Warning! Spoilers ahead for Excalibur #16 from Tini Howard and Marcus To
In the latest issue of Marvel Comics' X-Men series Excalibur, Betsy Braddock is missing and feared dead in the aftermath of X of Swords. However, that's not to say that finding a Betsy Braddock is hard. The end of the X-Men event saw the creation of a brand new Captain Britain Corps full of Betsys from across the Multiverse, but the Betsy that belonged to Excalibur and the 616 universe is the one the team is trying to locate. Meanwhile, the classic X-Man Gambit just got a pretty major power upgrade in the midst of their search, allowing him to now channel much more than just the usual kinetic energy.
After being given inconclusive results from X-Factor in regards to whether or not their Betsy was dead and could then be resurrected on the island of Krakoa, Excalibur decides to return to Avalon and Otherworld. Otherworld was where Betsy disappeared, shattering into several glass pieces which were then collected by Lady Saturnyne in X of Swords, so the team hopes to investigate and determine what might have become of Besty. After meeting with Jaime and Brian Braddock, the team ventures out along with Meggan, Brian's wife, and it's here where Gambit unlocks his new abilities.
Gambit's mutant power is his ability to manipulate the pure kinetic energy of objects, charging them until they explode. More often than not, Gambit uses decks of playing cards which he'll charge up before throwing them at his foes. However, when Rictor comes up with a means to find Betsy with a summoning spell thanks to Apocalypse's grimoire, it requires a combination of all of Excalibur's powers to enact it. However, the spell also needed Gambit to channel a whole new kind of energy that he seems to have never thought of before.
With Rictor's help, Gambit learns that he can now channel magical energy beyond his primary control over the kinetic kind (as powerful as that is on its own). Once Excalibur joins their hands and powers together as one, the summoning spell does indeed works. However, rather than the Betsy they wanted coming forth, they ended up summoning the entire Captain Britain Corps of Betsys. Even so, the Captain Britain Corps is now on the case, determined to search all of their realms to find out where she might have gone.
The fact that Gambit was able to control another form of energy in this new issue is equally cool as it is impressive. While it could have just been due to the combining of Excalibur's powers, it would certainly be interesting if this was actually a new layer of Gambit's evolution manifesting within him. The ability to channel and control magical energy on his own would no doubt open Gambit up to some new and exciting narrative avenues. Here's hoping that this new dimension of Gambit's X-gene is further explored as the X-Men series Excalibur continues from Marvel Comics.