Magneto showing Rogue how it was possible for her to touch him. Gambit witnessed their shared touch and became hurt and angry, lashing out at both of them. Moments later, an agent of Apocalypse named Wolverine attacked the X-Men. Both Gambit and Magneto were placed in grave danger and Rogue did not hesitate to save Magneto. Gambit was crushed and he left the X-Men to form, the X-Ternals, and acted as a modern day Robin Hood, stealing from the mutant elite and giving to the opressed humans.

When Magneto learned of the existence of an alternate and less bleak reality that should have been, he called on Gambit to gather the means to restore the natural timeline by stealing the M'kraan Crystal, a gem containing the nexus of all realities. Using the dormant powers of Gambit's girlfriend Lila Cheney, he and his band of X-Ternals traveled across the universe to the location of the crystal in the Shi'ar Galaxy. Upon their arrival, they were hunted down by the Imperial Guard and an officer of Apocalypse who had followed them through Lila's portal, Rictor.

Gambit and his X-Ternals were rescued by Deathbird and her Starjammers who escorted him to the M'kraan Crystal on the planet Shi'ar. He and Deathbird entered the gem after it seemingly took Lila Cheney hostage. Once inside, Jahf, the guardian of the M'kraan Crystal, informed Gambit that he would be able to leave with a shard of the M'kraan Crystal if he left a part of himself. In exchange for a piece of the M'kraan Crystal, Gambit forfeited his unconditional love for Rogue that had burdened him and put a strain on his relationship with Lila.

When the X-Ternals were teleported back to Earth by Lila, the X-Ternals escaped through the Morlock Tunnels where they were betrayed by Guido Carosella. He seized the piece of the M'kraan Crystal they had returned with and had also obtained possession of Magneto and Rogue's child Charles. While attempting to exterminate Gambit, Lila, and Guido, Rictor caused the Tunnels to collapse on them. In the commotion, Gambit chose to rescue Lila Cheney instead of recovering the crystal shard and Charles.

They were later found by Exodus and Dazzler who were both searching for Quicksilver's younger brother Charles. When they reached topside, they were greeted by the X-Men who he would join for their infiltration inside the heart of Apocalypse's lair. He helped hold off Apocalypse's minions while Destiny and Illyana Rasputin entered the M'kraan Crystal with Bishop to set things right. When Colossus became a menace to their mission and murdered his wife Shadowcat, Gambit put him out of comission. The X-Men were victorious over Apocalypse and Gambit has since returned to the X-Men and fights alongside Magneto with new resolve, no longer holding a grudge against Magneto for his relationship with Rogue.