Ah. Yes. I’m looking at it now. The metal banding is his suit and it’s on both arms, but you’re right in that it does extend up his neck like it does on Cable. Never noticed that before, but I think it’s just an artistic mistake honestly. Stryfe’s virus was contained at a much earlier point, so while he does have it and it is also part of his DNA, he hasn’t had big portions of his anatomy (namely most of his left side) consumed by it like Cable has. It’s why he’s so much stronger. Because the virus is basically dormant in him. Not sure if it was Apocalypse who stopped it when he took him as an infant or what, but that seems logical since his plan was to eventually take the body as his next host body… until he realized it wasn’t the real Nathan, rather it was a clone, and he rejected it (see The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix for details on that chapter).
Honestly, as much of a Cable fan as I am I’ve never loved Stryfe. Always thought he was a goofy villain with mommy and daddy issues, and he just seemed too damn old for that IMO. I’ve really wanted to see Nathan’s rogues gallery beefed up over the years so they wouldn’t have to keep going back to the well on Stryfe as his one major arch nemesis. That’s why I’m kind of hoping there’s some big twist coming up in Cable #12 where it’s revealed that somewhere along the way the real Kid Cable already went back to the future, and the version we’re following is the Stryfe clone that Belle alluded to having been “inserted into mutant society.” So in the Summers War they kill the older Stryfe, and then we’re left with
both a younger version who has a second chance to grow up with his parents (thereby negating his mommy/daddy issues)
and the real deal OG Cable too. Win-win.