X-Men '97 Merch Spoils The Return Of A Dead Marvel Character (With A Twist)

Potential spoilers for "X-Men '97" follow.

The jaw-dropping fifth episode of "X-Men '97" Season 1, "Remember It," killed off the fan-favorite X-Man Gambit/Remy LeBeau (A. J. LoCascio). Gambit gave his life to destroy a giant Sentinel laying waste to Genosha, saving several mutants, including his beloved Rogue (Lenore Zann).

The 1992 "X-Men" cartoon made Gambit (who had only debuted in the comics in 1990) into an essential team member for a generation of X-Fans. He was beloved for his Cajun accent, sharp wit, explosive card-throwing skills, and will-they-won't-they dynamic with Rogue. But almost no one really dies for good in the Marvel universe, even someone dead and buried with a funeral like Gambit had.

His return, though, will come with a cost. "X-Men '97" Season 1 ended with Apocalypse (Ross Marquand) standing in the ruins of Genosha, holding one of Gambit's seared playing cards. "So much pain, my children. So much ... death," he observed. That's a pointed word choice, one foreshadowing an adaptation of the comic "Blood of Apocalypse, where Apocalypse remade Gambit into his Horseman, Death.

The "X-Men '97" Season 2 trailer opens with a mournful Rogue remembering Gambit and his death, priming viewers to remember. The marketing, though, has held back on Gambit-as-Death ... except for the art on a Hot Topic t-shirt. The listing now redirects away, but sample screenshots below:

Static Media

Static Media

Now, keep in mind, this may not necessarily be Gambit/Death's final design in the show itself. The listing being pulled, though, does suggest that Marvel et al. didn't want people to see it. The skull-faced, white-haired Death on the T-shirt doesn't quite match artist Salvador Larroca's design for Gambit-as-Death from "Blood of Apocalypse." What it does closely resemble is Professor X's vision of an undead Gambit from Season 1, Episode 6, "Lifedeath – Part 2."

The image shows Death-as-Gambit holding a long scythe, a common weapon of the pop-cultural Grim Reaper. But it's also a macabre twist on Gambit's own design; he fights hand-to-hand with a bo staff. The shirt also frames Gambit-as-Death inside a tarot card, specifically the Death Card. The meaning there seems pretty obvious, but there's another layer: the Death Card symbolizes rebirth, as Apocalypse has remade Gambit into his Horseman.

So, when can we expect to see Gambit/Death return in "X-Men '97"? Based on the Season 2 release schedule, the penultimate eighth episode is titled "The Dead Man's Hand." That phrase refers to the hand of cards that gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok had when he was shot dead during a poker game. It would also be the most fitting title for Gambit, with his playing card motif, to return from the dead. 

"X-Men '97" Season 2 premieres on Wednesday, July 1, on Disney+.