That Cable guy! Deadpool's nemesis is more than just a cyborg mutant, he's an ass-kicking anti-hero for the ages
"It's a bit of a secret," a bathrobe-clad, off-duty Deadpool had said in the post-credit scenes of the 2016 titular movie, sharing a sneak peek of what's to come in the sequel, in the process sending legions of comic book movie lovers into a bit of a frenzy. "For the sequel, we're gonna have Cable".
"Amazing character, bionic arm, time travel".
Since Ryan Reynolds' mercenary-turned-savior dropped the news post the credit roll, speculations have been running high and wild over this Cable character. Thankfully, it wasn't long after when fans were treated to another great piece of a revelation in the form of a second Deadpool trailer - where it was finally revealed that the mantle of the time-traveling mutant character would be carried on by none other than Marvel's newest find, Josh Brolin.
As the part-human part-cyborg mutant, Brolin, to say the least, has set our imagination soaring. Not only does he fit the bill but also with his beefed-up physique, the actor lends the character the much-needed physical charisma and command that Cable's comic book history ardently demands.
"What I should have done was just f*****g blow myself up with steroids and then just eat ice cream and watch TV," in a previous interview, Brolin had joked about getting into shape for his character, which quite evidently requires more than a day's worth of crash diet, as explained by the actor in his own words: "I worked out three hours a day, and I was off sugar.
The outcome? A massive on-screen portrayal of Cable, loaded with an arsenal of choice-weapons and a demeanor that screams "strictly business". So much so, that even the Merc-With-A-Mouth cannot help but let out a sigh, exclaiming in his signature foul-mouth, "What in the f**ksickle is this?"
Cable's big screen introduction was, indeed, just a matter of time, and though his leanings are not particularly clear from the 2-minute long video — whether he is out and out-and-out rogue or like other members of the X-Force — the character has managed to successfully capture the hearts of the X-Men loyalists. At it's very best, the silver-haired, grizzly character seems to play the perfect foil to Reynold's witty and sarcastic Deadpool.
As much as we were intrigued by Cable's badass entry after 46 seconds into the trailer, his purpose for returning back in time remains shrouded in mystery. So far, it's been established that the mutant has come from the future but the question remains why? And what is his obsession with this child, who supposedly holds a valuable place in the morally-flexible Deadpool's heart?
The best way to answer these questions is to take a dive into the convoluted yet extremely riveting history of this character that originally appeared in the Marvel Comics in the 90s as a militaristic alternative to the X-Men.
Although the character's first official Marvel appearance should be accredited to writer Chris Claremont - who introduced an infant Cable in 'Uncanny X-Men' #201 — the mutant that we have become familiar with is the brainchild of artist-cum-co-writer Rob Liefeld. (an adult Cable debuted in 'The New Mutants' #87)
Born as Nathan Summers, the mutant's existence is the result of a dark and twisted plot hatched by the genetics-obsessed villain Mister Sinister.
As it turns out, at some point in the comic book history, this Mr. Sinister created a clone of our fan-favorite X-Men, Jean Grey; called Madelyne Pryor who went on to get romantically involved with none other than our second favorite mutant, Scott Summers aka Cyclops.
The plan was to use a young Cable as a weapon against Apocalypse, a gold-like creature who is also amongst the world's first mutants. However, the millennial-old mutant drives a wrench through this plan of Sinister when he kidnaps a young Nathan and injects him with the techno-organic virus — a deadly virus that turns organic tissues into cybernetic metal. (Hence the bionic anatomy of a future Nate aka Cable).
Faced with the prospect of losing his son, Cyclops following the advice of a mutant named Askani (who eventually becomes a part of the X-Force team that Cable assimilates), is forced to send Nathan into the future, 2000 years ahead of the time.
This brings us to the part where we explain why Cable time-travels and comes back in time; and ironic as it is, the reason is connected to the mutant himself.
When he was living with the Askani tribe in the future, Cable was cloned keeping in mind the dire times that might result in his death. After all, the original mutant son of Cyclops was struggling to survive, battling the flesh-killing virus, even if that meant suppressing his powers (we will get to that later) and passing off as a mere mortal.
Causing ripples in this state of order would be, however, none other than the firstborn mutant Apocalypse — who makes a second attempt at capturing Cable in the future but only to end up abducting his clone.
This clone would be raised as one of his own by the ancient mutant and named Stryfe. From here on, it's a pretty basic superhero narrative. There's a good mutant and then there's an evil clone iteration, who concocts the not-so ideologically-driven Mutant Liberation Front - a force that ultimately compels Cable to time travel back in time and save the world from the brewing chaos that is the joint creation of Apocalypse and Stryfe.
Now, fast forwarding into the future once again, namely 2018, one look at the latest Deadpool trailer and fans can tell that the guy is seriously powered. Other than carrying some cutting-edge futuristic weapons on his self, Cable looks like the very image of destruction with his bionic arm and infrared-emitting techno-organic left eye.
"My name's Cable and I am here for the kid," Brolin's mutant character explains.
To fully explain the extent of Cable's powers would be to swim through a sea of technological jargons. First of all, the parts of his body that are non-organic, or in other words are affected by the virus, possess enhanced strength and durability. In fact, that sparkling red eye of his is capable of seeing much farther in the distance than any normal human eyesight would allow him to. And finally comes, the mutant-cum-cyborg's abilities to interface with any machinery — much like his DC counterpart, recently brought to life by Ray Fisher in the big bomb Justice League.
It is a part of this techno-organic prowess that allows him to travel through time as well. As if all of this is not enough, in the future it transpired that the mutant son of Cyclops possesses telepathic skills as well.
So what's Cable with all his futuristic assortments and plethora of powers doing in the Deadpool universe, hunting a child, who most certainly holds some kickass pyrokinetic abilities? Rumor has it that the kid, referred to as Russell in the promo videos, is most probably the mutant, Russell “Rusty” Collins, better known as Firefist.
And if this piece of information turns out to be true, then Cable's return is, a hundred percent, tied to the wrongdoing of his evil clone. In the comics, the finger-flipping Rusty of the present times is consumed by the dark ways of Stryfe in the future. From being mind-controlled by Cable's clone to being forced to join Magneto’s Acolytes; the Russell character has quite a few pending hardships coming his way.
And it's highly possible, based on this speculation, that Cable has returned from the future most likely as a savior for the young and ignorant mutant than as an antagonist.
Given the nature of the Deadpool saga, we have come to accept that there's nothing called pure evil - unless you are Francis! And the same applies to Brolin's character as well. If 20th Century Fox remains even halfway true to Marvel's comics literature, then Cable is certainly far from being an outright nemesis to the Merc-With-A-Mouth.
Their pairing is not new - 2004's Cable & Deadpool comics had quite an eye-grabbing run - and their coming together on the big screen is certainly what dreams are made of. Deadpool with his ceaseless wisecracks and acid-tongued jabs and Cable and his nonchalant air - the perfect antithesis in an otherwise x-rated universe.