She may have meant that a lot what Gambit does isn't as explicitly supernatural as some of the other characters (like the agility and charisma, which are a huge part of his character). The Thing, albeit enhanced by the skin, mainly just beats the shit out of stuff. Gambit's mutant powers are considered a bit lame by some people, even though the character is pretty badass.

And yes, I'm pretty sure that is meant to be the same Sabertooth in both movies. I don't think they were brothers in the comics, but they had been part of the same government project before they went their separate ways.