Gambit Bishop : Sons of the Atom #2

Issue Date: 
March 2001
Story Title: 
Enter ... The Witness !
Staff: 

Scott Lobdell (plotter), Joe Pruett (scripter), Cary Nord (penciler), Mark Lipka (inker), Jason Wright (colorist), Babcockcrafts’s JB (letters), Mike Raicht (assistant editor), Mike Marts (editor), Joe Quesada (editor in chief)

Brief Description: 

Gambit asks Bishop to trust his judgement, and they leave the X-men behind to depart to New Orleans. Once there Gambit admits to only having an idea that might possibly help, much to Bishop’s anger. They enter a mausoleum in a beautiful cemetery, and inside they find the Witness, who is an old friend of Gambit. Bishop is shocked, as he knows the Witness from the future, but always thought he was an aged Gambit. The Witness states that not everything is like it seems and then reveals that Stryfe followed the two X-men. He is cowering on the floor behind them, begging for help.

Full Summary: 

Bishop and Remy fly commercial to the Big O; fighter and lover, they are an odd couple. Remy reads Tome magazine, which gives Kelly's death an anti-mutant spin. Remy has Hercule pick them up at the airport and drive them; his boss Mastif owes him a favor. Bishop still thinks they shouldn’t have abandoned the others to Stryfe, but Remy says to trust him.
They stop at a beautifully serene cemetery, where Remy played as a child, and enter a mausoleum. Bishop grows impatient and wants answers from Remy. Below ground sits an old friend, the Witness, amid collected super-hero souvenirs. He explains that his power is to remember all possible futures as well as the past. Remy came across him when he was six, but he's been out of touch since he joined the X-Men. Bishop has trouble accepting this is the same man from his own timeline, who he thought was an aged Remy.
The Witness says they don't always see what's there, and he points out that Stryfe is behind them on the floor, asking for their help.

Characters Involved: 

Bishop, Gambit (former X-Men)

Hercule

The Witness

Stryfe

The Bete Noir
In various scenes that the Witness has observed

Professor Charles Xavier

Magneto, Scarlet Witch

Cyclops, Jean Grey, Cable as a baby

Wolverine, a Sentinel

Story Notes: 

The Witness was first seen in Uncanny X-Men #287 (not #285 as in the footnote) and also appeared in another possible future in Gambit (3rd series) #10. His appearance renews the mystery around his identity. Could he still be an aged Gambit whose powers evolved to some certain degree, or is it some future descendant of Remy LeBeau ?

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