Nathan SummersCable

Straight out of the dystopian future (the 39th Century, to be exact), it is the mutant Nathan Summers, AKA Cable, AKA the dude with the metal arm, robotic eye, and giant gun. He had to get the first two because of a viral infection that was half-technology, half-organic, but he's a bit sensitive about it taking over his body. He'd much rather discuss his time as a member of the X-Force or New Mutants. He is a hero between two worlds, two time periods, and two dimensions, who has spent his life as a hardened warrior, yet longs for peace at last.

Ahead of His Time

From the moment he was born, Cable's life has not been easy. The circumstances of his birth were orchestrated by a mad geneticist named Mister Sinister who had created Cable's mother, Madelyne Pryor, a clone of Jean Grey. Sinister then had Pryor seduce Cyclops (Scott Summers) in order to conceive a child that he believed would be a phenomenally powerful mutant. Once born, Nathan Summers was the target of a plot to open a portal between Earthand the demon-infested dimension limbo. This was thwarted by members of X-Factor and the X-Men (such as the real Jean Grey who was presumed dead), but left his mother dead.

Sinister then planned to use Nathan to exact revenge against his former master Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur), but Apocalypse learned of this and had Nathan kidnapped. Apocalypse infected Nathan with a deadly techno-organic virus to see if he would make a worthy host, hoping to use the powerful mutant's body for his own.

X-Factor's artificial intelligence, Ship, merged with Nathan to slow the virus.

After Apocalypse was defeated by X-Factor, a member of the Clan Askani, a sisterhood dedicated to opposing Apocalypse in the alternate future of Earth-4935, offered to save Nathan's life by taking him to her own era.

Desperate, Cyclops agreed, and Nathan was taken to the 38th century of an alternate reality where the Mother Askani (actually his time-displaced half-sister Rachel from yet another timeline) had him cloned in case the virus could not be cured. However, he proved able to keep the virus in check using his own telekinetic mutant powers.

Minions of Apocalypse attacked and stole the clone, taking it to their master who raised the child as his heir, Stryfe. However, he died after refusing to use Stryfe's body.

The Future is Now

Cable has both telepathic and telekinetic abilities; in other words, he can read minds and move objects by simply using his mind. He can also manipulate the thoughts and bodily functions of others, even from vast distances. If he chooses, he has the ability to disassemble objects or form defensive force fields. However, Cable has had to use his telekinetic powers on a regular basis to prevent the techno-organic virus from infecting the rest of his body. Since being cured, he has been able to refocus his powers accordingly.

Given that he is from the far-flung future, Cable has access to incredible technology, like a teleportation device from Forge (a mutant technosmith) that allows him to "bodyslide" across vast distances. He also employs a Forge-created robotic arm casing that assists in using his biological left arm, fires missiles, and utilizes extended "fingers" that allow Cable to hold and carry items, and a mechanical eye that fires lasers on command. Cable's techno-organic left arm and shoulder afford him enhanced strength and durability and temporarily housed a time-travel device. His techno-organic right eye can also see into the infrared portion of the spectrum.

Cable's techno-organics include a cyberjack for interfacing with computer systems, as well as an ion blade and other similar accoutrements. He can aesthetically alter the surface texture of his techno-organics via "synth-org" technology to resemble human skin.

When his powers are depleted, Cable replaces them via technological means, employing the Dominus Objective information filter to access the global information network ("infonet"). He uses this to replace his telepathy and the "Cone of Silence" gravimetric force field generator to provide a sheath of force that he manipulates to replace his telekinesis. He also once houses an encyclopedic intelligence system dubbed "Professor," while having access to a space station called "Graymalkin" that provides body sliding and time-travel capabilities.

Cable is proficient in wielding numerous types of firearms and has also wielded the Psimitar, an Askani weapon that channels his psionic powers. Cable is a highly accomplished warrior and battle strategist, a skilled operator of many types of vehicles, and highly adept at many forms of hand-to-hand combat and in the use of a variety of weaponry from both the 21st and 39th centuries.

Damned Doppelganger

Cable's biggest nemesis is his clone, Stryfe, who becomes an insane anarchist/terrorist after the death of Apocalypse. Stryfe hungers for vengeance on Apocalypse and his (technically) biological parents, Jean Grey and Scott Summers.

Cable Colleagues

Stryfe forms an army (the New Canaanites) in the Nor-Am Pact region 3783-3806 of the alternate future where Cable has been transported. To combat the villain's acts of destruction and death, Nathan joins a mutant-human uprising called the Clan Chosen against Stryfe and his NewCanaanites. It is here that he chooses the name Cable.

He marries a fellow warrior, Aliya, and they have a son, Tyler. Stryfe murders Aliya, and when he travels back to the 20th century, Cable pursues him. There, Cable founds the mercenary team Six Pack and later reorganizes the New Mutants into X-Force. The original roster of members for the latter group includes: Cable, Boom Boom, Cannonball, Domino, Feral, Shatterstar, and Warpath, but Siryn, Rictor, and Sunspot joins later.

Summertime

Stryfe formed an army (the New Canaanites) in the Nor-Am Pact region 3783-3806 of the alternate future where Cable had been originally transported. To combat the villain?s acts of destruction and death, Nathan joined a mutant-human uprising called the Clan Chosen against Stryfe and his New Canaanites. It is here that he chose the name Cable.

Cable and Stryfe famously faced off when Stryfe framed Cable for Xavier?s death. With his uncle Havoc, Cable fought Stryfe, who had encased himself in a force field that only allows members of the Summers family to enter. In the end, Cable and Stryfe were sucked into a Self-Destruct/Time Vortex activated by Cyclops. The rest of the world was left unharmed. Everyone realized that Cable did not kill Charles and gave his life to save everyone else. Nevertheless, Cable returned and stated that he survived, but Stryfe did not.

He married a fellow warrior, Aliya, and they had a son, Tyler. Unfortunately, Aliya was murdered by Stryfe, though Cable pursued him back to the 20th century. In this time, Cable founded Six Pack, a mercenary team, and also reorganized the New Mutants into X-Force.

The X-Force often found aid in the wisecracking Deadpool (Wade Wilson) who, despite his selfish nature, developed a semi-honorable partnership with Cable, and even saved his life once or twice. Once, Cable devolved into an infant; Deadpool rescued the baby from Mister Sinister and Cable soon returned to his true age.

After the events of M-Day (when Scarlet Witch stripped all mutants of their powers), a rapidly aging Cable cured Deadpool of the brain damage he?d suffered years earlier at the hands of the Weapon X organization.

Post-M-Day, Cable saved a mutant baby girl from Bishop and escaped into the future with her, naming her Hope Summers.

He brought her back to the present when she was in her teens, and she saved his life by burning the fatal techno-organic virus out of him, removing his cybernetics as well. Later, Forge made an enhanced exoskeleton weapon for Cable?s atrophied arm and the two formed a new X-Force along with Colossus, Doctor Nemesis, Domino, Boom Boom (Meltdown), and sometimes Hope. With them, he tried to save the world from threats he perceived in visions of the future.

Hoping to prevent any madness from happening in the first place, Cable traveled back in time to ancient Egypt, hoping to kill Apocalypse by infecting him the same techno-organic virus the mutant had infected him with as a child. However, the virus transformed Apocalypse into a veritable god. Thus, Cable created a time paradox, an infinite loop in both of their lives, forever trying to hunt down the villain and make the future affect the past and the past affect the future.

During the Super Hero Civil War, Cable sided with Captain America?s (Steve Rogers) ?Secret Avengers? team in opposing the Superhuman Registration Act. Cable ultimately confronted the U.S. President himself, which led to a clash with newly deputized government agent Deadpool.

Cable spent his life as a warrior, but longed for peace. He once established the airborne city of Providence as a futuristic utopia. Even as the techno-organic virus became more virulent and sealed his fate, Cable decided to take on the Avengers to protect Hope. He was stopped by Cyclops and Hope, and was taken to Utopia to die. Once there, Hope manifested the Phoenix Force, the alleged nexus of all psychic energy in the multiverse, and purged Cable of the T-O virus, leaving him healed. Hope also apparently used the T-O virus? organic elements to recreate an atrophied version of Cable?s biological arm.

Devoid of the T-O virus, unable to use his withered left arm, and with his right eye missing, Cable still fought for the greater good. After seeing visions from Hope of impending disasters (not realizing that she was causing them), he gathered Forge, Domino, and mutant geneticist Dr. Nemesis (James Bradley) to help him proactively prevent the visions from coming true.