Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Cable #4

Out of all the X-Men, Cyclops’ own family tree may just be the most confusing mutant bloodline in comics. With more than a couple long-lost brothers and time-traveling children like Cable, Scott Summers’ clan is constantly growing. And one unexpected adventure during the Fall of X reveals that Cyclops has more sons than he realizes.

Cable #4 by Fabian Nicieza, Scot Eaton, Lan Medina, Cam Smith, José Marzan Jr., Joe Tartaglia, and VC’s Joe Sabino concludes the time-traveling X-Man’s battle against the Neocracy alongside his younger counterpart. As the duo prepare to return to battle against Orchis, the younger Nathan reveals his anxieties about aging into his elder counterpart.

The older Cable comforts him, telling young Nathan, “You’re a younger version of me, but we both know that doesn’t mean you’re a younger version of me.” But by telling Nate to follow his own path, Cable could have just changed history – which is just what he wants.

Cable’s Destiny Is Not Inevitable

Cyclops Could Get His Son Back

Moreso than arguably any other X-Men icon, Cable knows just how mercurial the timelines of the Marvel Universe can be. The elder Cable has seen countless dark futures and has worked to prevent every one of them, but it’s not an easy life – nor is it one that Cable wishes upon his younger self. Nate even says in this very issue that all his battles are fought with the hope that his younger self will get to change his destiny. But if Cable’s hopes and dreams are true, then this would just mean that Cyclops has yet another long-lost child to watch over.

One of Cyclops’ greatest flaws has been his inability to maintain a real life outside the X-Men. Time and again, Scott’s family has paid the price for the life he leads – which is what leads to young Nathan Summers becoming Cable in the first place. If the younger version of Cable is truly successful in avoiding his once-thought inevitable fate, then his destiny is truly unwritten, giving Cyclops the chance to raise his son again, getting it right with the young Cable in a way he never could with the time-displaced progeny that has fought alongside him for years.

Cyclops’ Family Pays The Price For His Mission

Cable Is Ultimately Integral To The X-Men’s Mission

The Summers are arguably the First Family of Marvel Comics’ X-Men, and that responsibility comes with a lot of expectations for young Cable to meet. With his future self’s permission to change his destiny, there is a chance that young Nathan could truly be his own man, carving out a new niche in the Summers family history. But if he’s unsuccessful, Nathan Summers will grow into Cable after all, and Cyclops and his family will be too busy fighting alongside the X-Men to complain.