Art by Marko Djurdjevic
- Name: Nathan Christopher Charles Dayspring Askani’son Summers
- Code Names: Cable, Soldier X
- First Appearance: New Mutants #86 (Feb ’90)
- Powers: Telepathy, Telekenisis, A Big Gun
- Teams Affiliation: New Mutants, X-Force, Six Pack, X-Men, Avengers
About
Continuity is one of the trickiest things in shared-universe superhero comics. In the hands of a good writer, the history of a character adds to the impact and relevance of story beats for the veteran without sacrificing anything for the new reader. In the hands of a bad writer, continuity bogs an otherwise good story down with references that fly over reader’s heads and editors notes that make someone feel like they are missing out. Too often, creators as well as fans, hold a good story hostage so that a pristine continuity can be held in place. But continuity is messy, continuity is imperfect, and continuity is largely irrelevant, continuity doesn’t deserve to be held at the same level as storytelling. A cumbersome devotion to continuity is the downfall of otherwise great works, and too often have the X-Men fallen into the trap of continuity before story. This folly has never been more iconic than with Nathan Christopher Charles Dayspring Askani’son Summers, the mutant commando known as Cable.
There was a lot that Nathan Dayspring didn’t know about his past. He didn’t know that he was a genetic weapon created by a mad man who cloned a dead woman to bear him. He didn’t know that his sister from an alternate reality coaxed his father into sending his infant self into to future to avoid being killed by a virus implanted in him by a god he was destined to kill. He didn’t know that that sister cloned him to ensure his genetics survived, or that the god would raise the clone as his own son. He didn’t know that his father and the woman his mother was created from were brought forward in time to raise him for the first twelve years of his life, and he didn’t know why they weren’t around for the next few decades. He didn’t know that after fulfilling his destiny in killing the god, his clone would become just as oppressive of a tyrant. He didn’t know he would fall in love with a doomed rebel woman, or if the child she bore was his or his clone’s. He didn’t know if the years fighting, leading an uprising, waging war through out the time stream was worth it. But he knew that the mutant race needed a leader if they were going to survive and he knew that, regardless of the past, he could fight for the future.
To wage his war, Cable needed soldiers and the young team of New Mutants needed a new leader. He pushed the kids to their breaking point and soon they stopped being kids at all. They weren’t students, they were soldiers. No longer New Mutants, they were X-Force and they battled threats like the Mutant Liberation Front, a radical organization lead by Cable’s cloned brother Stryfe. It came to a head when Stryfe attempted to assassinate Professor Xavier and the brothers fought man to man, and quite literally face to face. Cable was able to best his brother, and after a detour through time, returned to lead to increasingly independent X-Force. They came to outgrow Cable and he continued to fight his mutant war in the shadows.
Art by Rob Liefeld and Brad Vancata
When Apocalypse gathered The Twelve, Cable ranked among them. The X-Men were able to free the captured mutants but at the cost of Cyclops’ life. In honor of his father, Cable joined the X-Men and, for the first time, grew close with his mother. They were able to find the psionic remains of Cyclops, still merged with Apocalypse (which you can read about here) and Nathan was able to restore his father and fulfill his destiny by destroying Apocalypse. He soon turned into a man without a mission, a soldier without a war to fight, and tried to find a new direction for his life.
Art by Tom Raney, Scott Hanna, and Jung Choi
He eventually found that direction alongside an unlikely ally. While Cable was using his massive powers to make the world a better place, including creating his own island nation known as Providence, many were worried about the unchecked power he possessed. The X-Men recruited Deadpool to help control him and this would lead to a begrudgingly long partnership between the two mercenaries. Cable also joined a new iteration of the X-Men at the time and assisted them in battles against the Children of the Vault and protecting Providence against the Hecatomb.
Art by Rob Liefeld
Soon, Cable found himself with a new challenge. A mutant child had been born, the first since the Decimation of the race, and everyone was after her. Cable got to her first and dedicated himself to protecting the new mutant messiah. The battle waged on, but Cable was eventually able to find Cyclops and the two great mutant leaders, father and son, talked. Years ago, Scott sent Nathan through the time stream to save him. Now, they both knew that the baby girl would never be safe and Scott made a decision, she couldn’t stay here, but Nathan could find a time where she was safe. Nathan always struggled to forgive his father for sending him away, but in that moment, they understood one another. They slid into the future, towards a better tomorrow, racing towards hope.
Art by Chris Bachalo, Tim Townsend, and Brian Reber
With the little girl strapped to his chest, Cable made a life in this future. They never stayed in one place long, Nate wasn’t one to get comfortable and his fears were soon realized. The former X-Man Bishop believed Hope would cause the dystopian world he was from and made it his mission to prevent that at all costs. Bishop chased Cable into the future and attempted to kill the baby girl. In the ensuing fight, Cable’s time-travel module was damaged and he had only one choice. He jumped further into the future, with no assurance that he could ever make it back.
Art by Ariel Olivetti
In that time Cable and the little girl found a home, he found love, and they found some semblance of a family. His wife, Hope, always asked why Cable wouldn’t give the girl a name, but the soldier didn’t think it was his place. Though months past, he tried to keep his distance from the child. He was a soldier, she was his objective. He couldn’t get attached. Even then, Cable, Hope, and the little girl created a life in their farming community. That life was threatened by Bishop who scorched the past to ruin the girl’s future. Cable, his wife Hope, and the little girl became nomads like his parents before him. They were careful but the world was dangerous and on a routine stop, Hope was shot. Cable buried his wife and all his attachments with her, save one. He finally had a name for his daughter, the one thing the mutant race needed more than anything else, Hope.
Art by Ariel Olivetti
They continued to jump through time, avoiding Bishop and training. Hope was his daughter, yes, but she needed to be a soldier first. She detonated her first semtex before she could say full sentences, fired her first shot before she could ride a bike, she was everything her father could want. The years passed and his little girl bloomed into a strong teenager. They only had each other, but it was enough. Eventually, they found their way back to the present and Cable was finally close to finishing his mission. They made their way to Utopia, but the return of the mutant messiah didn’t go unnoticed and soon the island was under siege. The leaders of Utopia had a plan, but it was suicide, not that Nathan cared. He had dedicated years to keeping Hope safe, he found it fitting that he would do so with his final act and the soldier charged into the great unknown.
Art by Mike Choi and Sonia Oback
Cable’s story didn’t end there as his death flung him far into the future where he was found by his old friend and partner Blaquesmith (who, yes, we totally skipped over). Blaquesmith told him that this desolation was caused by the Avengers causing Hope’s death and sent him back to make it right. He attacked the Avengers but was eventually stopped and brought to Utopia. He began having premonitions, visions of things to come and created a new iteration of X-Force to help prevent them from coming to fruition. They operated outside of the jurisdiction of the X-Men and the Avengers, but Cable only focused on completing the mission. After the Alexandria Incident (which I went into greater detail here) he became even harder, to the point that Hope had to step in and relieve her father of his duties. He blurred the line between good and evil and he needed a reminder of what he really stood for.
Art by Rock He-Kim
Nowadays Cable has mostly reverted to his 90’s ideal. Deadpool helped unionize the fractured versions of Nate across time and space and, in return, Cable joined the newest incarnation of the Uncanny Avengers. He struggled to step away from being the leader with such strong personalities like Captain America and Rogue on the squad, but he took the mission of stopping the Red Skull to heart. Continuity marches on, and after years and years, retcons and retcons, Cable is back to being who he always was, a big guy with a bigger gun. And really, that’s all you need to know about Nathan Christopher Charles Dayspring Askani’son Summers.
Art by Pepe Larraz
Must Read
As I have mentioned before, I am a father of a fantastic one-year-old boy who shares one of Cable’s several names (yes it is Askani’son) so stories about parenthood really impact me. That’s why it shouldn’t shock any long time readers that I am gonna recommend Cable by Duane Swierczynski. The book is a great examination of a soldier learning to be a parent in his own way. In some ways, this is the most essential supplemental reading for the Messiah Trilogy and it deserves to be experienced. It is on Marvel Unlimited and there are 4 trades and a crossover that cover the whole thing.
Ranking
Cable is an interesting character to rank. For the most part, I kinda hate everything the character did for the first half of his history but absolutely love everything in his last half. That should be obvious by the fact that I skipped through most of the 90’s. Still, there is something appealing about a guy with more guns than the Punisher and more knives than Wolverine and for most of his existence, he is more an action figure than a character. He is also a great examination of what it means to be a soldier and father, so I am conflicted. I think he is easily the best of the Summers Clan and he is better than his archenemy Apocalypse. A similar character is his X-Force teammate Warpath, both were cookie cutters until they quickly weren’t, but I think Cable wins just because he has a cooler design. Right above Warpath is Cable’s protégée Cannonball (who I didn’t freaking talking about) and I think Sam wins on the basis of consistency throughout the years. That is why Cable breaks into the top 10 as the new number 8 in the Xavier Files.
Cable was requested by Scott from Pateron. Thanks for the request and the generous support! If you have a request just submit it at the bottom of this article and I will add it to the list that currently stretches into June 2018! If you want to cut to the front of the line, like Scott did, we have a Patreon if you want to support it and get a line cutting reward for just a $1 pledge. We just hit our 2nd goal and now I guess I am reviewing X-Books so that will be coming soon. Oh and we also have exclusive physical items so check those out!
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Next week will be up to your vote! See you then!
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— Xavier Files (@XavierFiles) January 18, 2017
Zachary Jenkins runs ComicsXF and is a co-host on the podcast “Battle of the Atom.” Shocking everyone, he has a full and vibrant life outside of all this.
