X-Men’s Cable: Meet the Time-Traveling Cyborg Mutant from the Future
If you think Cyclops is cool, wait until you meet the time-traveling son he had with Madelyne Pryor, the Goblin Queen.
Even if you don’t know his real name, you’ve probably heard of the mutant soldier Cable. Portrayed to perfection by Josh Brolin in live-action, this time traveler with the gruff voice has been a staple of X-Men stories for quite some time. But did you know that he’s Cyclops’ kid? Or that he’s NOT (technically) Jean Grey’s? Buckle your utility belt and don’t cross the time stream as we dive into the story of Nathan Summers, the boy who became Cable.
Cable: The Son of a Clone
Nathan Summers was born to Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor, a clone of Jean Grey created by Mr. Sinister. She bore a striking resemblance to Grey, and some (including Pryor herself) believed that she WAS Jean Grey, freshly healed from the expulsion of the Phoenix Force. Even Professor Xavier couldn’t discern her true identity because her mind was closed to him. Sinister needed a weapon against Apocalypse, and discerned that a union between Cyclops (Scott Summers) and Marvel Girl (Jean Grey) would provide a mutant powerful enough to face him.
Unfortunately, the Phoenix Force had driven Grey mad at the time, so Sinister created a clone, Madelyn Pryor, instead. He hoped that by installing the clone, he would be able to control the child for his own ends. Pryor and Summers married and produced a son, Nathan Christopher Charles Summers.
Nathan and his family moved to Anchorage once Cyclops lost command of the X-Men. At this time, Nathan’s interdimensional half-sister Rachel was able to form a psi-bond with him, and promised to protect him. Nathan’s parents’ relationship became strained, as Scott seemed unable to get over Jean. When Jean reappeared alive, Scott abandoned his family to rekindle his relationship with her. Hearing of Jean Grey’s return, Mr. Sinister sent his Marauders to kidnap Nathan and kill Madelyn. She was able to survive, but Nathan was taken and raised by Sinister in a lab.
Captured by the Enemy
Pryor began to lose her sanity when she discovered why Scott had abandoned them. She made a pact with demons to create a link between Limbo and Earth and exchange for Nathan’s return. She began calling herself Goblin Queen, and became a deadly villain.
At this time, Apocalypse had learned of Nathan’s powerful destiny, and sent his forces to kidnap him. He was taken to Apocalypse’s moon base and infected with the same Technovirus that gave Apocalypse his power. It began to rapidly change his body into living metal, and left unchecked, it would kill him.
By the time Cyclops and the rest of the X-Force arrived, he was beyond saving. Thankfully, a visitor from 2000 years in the future calling herself Sister Askani arrived. She named Nathan as a great savior from her time, and promised she could save him in the future, but that it would be a one-way trip. Scott chose to give up his son to save his life. Nathan was taken into the far future, never to return.
Apocalyptic Destiny
Nathan was raised in the future by Clan Askani, a group that had risen up in opposition to Apocalypse and his New Canaanites. Mother Askani, their leader, was a time-displaced version of Rachel. She put him in an incubation chamber to slow the virus. However, Apocalypse’s followers were able to hunt them down and attack them, severely wounding Mother Askani. He also made off with a clone the Askani had made of Nathan. He raised him as Stryfe, who was groomed to be the new host body for Apocalypse.
Cyclops and Jean Grey were brought to the future to care for Nathan in Mother Askani’s stead. However, since their bodies couldn’t survive the trip, they were transformed into the bodies of their descendants. Going by the names Redd and Slym Dayspring, they raised Nathan without telling him of his origins.
When Nathan reached his teenage years, Mother Askani introduced herself psychically to Nathan as his sister Rachel. The Technovirus flared and left him in a coma, and she told him he was the most powerful psychic to ever live. If he focused his considerable power on the virus, he could keep it in check. As the years passed, he took the name Cable and gained several powerful artifacts to focus his prodigious psychic powers. He finally jumped back in time, hoping to stop Apocalypse from rising to power in the future.
What are Cable’s Powers? How Powerful is He?
Like his mother, Cable is a formidable psychic. He has the powers of telepathy, telekinesis, and precognition. However, at his full strength, he can also cloak himself physically and psychically, project energy as a shield or a weapon, and even control the minds of others. Unfortunately, most of his power is focused on keeping the Technovirus in check. This makes him severely diminished from how powerful he COULD be. The Technovirus gives him superhuman strength and endurance and several cybernetic enhancements that augment his strength further. However, since his bionics are not Celestial make, they aren’t as powerful as those given to Apocalypse.
Though he is not listed as an Omega-level mutant, he has powers comparable to an Omega psychic. At the peak of his power, he’s even stronger than Professor X. In fact, he may even have been the most powerful telepath on Earth. His ability to travel through time without sacrificing his body is testament to his strength. It is easy to believe he has the power to battle Apocalypse.
What do you think of this time-traveling Telepath?
