Ryan Reynolds says Marvel is "obsessed" with Channing Tatum's Gambit after Deadpool and Wolverine: "Sometimes they just need to see it in action"

Sometimes you have to play the hand you're dealt. Half a decade after Channing Tatum's standalone Gambit movie was officially canceled, the X-Men hero sprung back onto the scene as part of Deadpool and Wolverine and its Void's worth of fan favorite surprises and cameos.

Now, star Ryan Reynolds says Marvel Studios is "obsessed" with Gambit.

"I honestly don't know what goes on behind closed doors in the bookkeeping sessions at Marvel, but I do know that they're obsessed with him in that role," Reynolds told Entertainment Weekly.

Reynolds added that the journey of Gambit, from a stuttering start through to major approval via big-screen proof of concept, mirrored his own trials and tribulations as Deadpool – which only picked up traction after test footage of Ryan Reynolds as the character leaked onto the internet back in 2014.

"It's kind of like the same situation I went through," Reynolds said. "Once you show that it works well, that's really what they need. Sometimes they just need to see it in action."

Right now, it's unclear if Channing Tatum will return as Gambit ("I hope so," Reynolds remarked), but there appears to be some good feeling with Marvel Studios should it ever choose to go down that path.

Cruelly, we were robbed of even more of the X-Men character in Deadpool and Wolverine itself.

A second post-credits scene, featuring Gambit being rescued from the Void, was cut for supposedly feeling too much like a "traditional Marvel" stinger. Maybe, just maybe, we'll find out what happened to the card-dealing Cajun after he made a name for himself in the Void – and with audiences.

For more, check out our guides to upcoming Marvel movies and how to watch the Marvel movies in order.