Is Cable an actual soldier?

[Killerbee911]

Again this argument of semantics because the profession of being a soldier over time has become primarily attach to official governments BUT

-a soldier working in the private sector is called contractor, also this is past was called a mercenary

-a soldier fighting against oppressive regime with no set government is called a freedom fighter . This is some times also guerillas

-Modern Era a person working for official government armed force is called a soldier

Who a soldier is working for and how they are trained at times gets them different names but a catch all term is soldier for a style of fighter is called a soldier(we don't call them knights or warriors). If you ask a Marine if they are soldier they will look at you like you are crazy and you will NEVER get a Marine to say they are soldier. By the catch all definition a Marine is a soldier because Soldier is term for a person who fights in an "army". Why are some people so sure that solider is only a person who has been in government back armed force because in this modern era, most armies just is that and rarely you don't see private armies or professional soldiers who will work for any country with no government backing them. In the past armed forces weren't strictly a government backed, They were land owners and powerful people not part of country government with armies. What do you call a person who fights in organized trained group aka army they are called "a soldier". A soldier is multifaceted term that applies to different things not all Soldiers enlist government backed armed forced. I will end with this is an argument of semantics and if you want to be technical

Captain America is Soldier
John Stewart is a Marine

I say this with supreme confidence only our Army(and national guard) troops is refer to as Soldiers, Nobody in the Air Force, Navy or Marines refers to themselves as "Soldiers". The term "soldier" only applies to someone who is US Army, Army reserve or National Guard. So no Cable is not a "Soldier" if we are applying modern terminology but neither is John Stewart, James Rhodes, Carol Danvers but Thunderbolt Ross, Bucky Barnes,Nick Fury Sr and Jr and Steve Rogers are Soldiers.

[Charm]

Again this argument of semantics because the profession of being a soldier over time has become primarily attach to official governments BUT

-a soldier working in the private sector is called contractor, also this is past was called a mercenary

-a soldier fighting against oppressive regime with no set government is called a freedom fighter . This is some times also guerillas

-Modern Era a person working for official government armed force is called a soldier

Who a soldier is working for and how they are trained at times gets them different names but a catch all term is soldier for a style of fighter is called a soldier(we don't call them knights or warriors). If you ask a Marine if they are soldier they will look at you like you are crazy and you will NEVER get a Marine to say they are soldier. By the catch all definition a Marine is a soldier because Soldier is term for a person who fights in an "army". Why are some people so sure that solider is only a person who has been in government back armed force because in this modern era, most armies just is that and rarely you don't see private armies or professional soldiers who will work for any country with no government backing them. In the past armed forces weren't strictly a government backed, They were land owners and powerful people not part of country government with armies. What do you call a person who fights in organized trained group aka army they are called "a soldier". A soldier is multifaceted term that applies to different things not all Soldiers enlist government backed armed forced. I will end with this is an argument of semantics and if you want to be technical

Captain America is Soldier
John Stewart is a Marine

I say this with supreme confidence only our Army(and national guard) troops is refer to as Soldiers, Nobody in the Air Force, Navy or Marines refers to themselves as "Soldiers". The term "soldier" only applies to someone who is US Army, Army reserve or National Guard. So no Cable is not a "Soldier" if we are applying modern terminology but neither is John Stewart, James Rhodes, Carol Danvers but Thunderbolt Ross, Bucky Barnes,Nick Fury Sr and Jr and Steve Rogers are Soldiers.

But....to continue the semantics - think other government armed forces throughout the world would disagree with this narrow definition ;-) .

[Jackraow21]

I say we just call him (the OG version that is) a “bad MFer” in his bio/recap page and be done with this debate.

[Triniking1234]

Cable and his allies founded their own army to oppose Stryfe's Canaanites (did I get that right?) so he's still a soldier by in-world logic.

[Drexelhand]

Cable and his allies founded their own army to oppose Stryfe's Canaanites (did I get that right?) so he's still a soldier by in-world logic.

Close, Cable and his allies founded their own army to oppose Parraidan Haight's Canaanites while Stryfe launched terrorist attacks on both armies.

[Triniking1234]

Close, Cable and his allies founded their own army to oppose Parraidan Haight's Canaanites while Stryfe launched terrorist attacks on both armies.

So that's what happened. I remember Stryfe and his caretaker (Charmalegne?) were in charge during Askani'Son. That wasn't the case after the mini?

[Dcnewb]

Yes. I think it was in one of his early New Mutants or X-Force appearances that this was said by Cable himself. But I can’t fully recall.



We know from his earliest New Mutants appearances that he was considered a legend in military circles. Whether that’s from active service or just his mercenary work for the military/Dept of Defense is never clarified. But he’s a freedom fighter who fought for decades in a future war, and has been a “solider of fortune” (mercenary) for years in the modern era before hooking up with the New Mutants and the X-men. I’d say that qualifies as a soldier, but I suppose it depends on your definition. If you narrowly define it as having to be a member of a military unit in service of a legitimately recognized nation-state or something like that, then maybe he doesn’t meet that standard. But, as mentioned, he fought a prolonged war in the future against the New Canaanites as part of the Clan Chosen rebel army (or militia, whatever you want to call it). Plus his present day military activities. Whether that makes him a “soldier” in your mind or just a highly trained, highly experienced “warrior”; it really starts to feel like semantics. At least to me.

Can you please explain to me what you mean by “present day military activities”?

[Jackraow21]

Well, I mean “present era.” Not present day per se. Meaning after he first came back from the far future to this time period (in the latter part of the 20th Century due to Marvel’s sliding timescale), and after meeting Moira MacTaggert upon his arrival. He then did work for the U.S. Department of Defense and was referred to by some soldiers in his first appearance as a “legend” in military circles. Or something like that. Will have to go and look it up honestly. But I don’t think he was enlisted military rather he was a contractor/mercenary who did wetworks/black ops stuff in places like Afghanistan, Africa and Central America.

[Dcnewb]

Well, I mean “present era.” Not present day per se. Meaning after he first came back from the far future to this time period (in the latter part of the 20th Century due to Marvel’s sliding timescale), and after meeting Moira MacTaggert upon his arrival. He then did work for the U.S. Department of Defense and was referred to by some soldiers in his first appearance as a “legend” in military circles. Or something like that. Will have to go and look it up honestly. But I don’t think he was enlisted military rather he was a contractor/mercenary who did wetworks/black ops stuff in places like Afghanistan, Africa and Central America.

Are you referring to the New Warriors Annual 91 “Stint in North Africa” quote as discussed at the start of the thread? I don’t think that necessary meant he had anything to with the military as it was a vague quote.

But yeah, if not then let me know if you can find it as I’m keen to see if he was in such a thing.
I’d assume the USA military wouldn’t want to do any such work with him since he is a mutant but I may be wrong.

[Glio]

In the end for me the only distinction that I take into account is between soldier and warrior.

Warrior is someone like Apocalypse, Thor or Conan. Soldier is someone like Cable, Captain America or Punisher. It depends on the discipline.

[Jackraow21]

Are you referring to the New Warriors Annual 91 “Stint in North Africa” quote as discussed at the start of the thread? I don’t think that necessary meant he had anything to with the military as it was a vague quote.

But yeah, if not then let me know if you can find it as I’m keen to see if he was in such a thing.
I’d assume the USA military wouldn’t want to do any such work with him since he is a mutant but I may be wrong.

Okay, tracked it down...

In New Mutants #88 when Cable is talking to Pyro and Crimson Commando (who himself was a WWII vet) of Freedom Force, which you have to remember was an arm of the U.S. government at the time, Cable says to them, “You know what I stand for, Pyro. You know my record.”

To which, Crimson Commando replies, “Yes, which is mostly off the record, Cable. Top secret operations... before you went rogue. And you went rogue a long time ago.”

Cable replies, “I didn’t start the fight with... certain elements of our government.”

Later in the same issue, one of the soldiers guarding Cable’s cell calls him a “legend” as Nathan fakes sick, saying he must’ve been exposed to plague in Madripoor (it’s a trick and it works, allowing him to escape). Specifically the soldier says, to the other guard, “Man, Cable’s a legend. I never thought I’d have the honor of guarding him!”

So he definitely did work for the military at some point, either as a solider in their ranks or a contractor/mercenary.

There were other early references in subsequent X-Force issues (maybe the ones with Weapon P.R.I.M.E.?) and also the Cable: Blood & Metal 2-parter where he dropped lines about black ops work he’d done in places like Afghanistan and other parts of the world. I also remember a scene in the Cable & Deadpool series where there’s a flashback to a Six Pack mission in Afghanistan in the 80s, I believe, and he tells Domino that “this place is going to be trouble in the future” or something like that. Don’t have those issues in front of me, but that’s what I recall off the top of my head.

[Havok83]

Ends Thread

[Jackraow21]

That run, which sold terribly at the time largely due to the unorthodox artwork, is highly underrated. I bought the hardcover and it is some really great stuff.

Also, I would love to see more of Cable’s exploits in the 20th Century after he first came back here fleshed out. There’s gold in them hills, people! Stop focusing on future stuff and time-hopping and alternate futures and let’s flesh out his connections to the modern day Marvel U a bit more. Put a great creative team on his book and LFG!

[Havok83]

That run, which sold terribly at the time largely due to the unorthodox artwork, is highly underrated. I bought the hardcover and it is some really great stuff.

Also, I would love to see more of Cable’s exploits in the 20th Century after he first came back here fleshed out. There’s gold in them hills, people! Stop focusing on future stuff and time-hopping and alternate futures and let’s flesh out his connections to the modern day Marvel U a bit more. Put a great creative team on his book and LFG!

I never read it bc I hated Kordey's art

[Jackraow21]

It’s really good. And the art grows on you. It’s quite detailed. But definitely not mainstream or most folks’ cup of tea.