History Characters / MarvelComicsCable

* TheCassandra: During ''ComicBook/CivilWar'', he tried telling the president of the US that the Superhuman Registration Act was a bad thing, and it'd eventually lead to a police state. The president's reaction? "Not my problem." Then he sicced Deadpool on Cable.

* HappilyAdopted: In a sense. Jean is his biological mother, but she isn't [[CloningBlues the one]] who [[TangledFamilyTree gave birth to him]]. Though she is the one who raised him in the future and taught him to use his powers to keep back the techno organic virus. [[MommasBoy He's shown nothing but warmth to her]] and considers her his true mother, and she considers him her son.

-> ''"Irene... when are you going to understand what I've been trying to tell you for so long? I have lived and loved and cried and died across thousands of years gone by and still to come. I've watched Apocalypse kill billions. And every single one of them is on 'my back'. That's why I keep facing forward..."''

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/x_force_vol_5_4_textless.jpg]]

* HurtingHero: The pain, suffering, betrayal and loss that Cable has endured across time is mind boggling. Nevertheless, he keeps trying to make a difference and save the world.

** With [[Characters/XMenSupportingCharacters Senator Kelly]] at the end of his life, having been assigned to be his bodyguard for the entirety of the senator's campaign, the two greatly differing men coming to an understanding and mutual respect. To the point that between failing to protect Kelly from his assassin and the death of [[Characters/XMenMutants Moira MacTaggert]], [[HurtingHero Cable]] soon decided to leave the X-Men and [[WalkingTheEarth resume adventuring alone]].

* He is a male psionic associated with all kinds of technology. His sister Rachel is a female psionic associated with mysticism.

* TheDreaded: Is often considered this by his enemies and allies alike. An issue of his series even has ComicBook/{{Storm}} and ComicBook/{{Nightcrawler}} reveal most of the X-Men considered him this for awhile and were afraid of him being around the mansion. In part because of being a time traveler who knows how terrible the future might be, and in part because of his grim, intimidating, introverted surface.

The son of [[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops Scott Summers]] and [[Characters/MarvelComicsMadelynePryor Madelyne Pryor]] (ComicBook/JeanGrey's clone), Nathan Summers was sent to the future as a child to save him from a techno-organic virus he'd been afflicted with, with the understanding that his parents would never see him again. In actuality, Scott and Jean soon followed him thanks to the machinations of Sister Askani, and raised him under the guises of Slym and Redd Dayspring, which is where Nate got his surname. Eventually, Cable would travel back to the past to save the world from [[OmnicidalManiac Apocalypse]] -- in actuality his native era -- as a grizzled soldier, start up Six Pack, mentor the ComicBook/NewMutants, reform them into X-Force and butt heads with and later join the X-Men -- also reconciling with his parents along the way.

The son of [[ComicBook/CyclopsMarvelComics Scott Summers]] and [[Characters/MarvelComicsMadelynePryor Madelyne Pryor]] (ComicBook/JeanGrey's clone), Nathan Summers was sent to the future as a child to save him from a techno-organic virus he'd been afflicted with, with the understanding that his parents would never see him again. In actuality, Scott and Jean soon followed him thanks to the machinations of Sister Askani, and raised him under the guises of Slym and Redd Dayspring, which is where Nate got his surname. Eventually, Cable would travel back to the past to save the world from [[OmnicidalManiac Apocalypse]] -- in actuality his native era -- as a grizzled soldier, start up Six Pack, mentor the ComicBook/NewMutants, reform them into X-Force and butt heads with and later join the X-Men -- also reconciling with his parents along the way.

The son of [[ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} Scott Summers]] and [[Characters/MarvelComicsMadelynePryor Madelyne Pryor]] (ComicBook/JeanGrey's clone), Nathan Summers was sent to the future as a child to save him from a techno-organic virus he'd been afflicted with, with the understanding that his parents would never see him again. In actuality, Scott and Jean soon followed him thanks to the machinations of Sister Askani, and raised him under the guises of Slym and Redd Dayspring, which is where Nate got his surname. Eventually, Cable would travel back to the past to save the world from [[OmnicidalManiac Apocalypse]] -- in actuality his native era -- as a grizzled soldier, start up Six Pack, mentor the ComicBook/NewMutants, reform them into X-Force and butt heads with and later join the X-Men -- also reconciling with his parents along the way.

** Apocalypse in particular treats him with barely veiled contempt; adult Cable, and his half-brother/counterpart Characters/MarvelComicsXMan (the latter of whom Kid Cable bore an uncanny resemblance to), he considered to be {{Worthy Opponent}}s - one his most implacable enemy, the latter, "a ruler worthy of the counsel of Apocalypse". Kid Cable? Not so much.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[{{Tagline}} The man called Cable!]]]]

The son of [[ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} Scott Summers]] and Madelyne Pryor (ComicBook/JeanGrey's clone), Nathan Summers was sent to the future as a child to save him from a techno-organic virus he'd been afflicted with, with the understanding that his parents would never see him again. In actuality, Scott and Jean soon followed him thanks to the machinations of Sister Askani, and raised him under the guises of Slym and Redd Dayspring, which is where Nate got his surname. Eventually, Cable would travel back to the past to save the world from [[OmnicidalManiac Apocalypse]] -- in actuality his native era -- as a grizzled soldier, start up Six Pack, mentor the ComicBook/NewMutants, reform them into X-Force and butt heads with and later join the X-Men -- also reconciling with his parents along the way.

* IHaveManyNames: [[UpToEleven And how]]. He even lampshades it to Moira [=MacTaggert=] the first time he returned to the present from the future and got to know her.

-->'''Cable:''' "Oh, I have many, Mrs [=MacTaggert=]... I have many."

* BigBrotherInstinct: Has a degree of this towards Nate, who... well, he doesn't like Cable very much, but in a very little brotherly 'get out of my life and leave me alone' sort of way, and he does eventually warm up to Cable. Even before that, they are more than willing to work together when required. Inverted with Rachel, who is his older sister (well, the "older" itself is squiffy with all the time travel and deaging), but they still are very protective of one another.

* ItRunsInTheFamily: Let's just say sometimes it's easy to see how much he's got from Scott. Like him, Nathan is an expert at fighting and leading, mainly because of the same reason that it's pretty much been his ''life'', but his interpersonal skills are often terrible. Very, ''very'' terrible.

* ShootTheShaggyDog: On the receiving end of this from an alternate version of himself, when he is murdered for doing what was right. Also posthumously by his own family and the X-Men, who go on to forget his murder and replace him with his murderer. All of his sacrifices for them rendered moot.

* TangledFamilyTree: Cable is a member of the Summers/Grey family, and contributes a lot to the complexity of said family tree. His biological parents are Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor (a perfect clone of Jean Grey who contained part of the Phoenix Force), he grew up in the future, was raised by Scott and Jean [[MentalTimeTravel inhabiting the bodies]] of people from that period as arranged by his sister from a different future timeline, returned to the present before he was born (or [[TimeTravelTenseTrouble maybe slightly after]], and [[CasualTimeTravel then went back even further]]), and acted as adoptive parent to Hope, who was at the very least the Phoenix's ReplacementGoldfish of Jean Grey (in ''another'' future timeline). Then there's his clone, Stryfe, his son/nephew Tyler (whose parentage is ambiguous), and his half-brother/alternate counterpart [[ComicBook/XMan Nate Grey.]] In short, Cable's not [[MyOwnGrandpa his Own Grandfather]], but he might as well be.

* UncannyFamilyResemblance: one alternate reality comic set in the future shows that [[ComicBook/XMan Nate Grey]] will grow up to look exactly like Cable, to the point where an elderly Sunfire mistakes the two. Conversely, a de-aged Cable in ''ComicBook/CableAndDeadpool'' looks ''exactly'' like ComicBook/XMan, skunk stripe and all.

* AlternateSelf: Initially appears to be this. He makes a trip to the past at a much younger age than the adult Cable did, and Cable himself has no memory of doing so, but his solo series hinges on his connection to the adult Cable.

* UncannyFamilyResemblance: Strongly resembles ComicBook/XMan in his early days, albeit with short cropped hair and the techno-organic arm.

* DoubleStandardRapeSciFi: Cable was the victim of rape by deception, courtesy of Copycat disguising herself as Domino early on and helping Cable train and lead the New Mutants/X-Force. Over the course of the sexual relationship between them, [[BecomingTheMask Copycat]] fell in [[LoveRedeems love]] with Nathan and her new place among X-Force, preferring it to her other employment, being torn between the two. When she is eventually revealed to be a spy working for [[BigBad Tolliver]], Nathan is depicted as shocked and disturbed by the revelation, but it is quickly dropped and glossed over for the most part and forgotten about. Copycat recieving no real comeuppance for what she did, or ever called out for it. Though a story written much later further shows his thoughts on the matter in the aftermath, how disturbed it left Nathan.

* DoubleStandardRapeSciFi: Played with. Cable was the victim of rape by deception, courtesy of Copycat disguising herself as Domino early on and helping Cable train and lead the New Mutants/X-Force. Over the course of the sexual relationship between them, [[BecomingTheMask Copycat]] fell in [[LoveRedeems love]] with Nathan and her new place among X-Force, preferring it to her other employment, being torn between the two. When she is eventually revealed to be a spy working for [[BigBad Tolliver]], Nathan is depicted as shocked and disturbed by the revelation, but it is quickly dropped and glossed over for the most part and forgotten about. Though a story written much later further shows his thoughts on the matter in the aftermath, how disturbed it left Nathan.

* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: Played with. Cable was the victim of rape by deception, courtesy of Copycat disguising herself as Domino early on and helping Cable train and lead the New Mutants/X-Force. Over the course of the sexual relationship between them, [[BecomingTheMask Copycat]] fell in [[LoveRedeems love]] with Nathan and her new place among X-Force, preferring it to her other employment, being torn between the two. When she is eventually revealed to be a spy working for [[BigBad Tolliver]], Nathan is depicted as shocked and disturbed by the revelation, but it is quickly dropped and glossed over for the most part and forgotten about. Though a story written much later further shows his thoughts on the matter in the aftermath, how disturbed it left Nathan.

** Later mostly subverted; while Kid Cable was apparently welcomed with open arms, [[spoiler: he was also watched very closely in case he turned out to be Stryfe, at which point he would have been nuked without hesitation]] - also, absolutely ''no one'' respects Kid Cable, with Apocalypse in particular dismissing him as a pale shadow of his nemeses Old Cable and Nate Grey, and Abigail Brand only giving him a job as SWORD's head of security because it gives her influence on the Grey-Summers clan and thereby the Quiet Council. Likewise, Krakoa is shown to be much more dysfunctional than Providence was, and Xavier demonstrably lacks the approval rating Cable had. As for Sinister, it's later revealed that a large part of why he's kept around is because they want him where they can see him.

* DudeWheresMyRespect: The man simply gets no respect, no matter what he does for the X-Men, mutants and the world. Not long after Nathan helps talk [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk Professor X]] down from committing suicide on the astral plane to be reunited with the dying Moira, [[UngratefulBastard X]] immediately believes that Nathan is a murderer in an obvious frame up from the Dark Sisterhood. [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished Writing Nathan off as being nothing more than a violent man]]. Also later on, despite everything Cable did and sacrificed for them over the years, the X-Men and most of his own family effectively replace him with his own murderer, an alternate universe version of himself. With [[UngratefulBastard Scott]] even telling Kid Cable [[KickTheDog he doesn't want the 'old man' back, won't let him be resurrected]] when Kid Cable decides he wants to resurrect him, saying that 'his day is done' and the future belongs to Kid Cable. [[EasilyForgiven And allowed his life long nemesis and tormentor]] who infected him with the [[BodyHorror techno organic virus]] and murdered billions [[OmnicidalManiac Apocalypse]] to join ComicBook/{{Excalibur|2019}}. Also the X-Men, especially Xavier stealing his idea of founding an island country and being a messiah figure, after he came up with pretty much the same idea first with the island of Providence. The X-Men thought he was insane at the time and tried to stop him back in the day. With Xavier himself trying to correct Nathan and discourage him from what he was doing. Rubbing more salt into the wounds, [[Characters/XMenMarauders Mister Sinister]], the MadScientist supervillain responsible for his very existence and a great deal of his suffering and angst, is allowed on the Krakoa Council. Later subverted; while Kid Cable was apparently welcomed with open arms, [[spoiler: he was also watched very closely in case he turned out to be Stryfe, at which point he would have been nuked without hesitation]] - also, absolutely ''no one'' respects Kid Cable, with Apocalypse in particular dismissing him as a pale shadow of his nemeses Old Cable and Nate Grey, and Abigail Brand only giving him a job as SWORD's head of security because it gives her influence on the Grey-Summers clan and thereby the Quiet Council. Likewise, Krakoa is shown to be much more dysfunctional than Providence was, and Xavier demonstrably lacks the approval rating Cable had. As for Sinister, it's later revealed that a large part of why he's kept around is because they want him where they can see him.

* ReallyGetsAround: Has had a number of love interests over the years to varying degrees. Including his first wife Aliya Dayspring, Domino (A disguised Copycat as well as the real Domino later on), Lee Forrester, [[Characters/MarvelComicsStorm Storm]], Stacey Kramer, Irene Merryweather, his second wife Hope Summers Sr, ComicBook/{{Psylocke}} and Esme Cuckoo.

* DudeWheresMyRespect: The man simply gets no respect, no matter what he does for the X-Men, mutants and the world. Not long after Nathan helps talk [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk Professor X]] down from committing suicide on the astral plane to be reunited with the dying Moira, [[UngratefulBastard X]] immediately believes that Nathan is a murderer in an obvious frame up from the Dark Sisterhood. [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished Writing Nathan off as being nothing more than a violent man]]. Also later on, despite everything Cable did and sacrificed for them over the years, the X-Men and most of his own family effectively replace him with his own murderer, an alternate universe version of himself. With [[UngratefulBastard Scott]] even telling Kid Cable [[KickTheDog he doesn't want the 'old man' back, won't let him be resurrected]] when Kid Cable decides he wants to resurrect him, saying that 'his day is done' and the future belongs to Kid Cable. [[EasilyForgiven And allowed his life long nemesis and tormentor]] who infected him with the [[BodyHorror techno organic virus]] and murdered billions [[OmnicidalManiac Apocalypse]] to join ComicBook/{{Excalibur|2019}}. Also the X-Men, especially Xavier stealing his idea of founding an island country and being a messiah figure, after he came up with pretty much the same idea first with the island of Providence. The X-Men thought he was insane at the time and tried to stop him back in the day. With Xavier himself trying to correct Nathan and discourage him from what he was doing. Rubbing more salt into the wounds, [[Characters/XMenMarauders Mister Sinister]], the MadScientist supervillain responsible for his very existence and a great deal of his suffering and angst, is allowed on the Krakoa Council.
** Later subverted; while Kid Cable was apparently welcomed with open arms, [[spoiler: he was also watched very closely in case he turned out to be Stryfe, at which point he would have been nuked without hesitation]] - also, absolutely ''no one'' respects Kid Cable, with Apocalypse in particular dismissing him as a pale shadow of his nemeses Old Cable and Nate Grey, and Abigail Brand only giving him a job as SWORD's head of security because it gives her influence on the Grey-Summers clan and thereby the Quiet Council. Likewise, Krakoa is shown to be much more dysfunctional than Providence was, and Xavier demonstrably lacks the approval rating Cable had. As for Sinister, it's later revealed that a large part of why he's kept around is because they want him where they can see him.