Cable

Origin

Cable, born Nathan Christopher Charles Summers, is the son of Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor, a clone of Jean Grey. Mr. Sinister had hoped to use the boy as a weapon against Apocalypse but was unable to do so. Apocalypse infected the infant with a techno-organic virus, an incurable affliction. Cable was taken to the future and raised. He returned to the present to fight Stryfe and to prevent Apocalypse’s ascension in the future.

Creation

The character of Cable was created by Rob Liefeld and was mostly framed by writers Louise Simonson and Fabian Nicieza who patterned the character after Liefeld’s plots. It wasn’t until much later that Nathan Christopher Charles Summers, infant son of Cyclops and the mercenary time-traveler from the future, were linked as being the same individual.

Cable’s first adult appearance was in New Mutants Vol.1 issue 87 (1990), but he had appeared earlier on as an infant in Uncanny X-Men issue 201 (1986). Infant Nathan Summers was introduced by Chris Claremont and Rick Leonardi.

Character Evolution

Before he became Cable, Nathan Summers was the infant son of Cyclops who was sent into the future for protection. As a child, Cable possessed a mild form of psionic abilities.

Later, Cable appeared as a man with mysterious roots. He first led everyone to believe that he was simply a man with cyborg parts. This characterization slowly changed into that of a mutant with robot parts. His character finally evolved into the child that Cyclops had sent into the future, revealing him as a mutant with techno-organic parts.

His first mission was ensuring Stryfe didn’t interfere with the ascension of Cannonball as a High Lord. This storyline quickly ended without resolution when Marvel dropped the Externals concept. He was then simply leader of a team that defied Xavier’s dream while continuing to fight for its own ideals.

After learning to suppress his Techno-Organic Virus, Cable gained nearly unrivaled power, which he used in an effort to make the world better. When he lost those powers, he then dubbed himself the protector of Hope Summers and brought her with him into the future for protection. Eventually, sacrificing himself for her benefit.

Major Story Arcs

Infancy & the Inferno

Madelyne Pryor rises to power as the Goblyn Queen and agrees to help N’astirh bridge Limbo with Earth as part of her Inferno. Part of the spell needed to do so is the use of babies to act as a portal. Christopher is abducted and set in the sky as a piece of a mystical pentagram that opens the portal, which pours demons into New York City.

Christopher and the other babies are rescued by the New Mutants and the X-Terminators, but Christopher is soon back in the mix, as Madelyne intends to sacrifice him for the ultimate spell that will forever bridge Limbo with Earth. Fortunately, Christopher has a telepathic rapport with Jean Grey and he guides her and the X-Factor team to rescue him. Despite feeling his own mother’s evil intent, Christopher stays relatively calm until rescued by Cyclops and Jean Grey.

Techno-Organic Virus

Scott and Jean care for the baby, keeping the name of Nathan Christopher. Apocalypse, apparently having learned of Sinister’s plan at some point, abducts baby Nathan and infects him with a deadly techno-organic virus on the Inhumans‘ lunar base before X-Factor can save him.

Askani, a member of a sisterhood in the future that fights against Apocalypse (the Askani Clan), appears and tells Cyclops that Nathan will die from the T-O virus unless she takes him 2000 years into the future. Cyclops has no choice but to agree and allows his son to be sent to the future with X-Factor’s sentient computer Ship watching over him. (Ship, created by the Celestials and once under Apocalypse’s control, had been almost destroyed by a similar T-O virus and reduced to a pod that lay dormant in young Nathan’s chest cavity with its eons of information lost or damaged when it entered the time-stream.)

The leader of the Askani clan, known as Mother Askani, turns out to be a time-displaced Rachel Summers, which is Scott and Jean’s daughter from another reality. Nate is cloned in case he doesn’t survive the Askani’s treatment for the virus. However, the Askani are attacked by those loyal to Apocalypse, who take the clone (believing it to be the real Nathan). Apocalypse raises the infant as his heir and future vessel and dubs him Stryfe, the Chaos-Bringer. Despite the doubts, Nathan survives his T-O infection. Nathan is raised for a short time by Rachel.

Adolescence

The Askani Cloisters are attacked and Nathan is nearly taken to Apocalypse by Ch’Vayre. Nathan is saved, however, by his father, Cyclops, and Jean Grey. (Mother Askani/Rachel is able to bring the psyches of the honeymooning Scott and Jean into the future to raise and protect Nathan during a particularly violent time when Apocalypse’s purges were threatening the Askani’s existence.) Nathan is raised by his adoptive parents, whom he calls Slym and Redd. They present themselves to the world as the Dayspring family. Nathan has no idea that Slym bears the psychic imprint of his natural father, nor that any of them are mutants.

Nathan stays with Slym and Redd for 12 years. During this time they travel to Crestcoast as part of a legal genetic check-up and are attacked by Apocalypse’s guards upon suspicion of the Daysprings being spies. Nathan lashes out and attacks a guard and is spared a thrashing when the local Prior, Turrin (a man covered in metal prosthetics), takes Nathan and his family into the city.

The Daysprings join Turrin and a band of rebels and make calculated attacks for a few years. Nathan stows away on one mission to an Apocalypse laboratory in which the rebels find a prototype for the Legacy Virus. Rachel speaks to Nathan’s mind and walks him through a computer program that will cause the lab to self-destruct. Stryfe senses Nathan and the two meet face to face. They are surprised at the likeness and Nathan uses a burst of psionic power to stun Stryfe. The rebels then flee as the lab explodes.

Teen Years

Puberty strikes and Nathan’s body turns against him. He nearly dies but is pep-talked back to life by Rachel on the Astral Plane. Nathan recovers and alerts Slym that Redd is in trouble. They rush to help and find her at the mercy of Apocalypse, who is about to bond with Stryfe’s body. Nathan disrupts the bond, which ultimately kills Apocalypse. With Apocalypse no longer a threat, Rachel makes Slym and Redd return to their bodies in the present and Nathan is left by himself.

Finding the Askani

Some years later, Nathan and his friend Tetherblood are arrested by Strator Umbridge of the Canaanites. The boys are freed by Blaquesmith, a mysterious telepath, who tells Nathan to find the Askani and to learn from a special woman. Nathan makes his way to Ebonshire. He finds a pirate ship has been attacked and attempts to save the last survivor from the deadly Daegon. Unfortunately, Nathan is no match for the beast and is nearly killed. He is saved, however, by a young woman named Aliya. She defeats the monster with a psimitar, saving Nathan’s life, as well as the last pirate.

Aliya takes Nathan to her home, but on the way they face Loci, a race of instectoids. Nathan impresses the young woman by wielder her psimitar and the two begin to feel an attraction to each other. Nathan is wounded and he and Aliya – with the unconscious pirate – escape.

Aliya introduces Nathan to Madame Sanctity, the leader of the underground Askani Clan. Nathan senses the power in Madame Sanctity and assumes that she is the woman Blaquesmith told him about. He asks to be taught in the ways of the Askani. This is heresy, since the Clan has historically been made up of women. Sanctity grants Nathan’s request and declares him the Askani’Son, or the one chosen to lead the rebellion against the Canaanites.

Nathan is taught by Aliya and the two grow closer. He grows weary of the role of being a messiah and contemplates leaving. Blaquesmith appears and informs him that Aliya is really the one Nathan was to meet. The Canaanites attack and destroy many of the Askani. Nathan and Aliya are nearly killed by Umbridge, who had been serving Nathan under the guise of a thankful pirate he had saved from the Daegon. Umbridge is killed by Tetherblood and the three confront Haight, the leader of the Canaanites. Nathan vows to exact revenge on any regime bent on subverting any group of people. Nathan, Tetherblood, and Aliya then escape in Haight’s escape pod.

Clan Chosen

Stryfe builds up an army and Nathan starts the Clan Chosen, a group that struggles against Stryfe’s army, as well as the corrupt government of the New Canaanites.

On the eve of a great battle with Stryfe’s forces, Nathan takes ill and appears to be near death. Aliya travels to the future and enlists the help of Cable, whom she later learns is Nathan grown up. Nathan resists Cable’s telepathic help, but is able to recover when Cable recovers the Professor from Stryfe and bonds it with Nathan. Nathan, never aware of Cable’s involvement, arises and leads his forces to victory.

At some point down the road, Nathan and Aliya are married and have a son, Tyler.

In one battle, the confusion between the two enemies is evident. Cable and his Clan Chosen think an attack is being led by the New Canaanites and they try to lead the battle away from the camp. Cable leaves Aliya and his son Tyler at camp. The diversion is ineffective and a bomb is dropped on the base camp. Cable rushes into the carnage and finds his wife. She asks him about their son. Cable doesn’t know where Tyler is, but tells Aliya that the boy is safe. Aliya then dies in his arms. Boak informs the group of rebels that the attack wasn’t led by the New Canaanites but by Stryfe’s anarchistic forces. To add salt to the wound that Aliya’s passing inflicts upon Cable, Boak informs him that Tyler was taken captive by Stryfe in the raid.

One mission leads Cable and his team to stumble upon a blast site where they find one lone survivor. Cable stops Tetherblood from killing the man, opting instead to send up a signal to the Canaanites to come and find their man. This man would soon become Sinsear, an avowed enemy to Cable.

At a later encounter with Stryfe, Cable tracks Stryfe to some hidden venting tunnels in Michigan. There, Stryfe gets the jump on Cable’s team. As a surprise move, Tyler gets introduced as the newest initiate into Stryfe’s forces, having been mentally manipulated by the mutant Frisco. Tyler then puts Nathan in an impossible situation by mind-linking with one of Nathan’s teammates, Dawnsilk. Cable has to choose between the woman or his now-demented son. Seeing that Tyler is lost, he chooses his teammate and shoots Tyler (mentally damaging Dawnsilk in the process), an action that will turn Tyler against him, even when the mind control is gone. After many years and battles, Stryfe escapes into the past and Nathan has to follow him.

First Contact with the Present

Upon arriving in the present, Cable lands in Scotland. He had hoped to arrive at Xavier‘s, but time travel isn’t an exact art. His first contact was with Reverend Craig. Believing Cable to be the Devil’s Herald, Reverend Craig incites the village against Cable. Moira MacTaggert shows a kind face and takes Cable to her research facility to run some tests. Due to the techno-organic virus, Moira’s machinery goes haywire and blows up. Cable is just barely able to save Moira from a machine barreling down on her. He then reads her mind and learns English so as to tell her his intentions for wanting to meet with Charles Xavier. She informs the Professor that Cable is on his way. As he leaves, Cable mind-wipes Wolfsbane, who had been present but couldn’t be allowed to know he was ever there.

Upon arriving in New York, Cable walks the streets to familiarize himself with the 20th Century. While doing some research on Charles Xavier, Cable hears screaming and learns that a bank is being robbed nearby. He sneaks in and gets ambushed by the Vulture, who is committing his first bank heist. The bank blows up and Cable is found in the wreckage by a man named Franklin Rhodes. Rhodes takes him home, as he recognizes Cable as a man touched by war. Meanwhile, Wolverine had helped capture a being named D’Von Kray up in Canada, a guy from the future who had come to the past to take Cable out. After the Canadian authorities attempt to reprogram Kray and outfit him with working armaments, Kray escapes and finds Cable in New York. They fight and Cable wins, but Rhodes dies in the shoot-out. Wolverine is rather callous towards Cable’s loss and this supposedly causes a rivalry between the two men which lasts decades.

Wild Pack into Six Pack

Cable later forms a mercenary group, the Wild Pack. (It would later be known as the Six Pack when Silver Sable informs them the name is already taken.) Taking money from whomever offers it, the then Wild Pack head to New Mexico to infiltrate a HYDRA research lab to recover a stolen component. Cable leads as they breach the lab with very little trouble and Hammer breaks into the system to acquire the part. Having done so, a message from Baron von Strucker plays on a big screen and alerts the team that they have twenty seconds to escape with their lives. Having acquired the part, Cable simply bodyslides the team outside the facility before it blows up. The Wild Pack returns the item to A.I.M., their contractor, who informs the team that the thing is a dud. A.I.M. simply wanted to see how far HYDRA had gotten with their research. They handsomely pay Cable’s outfit for their troubles.

At one point during Cable’s tenure with the Six Pack, he travels to the future and has his computer, Professor, research a group of seemingly immortal mutants called Externals. Sam Guthrie’s name comes up in the search and apparently was living well into the 24th century, and going by the code-name Cannonball in the 20th century when he would potentially first realize he was an External. Cable takes a particular interest in Sam because he had the potential to become a High Lord with the ability to hinder the ascension of Apocalypse. He returns to the present to continue hounding Stryfe, find a mutant messiah (whom he initially things is Cannonball), lead the Six Pack for a few more missions, and stop the ascension of Apocalypse.

Perhaps Cable’s most trying time with his team came during a mission for Tolliver. Tolliver had contracted the team for some easy corporate payback in Afghanistan and the Six Pack agreed that working for this guy would be well for them. Unfortunately, on a subsequent mission, this did not prove to be the case. Checking up on an opium route, Domino finds a secret hatch and Cable orders the team inside. Due to their snooping, they run right into a Stryfe operation. They escape, but the fact that they broke contract with Tolliver means a large target is placed on their backs. Cable then leads the team on missions to get at Stryfe. They finally find an installation and Cable has Hammer download a disk of information. Stryfe then appears and takes Garrison Kane hostage. Hammer is willing to give the disk over for Kane’s life so Cable shoots Hammer in the back. Stryfe still gets the disk and leaves as the base begins to explode. Cable bodyslides out on his own and leaves his team to fend for themselves. Kane and Hammer would both be seriously injured. Everyone else would simply hold a grudge.

Meeting the New Mutants

Having gone solo, Cable tracks Stryfe’s group to the Freedom Force base. He gets slagged and left behind and has to escape the Freedom Force cronies. It’s not easy, but he does get to use Pyro‘s fire shooters at Blob while almost decapitating Super Sabre. Cable thinks he gets clear of Freedom Force until he gets cornered in New York City. Fortunately, some of the New Mutants happen by and help him fight off the “government issue” mutants.

Cable then accompanies the New Mutants to their school. Moira MacTaggart is there trying to get Wolfsbane to go back to Scotland with her. Cable steps in and requests that Wolfsbane stays. Moira agrees, but only because she knows that Cable would be good for the kids. In the New Mutants, Cable sees a dual need: they need a mentor/teacher and he needs recruits for his cause. His methods are far more militaristic than past mentors and the New Mutants soon become the pariah of the X-Teams.

Leader of the New Mutants

The introduction of Cable as the New Mutant leader not only rubs the other teams the wrong way, but one of his own students. Rictor is livid that Cable is now his boss. He won’t tell anyone why he hates Cable so much. He does, however, decide that he’ll go off on his own and cause some trouble in the Morlock Tunnels. He ends up getting in trouble and Cable has to go down and save the boy. This is the first excursion the team has taken and Cable leads them in a far more militaristic way.

They encounter the Masque and the Morlocks, Sabretooth, and Caliban, all in one fell meeting. All Cable cares about is that Rictor is retrieved. Cable has the New Mutants watch as Caliban breaks Sabretooth’s back – then they head home.

Days of Future Present & Madripoor

Cable and the New Mutants then get involved in the Fantastic Four battle with Ahab (during the Days of Future Present arc). Here is when Cable lets the other teams know that he is now in charge of the New Mutants. The team doesn’t take a huge role in the fight. (The irony with the Days of Future Present arc is that the son of Cyclops was abducted and Cable fought to recapture him. It was later revealed that Cable was the actual son of Cyclops. In essence, Cable unknowingly fought for his past life so that he could even exist in the present. He didn’t learn the truth about his lineage until much later).

The New Mutants are then led to Madripoor. It is here that Cable has tracked Mutant Liberation Front activities and plans to defeat Stryfe with the added help of Sunfire. The MLF plans to release a drug into the drinking water of major cities unless all their demands are met. The team splits up and Sunfire leads the members with flight capabilities, while Cable takes the ground troops. While Sunfire’s group gets captured, Cable takes on a familiar foe, his old rival Wolverine. The fight is pretty brutal and is only stopped by the quick thinking of Rictor. Realizing the two men are on the same side, they team up and take down the MLF by detonating explosives within the same warehouse as the chemical drug. The good guys make it out alive, but so do the bad guys.

X-Tinction Agenda

It isn’t until the events of the X-Tinction Agenda that Cable is officially labeled a mutant and that his eye starts glowing. During the event, Cable shows a very gruff and abrasive side, along with an aspect of genuine care for the young mutants. He gets bent all out of shape when Genoshan Magistrates attack and Storm locks all the experienced mutants in the underground portion of the X-Mansion. He also takes the assimilation of Wolfsbane into a mutate pretty hard, especially since he is the one who had asked Moira MacTaggart to let Wolfsbane stay in his care. Matters are made worse, when one of his charges, Warlock, is killed. When confronted by Cameron Hodge, Cable has no scruples about taking him on, one-on-one. Cable gets beat pretty bad.

During the attack on the Genoshan Citadel, Cable also shows incredible respect for mutants from the other teams, whether from planned attacks or impromptu. He approves of a formal plan by Cyclops and, even more impressive, gets into a drop-of-a-hat battle alongside Gambit to try to free the prisoners. Once Hodge is defeated, Cable takes his New Mutants home (minus the deceased Warlock and the genetically altered Wolfsbane who wanted to stay in Genosha to help free other mutates with Havok).

End of an Era for the New Mutants

Back in the X-Mansion, Cable tries to salvage what he can of his team. While looking at new recruits, Deadpool shows up and states that Tolliver has put a hit on Cable’s head. With some New Mutant teamwork and the timely arrival of Domino, Deadpool is subdued and mailed back to Tolliver. During this time, however, Rictor leaves the team to search for Wolfsbane in Genosha. Sunspot follows shortly thereafter when his father dies.

Cable plays the part of the “tough love” parent and allows these core members to leave while recruiting more obscure but cutthroat members for his new team, including Warpath, Domino, Shatterstar, and Feral. He determines to make a band of soldiers for a war he fears is looming.

Kings of Pain

Sensing that the X-Mansion is no longer safe for his team, as soldiers from Shatterstar’s world followed him there, as did Morlocks following Feral, Cable moves the team out. The first conflict this new group of mutants must face deals with two mutants sucking energy from various points on the Earth. Investigation, during this Kings of Pain story arc, leads to a brief encounter with the New Warriors. The two groups fight over a misunderstanding and then team up to try to stop the energy suckers. It seems that the goal all along was for the energies to be used to resurrect Proteus, Moira MacTaggart’s son.

The attempt is successful and all the assembled X-Teams get pulled into nexus in which they try to plan how to stop Proteus from forming a world that makes perfect sense. Oddly enough, Cable is against destroying Proteus even though it would be for the greater good. Cyclops, on the other hand, wants to talk Proteus into killing himself to achieve his own perfection. Proteus ends up going along with Cyclops and Cable’s team move on to find their new home.

Establishing X-Force

The New Mutants line-up gets shaken up and the team officially changes its moniker to X-Force. This incarnation first tries to take down the Mutant Liberation Front with little success. Cable’s group does damage to a member or two, but Stryfe is able to get away yet again. Seeing a need for more teamwork, Cable leads a training session in which he lets Feral hide while the others seek. This ends up being a bad idea, as Feral goes feral and rips right through Cannonball’s stomach. Cable has no recourse but to shoot Feral with a sedative and hope that Cannonball pulls through, which he eventually does.

Sabotage

A short time later, Cable decides to let his team loose on a situation that other more formal superhero teams won’t touch (see Sabotage). They want to stop Black Tom and the Juggernaut from blowing up the World Trade Center. When they arrive, Cable sees that Siryn has already tried to handle the two, as she was once a partner of the two. She joins Cable’s team. A ground team attempts to take out the Juggernaut (with Spider-Man swinging in to offer a hand) while Cable leads a team to confront Black Tom. The criminal has businessmen trapped, including Gideon and the former New Mutant Sunspot. Cable’s threats are only met by Black Tom showing a detonator that is rigged to blow the building they are in. Further threats force Black Tom to push the button.

The mutants are spared, but the top of the building is a wrecked and Cable sends his squad out to find any survivors. He then pursues Black Tom. He finds him by an open elevator shaft. Black Tom tries to strike a deal (as that’s what all heroes accept) but Cable will hear nothing of it; he unloads his gun into Black Tom and sends him down the elevator shaft. Black Tom won’t die, however, due to intervention of Deadpool and Tolliver. Cable regroups with his team and leave as G.W. Bridge arrives on the scene.

“Death” of Cannonball

Shortly thereafter, the team then must deal with the supposed death of Cannonball. The Morlocks and the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants attack X-Force in their own home. When Sauron “kills” Cannonball, Cable believes this death to be the birth of Cannonball as a High Lord, which seems to be the case because Cannonball is reanimated. (This belief of Cable’s wouldn’t be explored much further because the Externals were killed off and Cannonball’s supposed death was never revisited.) At the end of the fight, Cable allows Shatterstar to kill Masque.

Sam heals quickly. As the group cools down from the attack Shatterstar gets accidentally kicked into a wormhole. Cable leads X-Force through to retrieve their teammate. They end up in another dimension that drives the men to blood-lust. The Warheads are also present and the teams but heads. The Warheads are whisked away and X-Force is left to fight some jumbo cats. Cable does his best to keep his troops together but begins to feel the increased testosterone pumping through him. He does his best to monitor Cannonball to ensure nothing happens. The Warheads soon return as the slaves of a witch and they quickly fight X-Force. Cable’s crew gets their heads together and break the witch’s spell in time for them to jump in the wormhole to go home.

A Reckoning with Tolliver

Upon returning, Cable and part of his X-Force team heads to the Morlock Tunnels to leave the freak mutants a message: Stop messing with X-Force. As Cable is making this statement, Deadpool infiltrates the X-Force base and checks in with Domino, who is really his girlfriend Copycat, a mutant pretending to be Domino. Deadpool gives her a whipping to remind her whose team she is on. Cable finds her beaten and she admits that she works for Tolliver. Cable orders the team to start packing up, as they are going to have Domino take them to Tolliver. Before they can leave, however, G.W. Bridge’s new team, Weapon: PRIME, shows up and fights X-Force. Cable teleports all the machinery and weaponry out of the base and then narrowly escapes with the fake Domino. X-Force also makes it out alive, but Cable is cut off from them.

Angered, Cable has Domino lead him to Tolliver. In Tolliver’s Italian mansion, he finally learns that his Domino is a fake and the real Domino has been a prisoner of Tolliver’s for around a year. He frees Domino and the two get separated when Cable blows up Tolliver’s helicopter. Domino goes off to find Cable’s X-Force while Cable bodyslides to his space base, Graymalkin. He then commits himself to making the difference he’s tried since arriving in the present.

Dealing with MyS-Tech

Cable is sidetracked, however, by a company called MyS-Tech when a group of Warheads takes a wormhole right into Cable’s home. Cable kills each member of the Malkuth Troop (including Boot, who is later reanimated by Vorin to become a Shadow Rider) except for Che, whom he takes as a confidante within MyS-Tech’s ranks. In his “down” time, Cable takes up the task of helping out the Time Guardians as a favor he owes them. The Warheads (a group of inter-dimensional mercenaries employed by MyS-Tech) inadvertently stole the Clavis Key, a device used to keep dimensions in check. He begins his mission by hunting down a MyS-Tech drug deal at a rave. There he teams up with Nick Fury and Badhand, as they wish to infiltrate MyS-Tech as well. Cable has a man on the inside (Che) and he and Badhand sneak in when defense systems are taken down. They are quickly accosted by Bysshe but are able to shut her down. Cable grabs the Clavis Key and the two men escape. The higher-ups at MyS-Tech have the men followed by the Harpies. Cable heads to the Patron Manga stone circle to return the key but, despite some nifty maneuvering, the Harpies ensnare Cable in a tractor beam before he can place the key in the lock. Badhand fights his own stasis ray and blasts the Harpies. Cable then places the key in the lock and it disappears. Cable’s debt is paid.

Cable later tussles with MyS-Tech when he monitors huge amounts of psionic energy emanating from the MyS-Tech base. He butts heads with the Shadow Riders (especially the reanimated Boot) but ultimately joins their fight against MyS-Tech. The fight takes the group to another dimension called Arena World where they have to fight a being named Abadon. The fight is brief and Cable returns to Earth with the Shadow Riders and then heads back to Graymalkin.

Refocused on Stryfe & the MLF

To begin making a difference, Cable begins tracking the movement of the Mutant Liberation Front. He lies in wait at a museum in Paris, France and surprises the MLF as they try to steal a sword. Sumo grabs the sword but Cable shoots him in the head; the MLF scatters. Cable gets possession of the sword and has a friend of his in Egypt analyze it. It’s not a priceless artifact, but it does bear an uncanny resemblance to other art pieces from various periods of time. Coincidentally, these art pieces have been the subjects of various museum thefts. Cable learns of two remaining artifacts, one in Egypt and the other in Japan, and lies in wait in the Egyptian museum for the MLF. They show and Cable ambushes them again. He’s still not able to apprehend any of them.

Back at his safehouse in Switzerland, Cable tries to run some diagnostics on the MLF operations thus far. He doesn’t get far when Kane breaks into his house and the two have a royal scuffle. Cable is finally able to subdue Kane. When asked about the attack and the hatred, Kane shows a holographic image of Stryfe removing his helmet. Cable had never known that he and Stryfe shared the same face. Cable manages to convince Kane that he is not Stryfe and also makes a deal that if Kane helps him bag Stryfe then Cable will get some futuristic help for Hammer. Kane agrees.

The two visit the Silver Samurai and convince him to let them switch out an ancestral mask that Stryfe may be after. They trace the mask to some ruins in Mexico. There, the MLF jumps Kane and Cable and Stryfe puts Cable in a similar position is offering to exchange Kane’s life for a data disk. Cable, again, doesn’t comply and Stryfe just about kills Cable. Kane steps in and fries Stryfe. The three are seriously wounded. Cable, instead of finishing off Stryfe, timeslides Kane into the future and has his arms fixed with futuristic technologies. Cable then leaves Kane in the future while he goes back to the present.

Assassination Attempt on Professor Xavier

Cable believes in following Professor Xavier’s dream of harmony between humans and mutants, but their perspectives as to how that dream would be realized differs. Cable believes that Xavier’s methods are too soft during hard times and the dream requires a much more aggressive approach. Due to Cable’s aggressive tactics, it was no problem for everyone to assume that the man who shot Professor X with a techno-organic virus was indeed Cable, as the man looked just like him. This event (during the X-Cutioner’s Song) is actually performed by Stryfe, who is bent on taking revenge on his “parents” Cyclops and Jean Grey. The combined forces of the X-Men and X-Factor begin their search for Cable, and even apprehend his X-Force for information. They know nothing because he had gone off-grid when the X-Force base had been destroyed by Tolliver. Cable had taken the fight to Tolliver, rescued Domino, supposedly killed Tolliver, traveled to and from the future, and then returned to the present by the time the Professor had been shot.

Returning to the present in his space station Graymalkin, Cable learns about the assassination attempt. He also learns that he is the prime suspect. Seeking to clear his name, Cable determines to find and kill Stryfe. Cable figures that Department K will have the most information on the Mutant Liberation Front. It appears that someone has already beaten him to the Canadian facility, as all the guards are engaged elsewhere. Cable simply walks into the Records Room and meets up with Wolverine and Bishop, who were there to find information on Cable. A battle ensues, with Cable eventually surrendering on the condition that the other men will let him explain his position. Bishop is wary, but Wolverine gives Cable a chance. Together, they escape the facility and Cable bodyslides them all to Graymalkin.

The three men have a difficult time trying to reckon the connection between the assassination attempt of Xavier, the kidnapping of Cyclops and Jean Grey; and how Cable, Stryfe, and Apocalypse all fit within the plan. Cable relates that Stryfe shares his face, and the men figure that Cable is either a clone of Stryfe or vice versa. The men figure that Stryfe is using Apocalypse as a mask and search all the old hideouts on Earth. Wolverine then remembers that Apocalypse had a moon base that Stryfe could have taken over. He then remembers a faint feeling he had from Jean. Cable re-routes Graymalkin’s teleportation abilities to get them to the moon. They relate their findings to Storm back on Earth, and she requests that they wait for the other teams. Cable refuses. The three teleport to the moon and get immediately overwhelmed by Stryfe’s Dark Riders. Fortunately, the other X-Teams are able to arrive in time to save them.

Cable then leads a small group after Stryfe, who has taken Cyclops and Jean Grey onto the surface of the moon to a large tower. At the tower, Cable and Havok are able to pass through a specially-designed force field while the others are left behind. Stryfe informs the men that only those with “Summers blood coursing through their veins” could pass through the force field. He then informs Cable that Stryfe is the real person and that Cable is a mere copy. Cable’s body gets blasted and all his synthetic skin comes off, revealing that half his body is metal. Jean Grey makes a protective barrier for everyone else, while Cable and Stryfe continue their struggle. During a brief lull in action, Cable tosses a switch to Cyclops and tells him to hit it when the time is right. Cyclops realizes that Cable is going to self-destruct and the switch will generate the time-flux energies around the tower to suck Cable and Stryfe to only heaven knows where. At the pivotal moment, Cable’s body detonates and Cyclops engages the time-flux which essentially creates a hole around the tower. Everything is sucked into the hole including Stryfe and Cable, while leaving those left behind awestruck and in mourning over Cable’s sacrifice.

Return to the Future

While the X-Universe tries to pick up the pieces resulting from Stryfe’s machinations, Cable is temporally displaced. He is able to find his way back to his home in the future. He resolves to find Kane and return to the past. He enters a Clan Chosen safehouse just after the Flatliners attack. Cable helps his team blast through the mercenaries and then informs them that he needs their help getting Kane back to the past. Oddly, Cable has grown a very uncharacteristic goatee.

Return to the Present

The Clan Chosen breaks in the New Canaanite Tinex in Niagara Falls. Before they can reach the time chamber they are attacked by Flatliners. Outmanned, Cable asks Boak to send out an electrical pulse that should take out the Flatliners. Hope adamantly discourages this, but Boak does as he’s asked and fries his circuitry. The team gets to the time chamber and Hope scans the timelines to find Kane’s. Cable preps Kane, who guesses that Cable will actually be going back with him. Cable affirms this and the two step through the time-stream once Hope has finally locked on to the right node. Cable and Kane end up in Cable’s time chamber, but Cable doesn’t know why the power is off.

He doesn’t know that X-Force cleaned out Graymalkin so that SHIELD and Stark Industries wouldn’t get a hold of his futuristic technology. Cable’s time chamber now rests at the bottom of the ocean. After shaving off his goatee (explaining that he didn’t really know why he grew it in the first place) Cable hooks the chamber to his personal battery system and answers a few questions that have been nagging Kane. Cable explains that he’s not sure how it happened, but that he believes that he is a clone of Stryfe. He then states that he looks forward to killing Cyclops and Jean Grey, a statement that clearly shows that a screw may be loose.

After some time Cable explains that they are ready to teleport to his safehouse in Switzerland. Upon arriving, however, they find that G.W. Bridge has made himself very comfortable. Cable confronts Bridge with a gun, to which Bridge tries to clear away with the statement that he can find X-Force for Cable. The two duke it out until Kane steps in and shifts the focus onto helping heal Hammer’s spine. Bridge then gives an update: Domino has hooked up with the other half of the Six Pack (plus Copycat) in order to find X-Force and X-Force has recently shut Graymalkin down.

The three men then travel to Camp Verde, the latest X-Force base. There they meet up with Domino and Grizzly. Copycat is also present and she rushes into Cable’s arms. Cable, however, didn’t realize that he’d had any type of relationship with Copycat since he never knew that she had impersonated Domino in all his time with X-Force.

He shunts her off to the side and she slinks away unnoticed. Upon exiting a building, Cable is confronted by Hammer and his weaponized Winnebago. Hammer threatens to kill Cable but is talked down by Kane, who tells Hammer that they have brought technology from the future to fix Hammer’s back. Hammer refuses and the Six Pack looks to be back together. Bridge, however, refuses to let Cable in if he continues to keep secrets from the team. He can’t promise them otherwise and the team leaves him in Camp Verde as they pursue the barely noticed missing Copycat.

Reuniting with X-Force & A New Focus

Left alone at Camp Verde, Cable awaits his former team as they get back from rescuing Rusty and Skids from the Friends of Humanity. He hides when the team shows up. They know someone is trespassing and Cannonball splits the group up to find out what is up. Cable takes each team out until Cannonball corners his old teacher. The reunion is both awkward and exciting, as each team member has a different relationship with Cable. The reunion, however, is short-lived when the perimeter is breached. Exodus descends.

Showdown with Magneto

Exodus rebuffs X-Force and takes Cannonball, Sunspot, and Rusty and Skids. Cable notices that Cannonball planted a homing device and he leads the team to Graymalkin, Magneto’s newest base he now dubs Avalon. Cable finds the Professor and extracts him from Magneto’s network. The two men clash and Magneto rips Cable’s metal body parts to ribbons. Cable manages to escape but becomes completely dependent on his X-Force team to keep him alive. After a week being hooked up to machines that help restore his body, Cable finally awakens. He realizes that he’s led his team incorrectly for far too long and determines to make his soldiers less like himself and more into who they should be.

Martin Strong & Adam-X

Hearing of a mutant named Martin Strong who is trying to eradicate the x-gene, Cable sets a plan in motion to have Feral captured by Strong Industries while Cannonball and Siryn become undercover interns. Cable then finds Adam-X and convinces him to lead the rest of X-Force into a confrontation with Strong himself. Cable is willing fight Strong but rebuffs the idea of destroying the labs so as to maybe help some mutants in the future.

Cable gets the upper hand and reduces Strong to his true form. Seeing the threat passed, Cable leaves with his team and invites Adam-X to join the team. He is refuses for the time being and X-Force returns to their base at Camp Verde.

A New Mutant Liberation Front

Hearing that Henry Peter Gyrich has been kidnapped by the re-upped Mutant Liberation Front, Cable takes X-Force to Bermuda to rescue the man no other hero team wants to help. Cable and the team frees the politician and Cable comes head-to-head with the MLF leader, Reignfire. The two fight and discuss their conflicting world views. Cable and the X-Force get the upper-hand and Reignfire departs. Cable is angry to see that Feral decides to leave X-Force to join the MLF. To make matters worse, Sunspot has been teleported away to an unknown location.

A Reckoning with Sinsear

As Cable tries to rebuild his life with X-Force, he must admit to Cannonball and Siryn that there may be sometimes in which he must do things on his own that are more personal in nature. True to form, Sinsear phases Cable from the X-Force base and picks a fight with his nemesis. Cable, despite having his mechanical parts depowered, is able to use his low-telekinetic abilities to similarly shut down Sinsear.

Tyler Dayspring & the Truth About Cable’s Past

Ever since his confrontation with Stryfe, Cable came to the conclusion that he was the clone and Stryfe was the son of Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor. In Fathers and Sons, Mr. Sinister learns the truth from Tyler Dayspring (that Cable is the original and Stryfe was the clone) and confronts Cable with the knowledge. To further a revenge plot by Tyler, Sinister taps a part of Cable’s mind that stored the essence of Stryfe. Stryfe takes over Cable’s body and wreaks havoc until convinced to give up his fruitless revenge. Cable regains control and wakes up with more questions when he finally asks Cyclops about his past.

The Younghunt

When Cannonball and Boom Boom go missing during some time off at the Guthrie Farm, Cable leads the team out to investigate. They learn that the Upstarts are hunting surviving members of the New Mutants and Hellions. Paige Guthrie is the only witness and wants to join the fight, but her underdeveloped powers hold her back. Cable admires the girl’s courage. During a fight with Trevor Fitzroy, Cable is able to used Fitzroy’s power against him and open a portal into Shinobi Shaw‘s penthouse. Shaw all-too-readily gives up the location that the captured mutants are being held: his father’s rebuilt house. Cable and the team teleport out and run into the New Warriors.

The two teams compare notes and realize that any plan they may have is already known by the Gamesmaster, a very powerful telepath and the person in charge of the Upstarts’ contest. Cable tells the teams to use blunt force to try and get through to the prisoners. They do not realize that the Gamesmaster is now using the prisoners to fight for him. Cable is attacked by Cannonball, but Cable jumps on the back of the boy. The velocity, however, begins to dangerously shake Cable. Fighting back the urge to just end his pupil, Cable, in a near panic, orders Cannonball to stop. Cannonball does. Domino pipes up that Cable being a telepath is news. This revelation is brushed aside, as Paige Guthrie, who had followed the team, has made a deal with the Gamesmaster that ends the conflict. Cable wonders what this new deal will really cost.

Mexico

As the New Warriors and X-Force take leave of each other, Cable informs Paige that he can’t train her to use her powers. She admits that she doesn’t even want him to try. Turning back to his team, Cable sees that Rictor has some personal issues and decides to accompany him to Mexico. In Mexico, Rictor’s family mistakes Cable for Stryfe, the latter having dealt in guns and other arms with the family. Despite all the problems with the law, Rictor is disgusted that his family turns on Cable with their weapons instead of trusting Rictor that all is okay. Cable and Rictor leave.

Father/Son Drama

Back home, Cable bodyslides into the Danger Room and runs holographic sequences that depict the day Cyclops sent Cable into the future. Cable is disgusted by the seeming lack of emotion on Cyclops’s part. Cyclops enters the Danger Room and tries to show Cable other video-logs that depict how heartbroken he was to send his son into the future. This discussion is broken up by a fight with the X-Cutioner. The Summers men fight the intruder and defeat the madman. Something about fighting together helps the men bond. In due course, Cable attends the wedding of Cyclops and Jean Grey.

It should be noted that Cyclops and Jean Grey’s psyches are taken into the future during their honeymoon and they raise the boy Cable for 12 years. At this point, Cable has unknowingly fought alongside his father before, but the fight with the X-Cutioner marks the first time Cyclops has had the opportunity to fight with his son this closely.

Teaming Up with the Acolytes

After the wedding, Cable goes to Muir Island to talk to Rachel Grey about her ability to hear Cable’s inner computational thoughts. He’s not sure he’ll attend their “parents” wedding. Moira runs some tests but gets interrupted by Omega Red, who is there to get some ingredients to rid him of his death spore virus. Cable gets whooped (his mechanical parts numbed from the tests). He comes around and learns that Omega Red is going to poison the Earth with his virus. Cable heads out with some supposedly friendly Acolytes to stop the Russian, but not before changing his mind and telling Rachel that he will be at the wedding of Cyclops and Jean Grey.

Cable and the Acolytes follow Omega Red to Magneto’s old Arctic base. They get inside and Cable finds that he has control over the innards of the base. He speaks and it listens. This is helpful when the Acolytes turn on him. He discovers that he was merely a pawn in getting Omega Red into their hands so that they can release the death spore virus in space, creating a shield between Avalon and the Earth. The plan is foiled and the Acolytes leave.

Fear and Loathing

During some downtime, Cable intercepts a message to the X-Men from Lee Forrester. She needs help and he bodyslides to the Everglades. He fights off Senyaka – a madman bent on destroying everything Magneto held dear (which would include a former paramour in Lee) – and he and Lee attempt to survive the Everglades during a hurricane. They find an old cabin and are welcomed in for the night.

While in the cabin, Cable and Lee both experience painful memories due to their host being the demon D’Spayre. The demon is defeated when Cable and Lee find hope. Belasco then shows up and introduces Cable to the Nexus of All Realities. Apparently, Cable, as the child of Madelyne Pryor, has some power to stop another demon S’ym from forever linking Limbo and Earth. Cable fights S’ym and prevents the Nexus from engulfing the Earth. The portal is closed and Cable and Lee bodyslide back to normal life.

Imayan Conflict

At his base in the Swiss Alps, Cable learns that an international human rights activist, Vincent Cetewayo, has been arrested in his home country of Imaya. As he surveys the issue, Professor informs Cable of War Machine’s presence in Imaya. Knowing that an international incident is imminent, Cable travels to Imaya to try and head off War Machine. The two come to blows as Cable tries to tell War Machine that there are other ways to get Cetewayo free. Deathlok joins the fray and things get too complicated for Cable. He body-slides away as the Imayan army arrives.

While War Machine and Deathlok deal with the Imayan army – and then later SHIELD – Cable body-slides into Cetewayo’s cell and teleports the activist to safety.

Ceremony of the Light

Cable acknowledges that he needs some work/life balance and finally asks Domino out on a date. It is awkward, as he confuses some of Domino’s traits with those of Copycat (who had fooled everyone by posing as Domino when a member of X-Force). The date is derailed, however, by Thornn, who wants Cable’s help to bring the Morlocks back. Cable and Domino enter the Morlock Tunnels and help Thornn set up mirrors, which let light into the tunnels for an hour. Sarah emerges from another dimension and explains to the trio that the Morlocks are okay but are not ready to return. Exhausted, Cable is pleased to hear that, despite the evening not being a typical date, Domino had a good time.

Nimrod

Having gained intelligence that the government is moving forward with artificial intelligence that could potentially wipe out mutantkind, Cable has X-Force move in to destroy whatever prototype has been assembled. They are too late, however, and a Nimrod robot springs to life and begins attacking. With his whole unit nearly killed, Cable enters Nimrod’s mind and somehow convinces the robot that it will kill more humans than mutants, thereby making its entire existence futile. Nimrod shuts down. The journey into Nimrod’s mind makes Cable’s metal parts contort in odd ways for a short time.

The Phalanx Threat

Cable receives a telepathic plea from Professor Xavier to help free the X-Men from the Phalanx during the Phalanx Covenant. He meets up with Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean Grey (all absent from the X-Men at the time) in order to lead a charge against an attack on Muir Island by the invading techno-aliens. Cable and Jean try a telepathic attack, while Cyclops and Wolverine try to infiltrate the base. On the Astral Plane, Cable shows that he is a novice at these powers and gets distracted by a memory picked up from Jean from his childhood almost as if Jean shared a memory with him. The Phalanx press on, and Cable is nearly defeated when Jean guides him through the fight…much like she did as his “mother” Redd in his future timeline. The two return to their bodies, and Cable offers to stay behind so that the others can retreat. He is nearly killed, but is saved when Wolverine comes back for him.

The group then flies to Mt. Everest and stage an attack against the main host of the Phalanx. This distraction aides the release of Bishop and Psylocke, who then combines her power with that of Cable and Jean which completely disrupts the Phalanx’s neural net. The Phalanx then falls.

Cable meets up with X-Force at Camp Verde and finds that Domino has made a new friend. Rather, that Cable’s life coach/sentient computer friend Professor – now known as Prosh – has been transferred into a body. Prosh interrupts much of the equipment at the base, including the internal link that helps Cable keep his techno-organic parts in check – similar to how it all acted up after fighting Nimrod. With no other alternative, the Professor leaves Cable and X-Force to explore the stars, taking with him much of the base so as to stay alive. With the Professor gone and his time-travel base at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, Cable’s ties to his past are no more.

The Dark Riders

Cable finally finds time to head to Xavier’s Mansion to inform Storm about the possible return of the Morlocks. She is very interested and joins Cable and Domino on an excursion into the sewers. While there, Caliban and the new Dark Riders (the minions of Apocalypse) get into a scuffle. Cable uses some light telekinesis and the Dark Riders have to flee. Cable can’t simply let the Dark Riders reform and he, Domino, Storm, and Caliban track the team to Egypt. There, Cable and his troupe follow and attack the Dark Riders in the desert. Again the Dark Riders flee, but this time Cable and the others are teleported to Akkaba where the entire village has been murdered. Cable assumes Apocalypse is back from the dead, as it was he who murdered the inhabitants ( which were Askani rebels) of Akkaba in the future. He is surprised when his son Tyler reveals himself to be the culprit and the self-proclaimed heir of Apocalypse.

Cable surrenders himself to his son to save his friends, but leaves a faint telepathic message for Storm to follow a hidden homing beacon. Genesis then takes Cable to a fortress where he attempts to suck the life force out of Cable to ascend as the heir of Apocalypse. With no other alternatives, Cable opens himself up to Genesis to allow his son to see that his beliefs about his father are all a lie. Genesis can’t handle the truth and teleports away. Cable and his friends escape the exploding base.

Hunting Feral

Cable learns that Feral may be responsible for the murders of her family. He reaches out to Dani Moonstar (who is currently a member of the MLF with Feral) and has her inform Feral that her sister Thornn is going to be executed by the Friends of Humanity in the old Callasantos apartment building. Cable is pleased to see that Feral has taken the bait. Based on his recent run-in with his son, Cable takes a different course of action in dealing with Feral. Instead of launching an all-or-nothing tactic, Cable informs X-Force that he wants to see how Feral reacts when confronted with the accusations instead of just utilizing any means to subdue her. His patience works, as Feral is arrested with minimal force.

The Search for Legion

During Legion Quest, Cable is asked to use Legion’s time signature and travel backwards in time to find Iceman, Storm, Bishop, and Psylocke. He does so (with Xavier and Jean Grey acting as his anchors) and makes contact with the confused X-Men. His trip is short and he is soon back in the present. As the Earth temporarily ends (turning tides to the Age of Apocalypse), Cable spends time with those he cares for. He and Domino kiss and Cyclops and Jean finally tell Cable that they are Slym and Redd, the surrogate parents that raised him in the future.

When the world doesn’t actually end, Cable moves X-Force into the X-Mansion and encourages everyone to try to improve on their powers, including himself. He begins to use telepathy to communicate much more. He also informs the group that Cannonball has “graduated” to the X-Men.

Troubles with Other Timelines

Back to the Future

After seeing Rictor off at the airport, Cable, Domino, and Shatterstar disperse a mob gathered around Genoshan Magistrates. Upon arriving back at Xavier’s Institute, Cable receives a postcard from his son, Tyler. Cable asks Blaquesmith to help him find Tyler, which leads to Akkaba, Tyler’s last known base of operations. Cable doesn’t find Tyler, but he does find Aliya/Jenskot, his wife from the future. He brings her back to Blaquesmith where Aliya is nursed back to health after making the time jump. She asks Cable to come back with her to save Nathan Dayspring from death. Cable feels he has no choice and okays Blaquesmith to help him make the jump.

In the future, Cable is joined by Domino and the two help coordinate the retrieval of the Professor from Stryfe. Cable joins the Professor to his younger self and then departs. Seeing his old life, as well as the wife he buried in his past, takes its toll on Cable.

Genosha and the Sugarman

While traveling back to the present with Domino, Mr. Sinister alters their course and the two end up in Genosha. They are met by Phillip Moreau and Jennifer Ransome, two leaders in the rebellion to overthrow the Genoshan hierarchy. Cable takes pity on them and joins the group in Safehaven. Safehaven is attacked by the Genoshan Magistrates and Cable takes Pipeline captive. He uses his own powers to co-opt Pipeline’s will, which allows Cable, Domino, Phillip, Jennifer, and Pipeline to teleport to the Ridgeback Mountains, a suspected place of interest. Sure enough, Cable’s group finds a hidden laboratory occupied by the Sugarman, a reject from the Age of Apocalypse, who tries to set off a nuclear power core. Cable gets a brief view into the Sugarman’s mind and then sets to reverse the nuke while the others fight off the Sugarman. Cable successfully reverses the detonation and the Sugarman escapes. Mr. Sinister shows up and teleports Cable and Domino back home.

Regrouping

After a quick retreat to an island resort and small encounter with the Impossible Man, Cable soon finds that his team has gone missing after a night off on the town. He and Domino search for them and soon learn that X-Force has been captured and had their minds controlled by Lady Tessa, who is working with Sebastian Shaw and Holocaust. Cable is able to help his team fight off Lady Tessa’s influence by flooding their minds with memories.

Back at the mansion, Cable witnesses a change in his team, as Warpath continues to push his powers, Boomer becomes Meltdown, and his role as mentor is not as solid as it once was.

The Other Half

A being named Nate Grey makes the jump from the Age of Apocalypse timeline and immediately affects the psionic plane in 616 universe. Telepaths everywhere are unable to use their powers properly. Cable, meets with Professor Xavier and Moira MacTaggart to learn of their encounters and then sets off alone to confront the boy who is like him, but is not him. He experiences psionic backlash as he gets closer to Nate Grey and the are able to get glimpses into the bleak pasts each has known. Cable confronts the youth at his Alps safe house and Nate Grey attacks out of instinct. Cable tries to reason with him, but the safe house is blown to bits.

The two fight each other, as well as a resurfaced Exodus who feeds off their psionic energies. Nate defeats Exodus while Blaquesmith tries to talk Cable into killing Nate. Cable learns that Blaquesmith is not only his teacher, but also a possible executions, as Blaquesmith tries to kill Nate with a one-use Askani power. He fails and Cable determines to push Nate to the limits. When Nate passes out, Cable leaves his body unchecked and enters Nate’s mind to help fix his psyche. It works and Cable leaves with Blaquesmith to save X-Force, though it is not certain the damage the unchecked techno-organic has done to Cable’s body. (The damage is severe enough that he passes out after a brief encounter with Selene while helping his team.)

Onslaught

After he and Domino attend the funeral of his son, Tyler, Cable takes Domino to Camp Hayden to investigate Onslaught’s presence there. They are met with a ton of opposition and the two escape empty handed. This battle shows Cable that he is having to exert more effort to control the techno-organic virus. He gets checked out by [Dark] Beast at Xavier’s before learning that Blaquesmith has gone missing.

At the Baltimore docks, Cable rummages around the remains of Blaquesmith’s destroyed frigate. Post, a mutant from Cable’s past and current Onslaught herald, attacks and completely overwhelms Cable. Cable attempts to use his powers to resolve the fight, but doing so only makes him weaker. Cable passes out and Post has enough mercy in him to respect an old memory of Cable saving his life to leave Cable as he is, knowing full well that Cable is likely about to die anyway.

Likely due to Post ignoring Onslaught’s orders to kill Cable, Onslaught takes over the Hulk‘s mind and sends him to kill Cable at the Baltimore docks. The two exchange blows and Cable is only saved by Storm. Cable attempts several times to enter the Hulk’s mind but is rebuffed nearly every time. It isn’t until Cable channels his powers through Storm and knocks the Hulk out that he is able to break through Onslaught’s control and return the Hulk to himself. Cable, Storm, and the Hulk then board the X-Men’s Blackbird and head off to help the others.

Cable continues to struggle through the use of his powers, but holds out while assisting the X-Men in the destruction of Onslaught. With the fight over, however, Cable collapses and nearly dies as the techno-organic virus nearly consumes his body. With a little help from Franklin Richards, Cable is able to discuss life lessons with his dead wife Aliya and his dead son Tyler. He opens his heart, accepts his mission in life, and rises from the bed whole and able to control his powers once again.

A Brush with the Shi’ar

With the team back together, Cable runs X-Force through some Danger Room scenarios. He and Domino are surprised when the Danger Room seems to malfunction; he calls the Shi’ar for a little tech support. Cable learns that the malfunction is due to the presence of a cybernetic Kree rebel who poses no real threat. When the Shi’ar show up, Cable tries to learn what crime the Kree entity has committed but gets stonewalled. All are taken unawares when Warpath and Siryn transmit the entity. Cable isn’t pleased about their recklessness, but he ultimately approves of their decision.

Mojoverse

Wanting to get affairs in order, Cable begins to dig into Shatterstar’s origin. He interrogates Shatterstar about the Benjamin Russell identity and X-Force ends up going to the Weisman Institute to get the answers they need, as that is where the mystery began. They find nothing.

While traveling, X-Force is attacked and Shatterstar is abducted. Cable manages to follow as the kidnappers teleport to the Mojoverse. There, Cable and Shatterstar have their minds wiped and are sent into a television program. Cable tries to talk Shatterstar down, but his young charge is too much in the heat of the battle and falls with a mortal wound. Spiral shows up with Siryn and Longshot and teleports Cable and Shatterstar to the Weisman Institute of the past. Siryn finds the comatose body of Benjamin Russell and Longshot transfers Shatterstar’s soul into Benjamin Russell. Shatterstar lives and Spiral teleports Cable and the rest back to the present.

Addressing the Past

After receiving an alert from Greymalkin, Cable takes Bishop with him to investigate a breach of the base’s time core. They find Sinsear attempting to access to the core to return to the future. A fight breaks out and the core is damaged, resulting in a threat that could shatter and scatter the universe into all concepts of time. Cable prepares to enter the core to manually detonate a bomb to solve the issue, but Sinsear co-opts the objective and enters the core himself. The bomb is successful and the universe is safe, as are Cable and Bishop, who escaped in time.

With his best chance to return to his home destroyed, Cable turns begins to reflect on his reality and asks Storm about his sister, Rachel Summers. While with Storm, intelligence arrives via Thornn that there will be a terrorist attack at a Lila Cheney concert. Cable and Storm find Callisto and Marrow attempting to plant a bomb that would be detonated with Lila’s final note of the concert. Cable is able to telepathically coordinate a solution to thwart the attack and to get Lila to transport the bomb to a safe part of the galaxy. The Morlocks escape.

Dimension Hopping

Counter-Earth

Hoping to find a clue regarding Blaquesmith’s whereabouts, Cable searches his mentor’s ruined headquarters and accidentally trips a time displacement gadget. He is sent to Counter-Earth where he helps Captain America fight off M.O.D.O.K. and Baron Zemo. While winding up the fight, Cable does a quick scan of Captain America’s mind. Cable learns that this Captain America isn’t just some alternate reality version, but the real Captain America that everyone in the main timeline thought died in the battle with Onslaught. Before Cable can meet more of the displaced heroes, however, the timestream corrects itself and Cable is back in the main reality with a drive to help the displaced heroes return.

Asgard

When Sunspot receives a request for help from Dani Moonstar (a friend, but current member of the Mutant Liberation Front), Cable takes all of X-Force to meet up with Dani in Montana. The Valkyrie have been captured and Dani now holds the last shred of power and protection for Asgard. In following Dani through a portal to Asgard, Cable and Co. must fight off trolls in Odin’s chambers before confronting the real enemy: Malekith. When Malekith attempts to skewer Dani with a magic spear, Cable jumps in front to save her life. This gives Dani and X-Force time to escape while Cable becomes Malekith’s prisoner. The capture is short-lived, however, as Dani is able to retransfer power back to the Valkyrior. Cable uses Malekith’s confusion to overcome his guard and pin down Malekith while Dani shoots a debilitating arrow into the foe. With order restored, Cable heads back to Earth with everyone.

Latveria

With his own time travel devise now destroyed, Cable turns to dismantle another: that of Dr. Doom’s (who went missing during the events of Onslaught). Cable leads X-Force into Latveria and, with the help of Nathaniel Richards, locates the machine. Unfortunately, G.W. Bridge leads some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents after Cable and one of them mistakenly shoots the device. The entire castle is taken to 1941, where Cable instructs X-Force to stop a cosmic Nazi experiment that is disrupting their ability to return to the present. X-Force is successful and they all make it back. Bridge is tempted to arrest Cable for completing the destruction of Dr. Doom’s time machine, but ultimately lets him go.

Soldier X

For a time, Cable had nearly limitless control over his powers, however he knew the toll wielding such energy would have on his body, so he tried to make a difference while he still could. He wanted to give people a taste of what peace could be like. He used his powers to pull the sunken pieces of his space station Providence out of the ocean and rebuild it as a flying sanctuary, inviting some of the world’s greatest minds and anyone else looking to start anew. In a series of interviews with his friend Irene Merryweather, he revealed that: He spent four days re-routing the waterways to flood half the Sahara. He spent two days removing every logger in the amazon. He soothed the pain of every single person on earth suffering from disease. He stopped the white blood cell count deterioration in AIDS patients, attempted to straighten the leaning tower of Pisa. He stopped a daily average of fourteen individual terrorist attacks, eleven hundred attempted murders and seven thousand car accidents.

Cable and Deadpool

As he was so powerful, governments, SHIELD and the X-Men all worried that he had become drunk with power, and in a way they were just. The X-Men ran over seventy Danger Room simulations trying to find a way to defeat Cable, and came up being terribly defeated every time. SHIELD planned on finding a way to deactivate Providence’s anti-gravity generators, which wouldn’t have worked anyway because Cable was holding the floating city using only his mind.

Cable gave all governments 48 hour notice that they need to disarm or he would throw all their weapons into the sun. The Six Pack were dispatched to take down Cable, but were easily defeated, most of them chose to side with Cable. The X-Men along with Deadpool attempted an assault on Cable and also were defeated, with Deadpool ambushing Bishop and Wolverine and joining Cable’s side again. Eventually Silver Surfer got into the picture and battled Cable. Surfer was concerned that Cable’s passion would consume him, and lead him to destroy the world.

While fighting, Cable rebuilt all the damage to the city that ensued during their battle while simultaneously keeping Providence afloat. Cable managed to shatter the Surfer’s board, but was defeated by the alien nonetheless. Cable had Deadpool use a teleporter matrix to lobotomize him so he couldn’t use his higher brain functions, like telepathy, but not before Cable safely lowered Providence into the South Pacific. Cable went into hiding, barely able to keep himself alive. While he was in hiding, an additional twelve thousand people sought refuge at Providence.

Going Solo

After X-Force disbanded, Cable went solo for awhile. Nathan then started teaming with Deadpool of all people, and even joined the X-Men.

In the Civil War story arc, Cable sided with Captain America‘s Secret Avengers and fought crime as unregistered, illegal super-heroes.

Messiah Complex

During the Messiah Complex, a new Baby Mutant is born on Earth. Cable and the X-Men proclaim the new mutant baby to the be the future savior of mutant and mankind alike. Cable decides that the new mutant baby should be protected at all costs and fights for it. After many events and battles, the baby ends up in Cable’s hands. Cable time travels in order to protect him and the baby.

After traveling for five months, Cable arrives in New Jersey in the year 2043 A.D. and in a hostile environment. When Cable attempts to enter a diner, he is attacked by Bishop who has apparently tracked him down and wants to kill the baby because he believes that the baby will bring doom to mutants in the future. When Nathan was about to escape, he was stopped by his father, Cyclops. Cable reasoned with him that the baby will not be safe in present, that she could grow up to be the mutant savior by letting her grow up to the future. Seeing that Cable may have a point, Cyclops let his son escape to the time portal. When Cable arrived in the future, he says, “Now comes the hard part”.

Cable vs. Bishop

After the events of Messiah Complex, Cable and the baby have traveled through into an alternate future for the safety of the baby. They were followed by Bishop who is bent on killing the baby because he believes that she is the cause of the mutants being tortured in his reality. After an altercation with Bishop, Cable and the baby take refuge in the house of a waitress named Sophie.

As Cable heals his wounds and tends to the baby he is visited by an old friend Sam “Cannonball” Guthrie. It was found out that Cannonball is the last remaining X-man in that reality and was able to find Cable and the baby mutant by using Cerebra. After figuring out that Bishop was on the way Cannonball stayed behind so that Cable, the baby mutant and Sophie could make their escape. After a battle with Bishop, Cannonball seemed to have the upper hand. Before he could deliver a final blow, Bishop used the technology from his arm to rip out Cannonballs heart and left him dead on the ground.

Elsewhere, Sophie tried to convince Cable to continue to run away saying that he was a good man. Cable’s response to her plea was “I’m tired of running”. Cable, then destroyed Cerebra at the remains of the X-Mansion in Westchester so that Bishop can’t use it against him. Cable then goes into the harmony Band equips himself, and Sophie. He then puts the baby into a metal holster to keep it from harm,the blackbird and finds Bishop. Cable tells Lucas that he should not have followed him, but Bishop ignores it and forward and starts to shoot but steps on a mine. Bishop then uses a car to hit Cable. Bishop is about to kill Cable and the baby when Cable realizes that he can jump to the future and jumps escaping death.

Second Coming

When Hope had reached her late teens, she and Cable time jumped from the future back to the Xavier Institute, discovering for the first time that it had been destroyed and that the X-Men had moved to San Francisco. It is at this time that Bastion moves to kill Hope and the rest of mutant-kind. He sends the Sapien League to kill Hope and Cable, but they receive timely assistance in the form of a primarily X-Force-based team of mutants sent by Cyclops. Despite the efforts of the Sapien League, and the direct intervention of Bastion, Hope is brought unharmed to Utopia, but at the cost of Nightcrawler nobly sacrificing himself to get her away from the proto-Nimrod-like Bastion.

Moving on with his plans despite the setback, Bastion seals Utopia and most of San Francisco in an almost impenetrable energy barrier, then allies himself with a sentinel intelligence in an alternative future, allowing him to besiege the trapped mutants with a growing army of Nimrod sentinels. While Cyclops rallies the mutants to fight for their very existence, he sends Cable, X-Force and Doug Ramsey forward in time to shut down the Nimrod production line and disable the Nimrods at their source. Cable agrees, using the last time jump available to him to take himself and the rest of his team forward in time.

Once there, Cable and X-Force manage to weather the anti-mutant forces, including a physically-offensive Master Mold, and shut down the Master Mold producing the Nimrods, also shutting down the Nimrods that have already jumped in time. However, they discover that the only time gate available leading back to their time cannot be opened by organic beings, and it’s closing rapidly. Making one final sacrifice, Cable allows the techno-organic virus to overcome him. Now inorganic, he is able to tear open the time portal, allowing the rest of his team to pass back into their time with minimal injury.

As he holds the time gate open, he sees Hope one final time, begging him to return to her. He smiles at the girl he had come to know as his daughter, and succumbs to the effects of the techno-organic virus, decomposing into metallic fragments. Enraged at the loss of her father, Hope’s mutant powers are released, and she uses them to destroy Bastion and break open the shield surrounding San Francisco.

X-Sanction

Cable recently returns to the present with 24 hours to live before the techno-organic virus, which has spread dangerously throughout his entire body, kills him. Upon visiting the future, he sees an apocalyptic wasteland of ash. He learns that this future could have been prevented by his surrogate daughter Hope, but she was not alive to stop it. He then spends his last 24 hours in the present Marvel Universe, determined to stop those who killed Hope – the Avengers. Cable begins his plans by unleashing the Lethal Legion from their sky prison, and takes out the Falcon to lure Captain America to his base. During the battle, Cable distracts Cap long enough by explaining that freeing Falcon will trigger several explosions in his base which will kill all three of them. After he subdues Captain America, Iron Man tracks him down using an advanced “Sentinel Iron Man” armored suit from a few years in the future. Cable is able to hack into Iron Man’s armor and defeat him, but not long enough to where the Red Hulk attacks.

Cable and the Red Hulk go at it, and Cable believes the Red Hulk is really Glen Talbot, but doesn’t realize that that time hasn’t come yet and during the battle, Cable is taken over by the techno-virus, but is able to use it against the Hulk to defeat him. However, not long after both Wolverine and Spider-man enter the fray, Hope and Cyclops show up along with Blaquesmith. They’re able to defeat Cable, disarm the explosives and free the Avengers. A truce is called, but thanks to Cable’s actions, the Avengers are now watching the X-Men more closely. Soon after in Utopia, Hope channeling the power of the Phoenix is able to not only purge Cable from the techno-virus, but also heal his injuries. Cable warns Cyclops that the war with the Avengers is coming and that he will be needed to save Cyclops very soon.

Avengers vs. X-Men

During the conflict between the Avengers and the X-men over the Phoenix, Cable discovered that while he was cured of the techno virus, the long ravaging of his body lead to sever muscle atrophy in his left arm and parts of his face. Severally damaging his right eye. Cable sought out Forge to create new bionic parts to composite for his atrophy.

Cable and his X-Force

Cable forms his own X-Force team once again, composing of Domino, Forge, Colossus, and Dr. Nemesis. Cable has been receiving visions about future problems and must solve them while he is slowly dying. After preventing an outbreak of a techno-organic virus at a meat factory, the Avengers show up at the wrong time thinking Cable’s team has just gone on a murder spree. Refusing to turn himself in, Cable attacks the Avengers and the team run and become wanted fugitives. With Boom Boom’s help and her joining the team, they end up stopping an alien fleet from destroying Earth by freeing the wanted alien with a bounty on his head from the Raft. The team hides out at Forge’s home on a reservation, and Cable reveals the visions have been coming in more frequent numbers. Domino convinces Cable to have him trust his team to split up the work. The Avengers show up and try to apprehend the wanted mutants, but the team manages to resist for a time until Cable arrives and telepathically stuns the Avengers so his team can escape, but Cable collapses in the process with the now recovered Avengers standing over him.

Cable is taken into Avengers Mansion where he is held captive. He talks with Havok, but begins experiencing another premonition, and this time brings Alex in with him so he understands what is going on. After come back, Cable and Havok hear a massive quake as X-Force has busted into the Avengers Mansion to save Cable. Cable’s powers begin overloading, but Hope, now wielding the psimitar given to her by her future self, manages to get into the Avengers Mansion and stabs Cable in the skull. The process acts as a release for Cable’s rapidly evolving powers, and Havok lets him and Hope leave in peace. Cable and Hope go on a new mission where Cable is watching on as Hope stops a group with a bomb. Hope waits for Forge to hack and disable the bomb, but it continues ticking down. Cable rushes in as it explodes.

Post-Secret Wars & the Uncanny Avengers

After Secret Wars, Cable has traveled back from the future to take back Charles Xavier’s brain from the Red Skull. He has joined the Uncanny Avengers, so that they can help him locate Xavier’s brain.

Kid Cable

After a confrontation between him and his younger self, a teenage version of him, Cable allowed this kid-version to kill him. Young Nate Summers then began to live his life with his parents, Jean Grey and Cyclops. It wasn’t before he began dating the Cuckoos (though he really bonded with Esme Cuckoo in particular) and began investigating the disappearance of Mutant babies, gaining Domino’s, Rachel Grey’s, and more’s help to do so.

Returning

After Kid Cable realized he needed his older self to help defeat Stryfe, he had The Five resurrect him.

When he returned, he reunited with Hope and had a conversation with his younger self before he went off to space and began his mission.

Personal Information

Physical Attributes

• Height: 6’8″
• Weight: 350 lbs.
• Eyes: Blue
• Hair: White (formerly brown)
• Distinguishing Features: Formerly possessed a cybernetic left eye, a cybernetic left arm and a cybernetic left shoulder due to infection with the techno-organic virus.

Status

• Identity: Publicly known
• Occupation: Adventurer; former President of Rumekistan, leader of Providence, mercenary, government agent, freedom fighter, attorney
• Citizenship: U.S.A.
• Place of Birth: Salem Center, Westchester County, New York
• Education: Extensive Askani training, Juris Doctorate from Harvard University (Class of 1988)
• Marital Status: Widower
• Known Relatives: Christopher Summers (Corsair, grandfather, deceased), Katherine Summers (grandmother, deceased), Scott Summers (Cyclops, father), Madelyne Pryor (Red Queen, mother, presumed deceased), Jean Grey-Summers (Phoenix, stepmother, deceased), Alexander Summers (Havok, uncle), Gabriel Summers (Vulcan, uncle, presumed deceased), Aliya Dayspring (Jenskot, first wife, deceased), Tyler Dayspring (Genesis, son, deceased), Hope Summers (second wife, deceased), Hope Summers (adoptive daughter), Stryfe (clone, presumed deceased), Rachel Grey-Summers (Marvel Girl, alternate reality half-sister), Nathaniel Grey (X-Man, alternate reality half-brother)

Powers and Abilities

Former

After lobotomizing the mutant power portion of his brain, Cable stated his telepathy and telekinesis had faded to almost nothing; and used the “Infonet” and Cone of Silence to surrogate his powers.

Cyberpathy: At one time, Cable had a technological link to the “Infonet,” which acted as a surrogate for his telepathy – instead of reading minds, he was a cyberpath, able to “read” digital information and broadcasts. Cable also displayed the ability to forcefully link other minds to the Infonet (as he demonstrated against Captain America).

Cone of Silence: Prototype force-field technology customized, by Fixer and Tony Stark, into a suit, used to simulate telekinesis.

Cable still has his innate powers but to a much lesser degree, despite no longer having the virus. He is still a capable telekinetic as he has shown to still be able to fling multiple obese creatures that were able to give Colossus pause through a wall and he could raise a shield that could block a punch from Colossus that would have killed him. His current level of telepathy is still sufficient enough for basic communications and he was temporarily able to stun a small group of Avengers composed of Thor, Rogue, Sunfire, Captain America, and Havok long enough for his team to escape, but he collapsed afterwards.

Due to the techno-organic virus being purged from his body, Cable’s body is suffering from aftereffects for having to fight it off for so long. His left arm has severely atrophied and his right eye is useless. Forge has since outfitted Cable with new gear:

Bionic Gauntlet: Due to his arm atrophying so bad, it is severely weakened to the point it is near useless. The gauntlet grants Cable a degree of superhuman strength and it is armed with rockets for offensive purposes.

Cybernetic Eye Implant: Since his eye was also atrophied to uselessness, Cable wore a special eye-patch for awhile, but has since ditched it for a new cybernetic substitute capable of firing a laser powerful enough to destroy one of the Avengers’ jets.

Due to being afflicted with a super soldier serum fabricated by a weapons dealer, Cable was rendered into a catatonic state which threatened his body and his live with a volatile spontaneous combustion effect if not kept under constant stasis incubation. With Dr. Nemesis’s help Nathan worked around this by fabricating clones of himself, who were also afflicted with the Volga Effect and had an accelerated half life like he did.

Mechanical Prosthesis: Due to severing his hand in a prior engagement, all of Cables clones were fabricated without their right arms from the get go. They were modified with reinforced steel limb replacements to make up for their extremital handicap.

On top of his powers and new upgrades, Cable still uses those huge guns of his. He has also been suffering from random precognitive visions that show disasters in the near future.

Current

Cable is a mutant and the child of two powerful mutants, therefore; a vastly powerful telepath and telekinetic at his full potential. Although, as an infant, Cable was infected with the Techno-Organic Virus and, for the majority of his life, had to unconsciously keep the virus, that had ravaged the left half of his body, from doing the same to the right side.

When Cable was de-aged, he lost the majority of his powers, however, when he re-aged, he slowly regained his powers along with new powers and abilities.

He soon lost the use of his abilities again after getting infected with a strain of Super Soldier Serum used by weapons dealer; Volga forcing him to resort to cloned bodies until his daughter could flush it from his system.

When a temporal crisis occurred that threatened to tear the fabric of reality apart which was centered around a type parachronal tumor he’d contracted due to his travels across the timestream. Deadpool managed to repair Cables personal timeline, meshing all of his parallel time counterparts together back onto him like forging tempered steel; this not only restored cables techno-organics but also gave him back his psionic powers once again.

Telepathy: Ability to read minds and project the thoughts of others.

• Telepathic Illusion: Ability to create realistic telepathic illusions and cause people to experience events which are not actually occurring.
• Telepathic Cloak: Can mask his presence from being detected by others. Can extend these defenses to others around him as well. Cable’s abilities can, at times, go undetected or be counteracted by other more powerful telepaths, depending on their level of skill in using their own psi abilities.
• Mind Link: Ability to develop a mental link with any person, which remains as a connection to that individual.
• Telepathic Camouflage: Ability to mask himself and other peoples’ presence from those around him. Can telepathically disguise himself, making his appearance to those around his quite different (changing the appearance of clothing, as well as more involved disguising).
• Mind Control: Ability to control the minds and even voluntary and involuntary bodily functions of sentient beings (such as other humans).
• Mind Trap: Ability to take another person’s mind from their body and effectively trapping that mind within his own.
• Mind Possession: Ability to possess the mind of another, and use that beings body as your own.
• Mind Alteration: Ability to alter the minds of others by force of will.
• Mental Amnesia: Ability to cause loss of particular memories and amnesia in another person or even in a group of people.
• Psionic Shield: Ability to erect a psychic shield for protection of himself and of others minds. Cable has proven very difficulty to psychically assail, as he is very well skilled in shielding his own mind from mental-attacks (such as attempts to read, control or harm his own mind), and has been sufficient to protect himself from other psychics.
• Psionic Blasts: Can project psionic force bolts which have no physical effects but which can affect a victim’s mind, so as to cause the victim pain or unconsciousness and can even kill an adversary.
• Astral Projection: Ability to Astral Travel and communicate with others astrally through his own will or through contact with the thoughts and memories of others. In the Astral Plane, he can use his powers to create “ectoplasmic” objects. Cable has a mastery of astral projection, and is able to remain on his own plane of existence or to traverse into any of the so-called “Astral Planes”.
• Mental Detection: Can sense the presence of another superhuman mutant within a large, but as yet undefined radius of himself, by perceiving the distinctive mental radiations emitted by such a being. At his peak, Nathan is strong enough to sense a stray thought a continent away.
• Mind Transferal: Able to transfer both his mind and powers into other host bodies should his own physical body be somehow killed.
• Precognition: Due to modifications of his powers by a future Hope Summers and Blaquesmith, cabal gained the ability to see visions of the future in order to prevent a host of apocalyptic disasters from coming t pass.
• Psychometry: The younger iteration of Nathan showed he could pick up psychic memory imprints from a Galadorian sword on Arakko.

Telekinesis: Possesses telekinetic abilities enabling him to manipulate matter with the energy of his thoughts. Capable of very fine control over objects, including himself. On larger levels, Cable can levitate great weights, into the hundreds of tons, but her upper limit has remained undisclosed. At his peak, Nathan could extinguish a star with something less than a conscious effort.

• Intuitive aptitude: Can disassemble complex devices explosively (separating every last component, such as screws, nuts, circuit boards, etc.) and, just as quickly, easily assemble complex devices. This also has enabled him to even attain awareness and control over objects as small as individual electrons in an atom. For instance, Cable could detect if a seal was hermetic, or not, by checking for the presence of penetrating oxygen molecules. Can even detect and discern individual oxygen molecules, and determine the atomic weight of molecules, by the amount of atoms present.
• Matter Alteration: Ability to alter molecular and atomic structures, in such substances as his own techno-organic components (though this may be a function of telekinesis, as opposed to a discreet superhuman power), and the ability to alter molecular valences.
• Psionic Spikes: Ability to create destructive psionic spikes that destroy the physical objects that the spikes come into contact with.
• Force Fields: Ability to create protective force shields that could detect even the most powerful of attacks (even filter bacteria from the air). The upper limits of this ability remain unknown, but it is believed that he could probably protect himself from harm at the ground zero detonation of a 1 kiloton nuclear warhead (4.18 terajoules of energy from the heat, concussion and radiation effects). Cable has also displayed such control over the fields as to shape them precisely, even to conform very closely to his body’s form. There does not appear to be any correlation between field strength and the thickness of the telekinetic fields.
• Concussive Blasts: Can project telekinetic energies as powerful blast beams directed from his brain that could apparently affect matter with concussive force.
• Telekinetic Flight: By levitating himself, he can “fly” at for very long distances and at varying speeds.

Time Travel: Been hinted to have the psionic power to displace himself and others at almost any specific point in the timestream and then reemerging in the physical world from as much as a few minutes to years by generating chronal energies. Could apparently travel in astral form as well. Cable used the ability once with assistance and may no longer be capable of doing so.

Infra-Red Vision: Due to his bionic enhancements, Cable is able to see the infra-red portion of the spectrum.

Super-Strength: His left arm and shoulder possess enhanced strength allowing him to lift around 10 tons.

Alternate Realities

Earth-1610 / Earth-2107

The Ultimate Universe‘s Cable is really James Howlett – Wolverine from a future time-line.

Because this version of Cable came from an alternate future reality, his own reality wouldn’t be Earth-1610 but has been designated Earth-2107.

He travels to the past to kidnap Professor Xavier and takes him back with him to his future. There he repairs Xavier’s legs and trains him to fight Apocalypse, who in his timeline has taken over the world. They later return to the present Earth-1610, where Xavier, with the help of Phoenix, defeats Apocalypse. Afterwards, Cable ceased to exist.

Earth-295

Cable does not exist in the Age of Apocalypse. Instead, he has been replaced by Nate Grey, a being that Mr. Sinister created from the DNA of Jean Grey and Scott Summers. Because he has such a different origin and story from Cable, he has his own page HERE.

Earth-5070

This Cable is from an altered version of the ‘Days of Future Past’.

Earth-5701

In this reality, Apocalypse rules the world with the help of his Horsemen of Apocalypse. The Horsemen were made up of Angel (Archangel in this reality and is now called Death), Blob (Famine), Spider-Man (Pestilence) and Cable (War). Cable is responsible for genocide on Earth and has also killed Deadpool.

Earth-9997

In the “Earth X” reality, the Techno-organic virus has overtaken Cable’s whole body and he is now a blob of liquid metal. He survived the telepath massacre that killed all telepaths, including Professor X, by living under Magneto‘s city that was made out of Sentinels called Sentinel City.

Earth-90214

In this reality, Cable is a member of the CIA working with the president. After Outlaw becomes a fugitive, Cable recommends Deadpool to track her down and retrieve it. Also in this timeline, Cable and Deadpool worked as comrades in WWII. With Deadpool’s help, they were both able to escape capture.

Earth-161

The “X-Men Forever” counterpart of Cable is still a young boy who isn’t infected by the Techno-organic virus and spends most of his time living with his great-grandparents in Alaska. Although, an adult version of Cable had also been seen briefly alongside X-Force.

Earth-1020

A reality where Cable’s body had been completely taken over by the Techno-organic virus, and he married Storm.

Earth-1030

In this reality, Cable had been tasked by the government to lead the N.Y.X.F., a special task force to police the growing mutant population.

Earth-1038

A spoof reality on the ‘retro’ X-Men.

Earth-2055

In the reality where Spiral had conquered the Earth, Cable fought her with the help of X-Force and the 616 version of Shatterstar.

Earth-3031

In this reality, Cable was seen attending the funeral of Kane.

Earth-9939

This reality had been taken over by Baron Strucker VI (Charnel) who had been responsible for the deaths of many superheroes. Cable was among the last surviving super-humans and was a part of the team known as the X-Saviours, alongside the Hulk, Storm and Angel. The X-Saviours fought side-by-side with the remaining Avengers.

Earth-9922

This Cable is a member of Team X and serves alongside Bishop, Deathbird, Vertigo (jubilee), Falcon, Doctor Doom, Wolverine and Longshot. Team X sought to free Earth from the control of the Shi’ar Majestrix Alanna, the daughter of Charles Xavier and Lilandra.

Earth-21993

This version mirrors 616 Cable’s history right until the point where he took control the the New Mutants. At which point Xavier would return from being in space with the Starjammers and states that he is disappointed by the condition that mutant/human relations are in. To which end Cable would disagree with Xavier’s dream declaring that the X-Men should strike out at their enemies and look out for their own kind instead of pandering to humans. This lead to Xavier demanding that Cable leave the New Mutants, however the team remained loyal to Cable and a fight between the New Mutants and X-Men ensued. After an attempt to brainwipe Cable by Xavier, Cable would in turn assassinate him along with Cyclops and Jean (not knowing his relation to them) in order the split the X-Men apart.

Cable’s plan had work as the X-Men had split into one team lead by Storm who sought to bring Cable to justice, and the other team was lead by Wolverine who sought to eliminate Cable altogether. As Wolverine and his team hunted down Cable and the New Mutants, they had cornered them in their hidden base and a fight would follow. During the brawl Wolverine would take his vengeance by impaling Cable with his claws. As Cable lay dying, in one final act of defiance, he would mock Logan as that though Xavier was a man driven by strength and will, Wolverine was nothing but an animal driven by a berserker rage.

Earth-32098

In one of the universes created by the ‘Ages of Apocalypse’ event, where Xavier lead the Skrull mutants, Cable appeared along with the other greatly aged X-Men. In this reality, Cable had stopped fighting his Techno-organic virus and had joined Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. At one point, an elderly Sunfire had mistaken a now-senior Nate Grey for Cable as he looked identical to when Sunfire had last seen his world’s Cable.

Earth-58161

In this reality, Cable had managed to realize his dream of bringing world peace. Now going by Brother Nathan, he lives in a world where adventure is found through thought and the exploration of the human mind. Deadpool, Cannonball, and Siryn passed through this reality as they searched for the real (616) Cable.

Earth-58162

In another reality that Cannonball, Deadpool and Syrin passed through on their search for 616 Cable, he had been completely consumed by the Techno-organic virus. However, ironically the Techno-organic virus had managed to realize Cable’s goal of world peace in a way via consuming the entire planet.

Earth-58163

During the House of M, Cable existed as a baby under the care of Mister Sinister, a genetics farmer. 616 Deadpool would soon discover that the infant Cable was in fact the true 616 Cable that he had been searching the multiverse for.

Earth-77995

The true son of Scott and Jean Summers, this Nathan had been born after his parents had retired from being X-Men and went to live in Alaska and also had a younger sister Rachel. When Professor X came to Scott and Jean for help in dealing with an opposing threat, they turned him down.

Though when the news hit of the battle in Washington DC between the X-Men and Apocalypse, Scott and Jean left Nathan and Rachel in the care of their grandparents and told them that they would return soon. After the battle and with both Apocalypse and Xavier died, Nathan and Rachel would become students at Xavier’s Institute as Scott and Jean came out of retirement.

Earth-95169

In this reality, Stryfe had succeeded in destroying the X-Men. The only survivors were Cable, Bishop and Wolverine.

Earth-97193

In a world where Wolverine went totally feral, Cable set out on a lone mission to put him down.

Earth-89112

In this alternate reality, the X-Men lost Inferno. When Nathan Christopher Charles Summers is sacrificed by the Goblyn Queen (Madelyne Pryor), the doorway between the Earth and the dimension of demons is reopened. This causes Inferno to re-ignite and begins the demonic takeover of Earth.

Other Media

Television

X-Men: The Animated Series

Cable made many appearances throughout the run of the entire animated series, his first appearance being Slave Island (Episode 7).

During this first appearance he is not affected by the T-O Virus and is depicted as just being a mercenary that finds out he was working for the wrong side.

In his second appearance in a 2-part episode, Jean Grey senses him and sees that he is her son. Additionally, when he asks his computer to tell him about the X-Men, he tells it he already knows about Scott Summers and Jean Grey. It is also revealed that he comes from a future ravaged by Apocalypse, and has come back in time to help prevent it from occurring. He plays a major role in the “Beyond Good and Evil” storyline, where he seeks to end Apocalypse’s evil once and for all.

Film

Deadpool 2 (2018)

Cable appears as the main antagonist in Deadpool 2, portrayed by Josh Brolin. In the film, Cable’s backstory is mostly intact, though the specifics of his relation to Cyclops are not addressed. After his wife and daughter are killed by a powerful mutant known as Firefist, Cable time travels to the year 2018, seeking to prevent the deaths of his family. He manages to track down Russell Collins, the boy who will eventually grow up to become Firefist, and attempts to kill him before he can turn evil. This causes Cable to come into conflict with Deadpool, who has decided to protect Russell.

Cable makes another attempt to kill Russell while the child is being transported by a prison convoy, and once again battles Deadpool (who has now recruited Domino as part of a special team called X-Force). Cable is thwarted once more, and Russell manages to escape with the Juggernaut. Cable eventually seeks out Deadpool at Blind Al‘s apartment, and tries to explain to him the threat Russell will pose if he is allowed to grow up. Realizing that they have to stop Russell before he can kill the abusive head of the orphanage where he was tormented, the two team up.

When Deadpool fails to talk down Russell, Cable attempts to shoot the boy. Deadpool (whose healing factor has been neutralized by a special collar) steps in front of Russell, and is fatally wounded by the bullet. The sacrifice causes Russell to abandon his vendetta and spare the headmaster, which alter’s the timeline and restores Cable’s family. Moved by Deadpool’s selfless act of heroism, Cable uses the last charge of his time travel device to save Wade’s life.

Video Games

Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes

Cable is a playable character in the game, voiced by Lawrence Bayne. He sports his blue and gold X-Men uniform from the 90’s rather than any of his more recognizabnle costumes.

He is regarded as a “top tier” character, as his special moves involving his guns are incredibly powerful. In particular, his “Hyper Viper Beam” Hyper Combo can be devastating if utilized correctly.

Cable also makes cameo appearances in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, where his picture can be seen on a wanted poster in the Days of Future Past stage. He also shows up in Deadpool and Strider Hiryu‘s respective endings.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2

Cable has sided with Captain America and the anti-registration forces and acts as Cap’s second in command.

Cable is also a playable DLC character. He uses a high-tech gun, which can shoot various types of ammo.

Marvel: Avengers Alliance

Cable is a playable character in the Facebook game Marvel: Avengers Alliance, his cost is 135 Command Points and he is a Blaster Class. Cable’s powers include Cone of Silence, Metal Resilience, T-O Control and his attacks are Plasma Rifle, Bodyslide, Asknai Arts, and Temporal Shift.

Deadpool (360, PS3)

Cable appears as a supporting character in the Deadpool game, voiced by Fred Tatasciore. He occasionally assists Deadpool in battle, providing cover fire with his massive firearms.

Marvel Heroes

Cable appears as a playable character, voiced by James M. Connor.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3

Cable appears as part of the X-Men: Rise of Phoenix DLC pack. James M. Connor reprises his role.

Fortnite

In 2020, a Cable DLC skin was added to Fortnite.

Merchandise

• Cable was featured in ToyBiz’s various X-Men lines in the 90s, such as appearing multiple times in the X-Men: X-Force line.
• Cable was featured in ToyBiz’s Marvel Legends line as part of the sixth wave. The figure included a futuristic hovercraft for him to ride.
• Cable was featured in Hasbro’s Superhero Squad line as part of a two-pack with Captain America. He was also featured in an X-Force box set.
• Cable was featured in Diamond Collectibles’ Marvel Select line.
• Cable was featured in Diamond Collectibles’ Minimates line.
• Bowen Designs, XM Studios and Kotobukiya have released statues and busts of Cable.
• Eaglemoss released a Cable figurine as part of The Classic Marvel Figurine Collection.
• Cable was featured in Hasbro’s Marvel Universe line.
• Cable was featured in Hasbro’s iteration of the Marvel Legends line as part of a two-pack with Marvel Girl.
• Cable was also featured in Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line as part of the Juggernaut Build-A-Figure wave. This figure depicted Cable in his Avengers: X-Sanction costume.
• Cable was featured in Funko’s Pop! line of bobbleheads.
• Cable was later featured in the Marvel Legends Sasquatch Build-a-Figure wave, this time in his classic 90s X-Force look.
• The movie version of Cable was also featured in Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line as a Walmart exclusive.