Avengers: Doomsday star Channing Tatum teases a major fight between Gambit and Doctor Doom in the film

Channing Tatum, who was introduced as Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine, will soon return to play this mutant in Avengers: Doomsday. It will be his second project as this character, who has been a part of the X-Men in the Marvel comics. The shoot has already begun in the UK, bringing back stars from past MCU movies, including Tatum.

The 45-year-old star has taken a break from filming after an injury during the shoot on this project. He spoke about it in his recent conversation with Variety. During the interview, he also teased a "big fight" he is going to have with Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr., but didn't reveal any specific details about this action scene.

Due to the said injury, Tatum sat aside while his stunt double worked on these fight scenes, as per Variety. In the same article, the publication pointed out that the actor was supposed to play this role even before the Ryan Reynolds-Hugh Jackman-starrer two-hander comedic adventure, where he starred alongside Jennifer Garner and Wesley Snipes.

The Variety report reveals that Tatum was supposed to co-direct a solo movie about Remy LeBeau before appearing in the 2024 flick. Speaking about what appealed to him about Gambit, Tatum said,

“My singular focus was Gambit. He likes women, he smokes, he drinks. He’s not just a save-the-world kind of guy -- we need those, but we need contrast.”

Channing Tatum speaks about Avengers: Doomsday and the Russo brothers

Marvel Studios Panel At SDCC - Source: Getty

The Russo brothers, who worked on Marvel's previous tentpole projects, will return to helm their Avengers: Doomsday. In the Variety interview, Channing Tatum spoke about the brothers' creative process and how it differs from Shawn Levy's comedic approach on Deadpool & Wolverine. Here's what Tatum told Variety,

"[Directors Anthony and Joe Russo] want things to be funny, but they don’t want to go full ‘Deadpool.’ They want to keep the drama and keep it tight [in Avengers: Doomsday]. When Gambit gets serious -- when he drops the Mardi Gras mask -- things do matter.”

In the same conversation, Tatum revealed that he once auditioned to play Thor, the Asgardian hero, so that he could work in a Kenneth Branagh film. The role eventually went to Chris Hemsworth.

“I didn’t really want to be Thor. But I wanted to audition in front of Kenneth Branagh,” Tatum said.

He also shared his humbling experience of auditioning for Branagh.

“After I did one take, [Branagh] was like, ‘You’re not allowed to move. Put your hands on this chair.’ And I froze. He nailed my crutch. I spent the next five years really trying to learn stillness.”

Speaking about Avengers: Doomsday, Tatum will be joining a slew of X-Men stars from earlier projects, including Ian McKellen as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto, Rebecca Romijn as Raven Darkhölme / Mystique, Alan Cumming as Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler, Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier / Professor X, James Marsden as Scott Summers / Cyclops, and Kelsey Grammer as Hank McCoy / Beast.

Avengers: Doomsday is slated to be released on December 18, 2026.