The origin of Cable?

[phantom1592]

Here's something I was wondering for a while... Cable showed up as the leader of New Mutants/X-force.

Then there was a twist that Cyclops sent his kid to the future...

Later it was turned out to that Cable WAS the kid... Ok, that's the quickest and easiest explaination for that twisted origin.


What I'm wondering about, is some of the behind the scenes stuff. I never cared for Cable or X-force back in the day, were there any hints dropped? Was that always intended to be his origin?

I seem to remember somewhere that he lost his powers and it shutdown his cybernetic arm.... Only to find out a decade later that it was techno-organic and he used his powers to keep it in check... So that was one major retcon right there...

Anyone else have some good background on how he was created?

[Drakeon]

Cable was created cause editorial wanted a new leader for the New Mutants that was different from Xavier or Magneto. So Liefeld created a gruff bionic soldier. Louise Simonson suggested the name Commander X and Bob Harras suggested Quinn. Liefeld decided to name him Cable. His original origin wasnt really hammered out yet at that point. Liefeld had come up with an idea that he was a time traveler and suggested that Stryfe was a future evil version of Cannonball and then later a twisted evil future version of himself that had conflict with Kang the Conqerer.

Eventually Simonson left the book and Fabian Nicieza came onboard to help flesh out the character. After the story where Cyclios sent Nathan to the future it was decided to make Cable the baby. So early Xforce had him named Nathan and he began to show telekenisis. At that point his arm was still just parts. It wasnt until The Fathers and Sons arc (Cable #6-8) that the techbo organic virus retcon eas implemented. Explained away by Cable using his latent powers to make it look like just parts.

[phantom1592]

Cable was created cause editorial wanted a new leader for the New Mutants that was different from Xavier or Magneto. So Liefeld created a gruff bionic soldier. Louise Simonson suggested the name Commander X and Bob Harras suggested Quinn. Liefeld decided to name him Cable. His original origin wasnt really hammered out yet at that point. Liefeld had come up with an idea that he was a time traveler and suggested that Stryfe was a future evil version of Cannonball and then later a twisted evil future version of himself that had conflict with Kang the Conqerer.

Eventually Simonson left the book and Fabian Nicieza came onboard to help flesh out the character. After the story where Cyclios sent Nathan to the future it was decided to make Cable the baby. So early Xforce had him named Nathan and he began to show telekenisis. At that point his arm was still just parts. It wasnt until The Fathers and Sons arc (Cable #6-8) that the techbo organic virus retcon eas implemented. Explained away by Cable using his latent powers to make it look like just parts.

I'm always surprised when people start writing major characters without having a backstory mapped out yet. I can understand changing things... or getting taken off a book before it's revealed...

MAYBE if it's a bad guy and their just not worth a good backstory. But Cable? The new leader of the team?? That surprises me.

I remember when there was the huge debate over WHO was the clone, Cable or Stryfe... Sometimes too many mysteries up front can be detrimental.

[Jackraow21]

A great number of characters didn't really have their backstories nailed down when they debuted. Wolverine being one of them.

[phantom1592]

A great number of characters didn't really have their backstories nailed down when they debuted. Wolverine being one of them.

True... but I don't think they expected Wolverine to be so popular. He'd have started out like a one-off adversary for Hulk... Cable was new Leader and should be taking up a lot of spotlight.. I seem to recall Gambit, Rogue, Sinister, there were a bunch of them that were 'mysterious pasts' that ended up getting changed because the mystery lasted too long.