Warning! This article contains spoilers for Cable #1 Cyclops’ son, Cable, has had a long and arduous journey in X-Men canon, one filled with cybernetic enhancements, cloning, and even temporal self-assassinations. And now, Cable’s story is somehow getting even weirder, as he just recruited another Summers family member as his sidekick – himself.
In a preview for Cable #1 by Fabian Nicieza and Scot Eaton, Nathan Summers is storming an Orchis facility where his younger self has been kidnapped and studied. Cable holds many secrets of potential futures and yet-to-be-invented technology, making him especially valuable to an organization that’s not only rooted in technological advancement, but is also obsessed with world domination.
After flipping past the cover that features Cable the way fans love him most (classic suit, giant guns, generally badass), the book opens with Nathan chopping through Orchis goons like it’s nothing, searching for his younger self. Finally, Cable tracks Kid Cable – who now goes simply by ‘Nate’ – to a shipping container vessel where Orchis is covertly hiding and studying him. While it seems Orchis already derived a great deal of intel from Nate (which will assuredly be the crux of the protagonists’ struggles moving forward), Cable does greet his younger self when he finds him, meaning Nate is alive and Cable has effectively taken Kid Cable on as his sidekick.
Thor’s Most Underrated Villain Is Back to Kill Cyclops’ Son
Get ready for the resurrection of a forgotten adversary, as Thor’s most underrated villain emerges with the deadly agenda to kill Cyclops’ son Cable.
Cable’s Relationship With Kid Cable Wasn’t Always This Stable
The fact that Cable decided to recruit Kid Cable as his sidekick actually speaks to how far the two characters have come since their first interaction. In Extermination #1 by Ed Brisson and Pepe Larraz, Nate tracks down and murdered Cable in cold blood. Kid Cable said that his older self was damaging the timeline, and he needed to be stopped.
When Nate finds Cable, he mercilessly tells him, “You’re relieved of your duty” before littering his body with a barrage of bullets. From that point forward, Kid Cable was the main version of Nathan Summers who existed in X-Men canon all the way through the majority of the Krakoan Era, and he still plays a significant role to this day – as fans just saw in this preview.
Cable Saving Kid Cable Is Actually Just Him Returning The Favor
While it may seem shocking that Cable would get over his own murder by not only recruiting Kid Cable to be his sidekick, but by saving his life at all, that’s actually ancient history between the two of them. In fact, Cable saving Nate’s life like this is basically just him returning the favor. In Cable Vol. 4 #11 by Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto, Nate pushes for the resurrection of his older self on Krakoa, even though that meant he’d lose resurrection rights himself upon his death. Nate waived his rights to future resurrections to get Cable back for a specific mission involving Stryfe, and the older Cable has been back ever since. Now, Cable has returned that favor to his younger self by saving his life in this issue, allowing them to start fresh on an all-new adventure.
Cable’s relationship with his younger self (and, indeed, every facet of his entire life) is unarguably weird, especially now that they are going to be working together. But, at least it’s healthier than it was originally, as both versions of Cyclops’ son are now able to get along, with Cable making Nate his sidekick solidifying that fact in X-Men canon.
Cable #1 by Marvel Comics is available January 17, 2024.
