GAMBIT

Real name: Remy LeBeau
Occupation: Thief
Identity: While his eyes might make one suspicious, his status as a mutant is unknown
Legal status: Citizen of the United States with a criminal record of a few minor childhood offences
Other aliases: Gambit
Place of birth: New Orleans, Louisiana
Marital status: Married but separated
Known relatives: Jean-Luc LeBeau (adoptive father), Bella Bordreaux (wife)
Group affiliation: None
Base of operations: None
First appearance: September, 2000
History:

He was abandoned by his real mother only days after he was born, and Remy was raised by a man named Jean-Luc LeBeau, and he just happened to be the high-up man in one of the most influential crime organizations in New Orleans. Having no children of his own, he wanted to bring up the boy to take his place some day, and so Remy was trained from a very early age with a very specific career path in mind.

Thus he grew up in an interesting situation. Jean-Luc was certainly not lacking in funds, and he's used to the availability of money not being an issue. However, he was also unsheltered from the reality of where that money came from. He didn't exactly grow up on the streets, but they were both his playground and schoolhouse... he's seen what goes on, and from his early misadventures, he knows what happens if one gets caught. And he found himself cast right into the middle of the old, old conflict in New Orleans, two rival factions vying for the rights to the territory. The original functions and organization of these two factions was forgotten long before Jean-Luc's time, but the fight itself is very much still alive.

He met Bella when he was eight. She was the oldest daughter and heir to the most influential household of the rival faction. They were as innocent as such children could be said to be, oblivious to the implications of their association, and they became friends. Jean-Luc took immediate interest, and surprisingly, pushed the two to stay together, pushing them closer together.

As they grew up, the bond grew as well. Their connection was mostly platonic, tempered with youthful infatuation, but they called it love, and as soon as they were old enough, Jean-Luc made his intentions known. He arranged for the two to be married when they turned eighteen, an attempt to close the rift between the two factions. (After all, a united underworld would be much better for business.) Many on both sides were vehemently against the union, unfortunately, Bella's brother included. Only days after the wedding, Jullien and his gang half challenged, half ambushed Remy, and it was clear that this was not a warning. Jullien was there to kill him.

Remy knew about his kinetic charging ability since early adolescence. It didn't manifest traumatically.. It was certainly a bit unnerving to have objects suddenly start to glow and blow up, but by necessity, he taught himself to control the power. Jean-Luc knew, he was the one who paid to repair Remy's accidental damage to the property, and he made sure it was absolutely clear that this ability would remain secret. And Remy did a pretty good job of doing so.

When Jullien attacked him, and he found himself outmatched, unable to fend off the attackers, he panicked, and in his desperation, used his powers against his assailant. He didn't mean to kill his brother-in-law, but the man died, and this ripped open all of the feud's old wounds. The exposure of his mutant power didn't help the situation any, either. Now almost everyone in Bella's faction wanted him killed, and his own faction enthusiastically stood behind him, ready and eager to make retribution should he be killed. Fearing the depths this would take the conflict to, Jean-Luc reached the only compromise he could, and cut Remy off completely, sending him out of New Orleans with only a few words of advice and enough money to keep him going until he could get his own. And so Remy began to travel north, going from city to city and never staying anywhere very long, until he found his way to New York.

Height: 6'1" Weight: 165 lbs.
Eyes: Red Hair: Red-brown
Unusual physical characteristics: Nothing other than the eyes.
Strength level: Remy possesses the normal human strength of a man his age, height, and build, who engages in moderate regular exercise.
Known superhuman powers: Remy can charge inorganic (or dead organic) objects with kinetic energy, the result being, when they hit something, the rapid escape of the excess energy causes said object to explode.
Other abilities: He's naturally very agile, and skilled in the tricks of his trade; picking pockets, picking locks, sleight of hand, etc.
Weapons and paraphernalia: Pocket knife, pack of gum, ball point pen, various picks and wires, subway tokens, a deck or two of playing cards...all manner of stuff just accumulates in his pockets.
Other notes: None