Fandom Spotlight: Cable & Deadpool
THIS POST IS CUT FOR EXREME IMAGE-HEAVINESS, RANDOM CODING, AND OTHER MADNESS. You have all been warned. Keep your trays in the upright position. Wait for the peanuts, plz.
The Basics, or 'Cable & Deadpool Is A Serious Comic Book.'
"You."
"Blow my mind! If it isn't Nathan Dayspring Askani'son Summers Cable Soldier X!"
"Cable is fine."
"So... is this gonna be a testosterone thing?"
"Yes... yes, it is..."
Now, don't get me wrong. C&DP is a very, very funny comic book. Especially the first twenty-nine issues or so have had me laughing, laughing, laughing with every turn of a page.
The strength of the book lies in the fact that it's not just a funnybook. If you take the time for multiple rereads, the layers start to become apparent: it's a buddy comedy, but it's also a (b)romance between two very messed up guys, a treatise on seemingly impossible friendships, a psychological exploration, a morality book that's all about grey areas (there is no recurring character in this comic which can be seen as either a good guy or a bad guy), a look at how to make the world better, the story of a dying dream, and a journey of redemption.
Have I mentioned it's also very, very funny?
The comic, written by Cable veteran and Deadpool creator Fabian Nicieza, ran for 50 issues, was oft-plagued by crappy editorial mandates in its last few issues to the point that one of its leads (Cable) was absent for twelve of those issues, and managed to gain a steady niche audience over its four year run. Many still mourn its loss (sob).
But let's rewind. On one side of our Odd Couple set-up, we have Deadpool, the crazy mercenary who's always looking for and failing at redemption, and on the other side we have Cable, the Messianic soldier from a future that went totally wrong who's looking to redeem the present.
Deadpool first appeared as a Cable villain in New Mutants. He went on to gain his own fanbase over the years, culminating in a 60-issue run of his own solo comic. Obviously, he and Cable have a History. It was in Deadpool issue #23 that they found a fragile ceasefire as both men grudgingly admitted some similarities between them; it was Cable & Deadpool that cemented a friendship. It's pointed out to us throughout the comic that both men grew up without (useful) parents in their teens, both made mistakes they'd rather not talk about, both are, essentially, killers in rehab with varying levels of success.
They're also both absolutely batshit crazy.
That Thar Plot!
The comic kicks off as Cable is slowly dying of his own powers, and suffering one final existential crisis about what exactly to do with himself before the curtain falls. Deadpool is being Deadpool, throwing himself at any job with self-loathing abandon. They meet somewhere in the middle, as Wade gets a job stealing something called the Facade Virus from a major drug company-- and Nate finds himself on the trail of said virus for his own, murky reasons.
To make a long story short, they play games of cat and mouse for a few issues until Deadpool manages to shoot Cable in the head (that would've been Deadpool-Cable headshot number one, for those playing at home), and takes the virus back to his employers: a church that intends to erase racism by turning everyone blue. Yep. Deadpool, with his healing factor, becomes their guinea pig. Meanwhile, Cable's back and stalking the place to find out exactly what they're up to.
In the end, Wade and Nate wind up doing what they've been wanting to for five issues: they beat the ever-living crap out of each other. Cable comes out on top, takes control of the Facade virus the moment the church decides to irradiate the world with it, turns everyone pink, and then makes himself look like the good guy by shutting the virus down. Somewhere in this mess, he also winds up swallowing Deadpool.
I'm not kidding. Seriously.
With his new status of resident world good guy, Cable takes the opportunity to fly around the world solving people's problems while he slowly assembles the remains of his old space station, Graymalkin. World governments, of course, aren't pleased, but Cable holds them in little regard as he deals with major world conflicts, world hunger, and other such fun issues. Meanwhile, Deadpool's sneaking around the States, figuring out a way to put a stop to Cable's plans if need be.
The only problem? Wade doesn't know if he actually wants to stop Nate.
Well, not the only problem, perhaps. As the boys find out, their little swallowage incident has linked them together on an intimate level-- not like that-- not that there's anything wrong with that-- and now whenever Cable activates his bodyslide technology to teleport somewhere, Deadpool comes along. This makes Deadpool an insanely attractive target for any government agencies that might want to take a shot at Cable, and our boy Wade finds himself working as part of the X-Men for the first time in his life.
Although let's not talk about the costume he wanted to wear...
The action hits 100% as Deadpool and the X-Men invade Cable's new base, the island Providence (assembled out of pieces of Graymalkin). Cable's powers have accelerated to their top performance, but the X-Men still seem to get a good lock on him. Pity Deadpool's finally made his decision and shoots them in the back before they can do anything about it.
Because Wade? Wade might've found 'a better offer'. Too bad Cable's kind of counting on having his ass taken out-- and the Silver Surfer arrives on the scene to oblige, warning the world of the kind of passion that Nate's displaying towards saving the world.
Apparently it destroys more than it saves. Prophetic, maybe.
Lying dying, with his powers going completely haywire, Cable turns out to have one more ace up his sleeve. Deadpool, who's been busy putting together a device that will remove the part of Cable's mind that deals with his powers (and giving The Cat ideas about him and Cable while he's at it).
Yep. Nate's super sekrit plan to save the world involves getting himself a lobotomy. In the biz, we like to call him a 'magical, magical man'. In his last moments, he pulls together all of his power to show the world what it's like to live in perfect harmony.
And then the brainbits go and he turns into a drooling houseplant. Anywhere else, that would be the end of it-- but for our boys, it's only the beginning... as Deadpool decides he'd much rather have Cable alive and devotes both his time and his life savings to the task of bringing him back.
Sufficient to say that two issues later, Cable's back alive and on Providence, making plans to change the world for the better... and then the story really takes off.
After all that, Deadpool and Cable are stuck to each other like glue. Frick and Frack. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Tom and Jerry!
...you get the point.
The government, of course, is less than pleased by all this still and start to plan a way to keep Cable on the island before he can pull another messiah move. Cable, being Cable, knows all about this and starts to work on a way to replace his now non-functioning telekinesis and telepathy with technologic replacements.
Deadpool
HI, GAREB!
Yes, with the gentleman you'll hear more about below. He also brainwashed Deadpool to kill Cable when he was a baby.
Deadpool
But, really now, I was just trying to avoid having to change all those diapers and teaching him how to walk and ride a bike and-- *chokes back a sniffle* He was my adorable lil' guy!
Cable
I'm still here, you realize.
Deadpool
...well I know that. And what are you doing here? This is MY recap page!
Cable
I heard about a disturbance around here. Also, I'd like to make an appearance myself, considering how you've been hogging our letter pages...
Deadpool
It's not my fault the fans think I'm more adorable than you. It's the mask. It adds mystery.
Cable
Don't mind him, folks, he's convinced it's 'dashing'...
Deadpool
Moving on! After all that, there was something brewing in the Marvel universe. Something... sinister in a way that didn't involve any pastey faced goth boys.
Cable
Thank you for clarifying.
Deadpool
I try to be as precise as I can. *clears throat* CIVIL WAR! Brother turned against brother, hero against hero, villain against--- hero. Anti-Hero shooting people because he could!
Cable
Which has never been particularly conducive to anything... While I wasn't really concerned with the immediate conflict, there were some long-term effects that worried me about the Civil War.
Deadpool
Yeah, yeah... Cable knows best. We get it. But that is where we had our divorce. He kept the island, the plucky reporter, the country in Eastern Europe, that one DVD of Top Gun that I got as a gift from Gareb...
Cable
Something of a comfort during the soul destroying-- well, let's not go into that.
Deadpool
Yeah.
Cable
*scrapes throat* Lethal Weapon on Wednesday...? I mean, moving on.
Deadpool
OH MY GOD, IT'S APOCALYPSE!
Cable
*slightly uncertain* Wade, by editorial mandate, you know that's not possible.
Deadpool
He's right over there! Monologuing about how this island will be easy to take over!
Cable
... *sigh* ... I'll be right back.
Deadpool
...that was way too easy. Anyway! That would be our series in a nutshell, folks. Even if we are... ignoring more recent things. But, c'mon! We did most of that here already!
And then there's the end.
Yep.
Cable, AKA Nathan Dayspring Askani'son, AKA Nathan Christopher Summers, AKA Soldier X, AKA That Magnificent Bastard
"Wilson-- Wait. You... you haven't left Nate yet... haven't turned on him. Do you really believe he can do this? I mean... it sounds so ridiculous... do you think he can really change the world?"
"No jokes, Domino? What I think don't much matter. Not for you, it shouldn't. Real question is... what do you think?"
"He's still Cable."
Or as his previous solo comic's backflap would have it, 'His name is Cable. He's a good guy. That's all you need to know.'
Cable's backstory is, to put it lightly, a little difficult to follow. In a nutshell, he's the son of Cyclops and a clone of Jean Grey, sent to the future by his dad to cure a horrible infection he did up which was slowly turning all of his systems into metal. In his post-apocalyptic future, he tried to lead his people, the Askani, to change the world. Instead, almost all of them died, including his wife, and he fled into the past in the hopes that if he killed the man responsible for the mess that was his future, everything would be better for all.
It didn't quite work out that way.
Fast-forward, and Cable & Deadpool finds Cable somewhat disenfranchised with his old, more violent tactics. His powers, previously kept in check by the virus that still lives in his system, have finally started to grow to their full potential. The only problem is that his body can't actually handle them. He doesn't have much longer to live. So he devises a great big stunt: he'll upset every world government enough that they'll try to take him down, build his own example of what paradise would be like, and, finally, lobotomize himself to show the world what they could be, if only they worked together.
But between the efforts of both Deadpool and his ex-girlfriend Domino, Cable's life is saved. That leaves him alive, with an island full of utopian thinkers to his name: and that's when he really gets to work, setting out to change the very principles on which the world operates based on his wild, yet coordinated, dream for the future.
Cable might be a soldier, but he's a dreamer at heart. His upbringing relied heavily on the principle of 'even one man can change everything', and from that, he takes both his proactive philosophies and his gigantic Messiah complex. The real kicker for Cable is that he's very good at what he does, but he always wants to do just a little bit more than any man could be capable of. Inevitably, like Providence, his dreams fall apart around him, and he's left to pick up the pieces and try again.
He's also pretty much a basketcase, although not nearly as obviously as Deadpool. In other words, he's that scary kind of lunatic: a rational one with rational-sounding arguments. His Messianic goals come before everything - and everyone - else, and he'll manipulate events, people, and objects to get his way. In the process, he's done up quite a list of people who hate and/or distrust him; he rarely ever lets anyone in on his secrets, and that's gotten people killed as well as paralyzed, dismembered, or otherwise... well, fucked over. During one notable storyline, he even brought his old enemy, the remorseless mass-murderer Apocalypse, back to life-- to give the mutant population an enemy to focus on while they were divided.
In other words, his goals are sound-- admirable, even. His methods are anything but. He remains a charismatic presence who always seems to be one step ahead.
On a personal level, despite his status as nominally one of the good guys, Cable seems to feel far more comfortable around the supervillains and mercenaries of this world. His Messianic status might be, to some extent, a boon to the world, but it's also a great wall between him and the people close to him. The world and its future are always going to be priority number one: in the process, his friends and family often wind up being played as pawns, and rarely find themselves with anything but the most cursory information about Cable's plans, history, or, heck, feelings.
Being Cable's friend is mostly a guessing game.
Finally, he's also a true master of the rationalization. Come hell or high water, nothing will sway his plans once he's set on them, be they changing the government of a country or supporting Deadpool through his attempts at redemption. It serves him well on Providence: until he comes to the realisation that the little voice of doubt he's been shutting out all this time, the voice that told him he'd never actually be able to do this-- is actually right, and he blows up Providence and himself to keep its technology from falling into the wrong hands-- and to make sure Domino, Irene and Deadpool get home safe.
Although Providence dies near the end of the series, not all of Cable's efforts have gone to waste. Through his three year attempt at being the Saviour of the known world, he managed to completely rebuild the fictional Eastern European nation of Rumekistan, serving them up with their first democratic elections in a long, long time, restoring water and power and everything else.
Like every other character in this comic, Cable is neither a bad guy nor a good guy-- he'd just like you to think he was the latter.
Cable's Supporting Cast
Irene Merryweather - Originally a journalist, she became Cable's chronicler after he saved her from the wreckage of her old newspaper in the wake of a grueling attack. Flash forward some ten headache-filled years, and Irene has taken on a position as Cable's Chief of Staff on Providence. Strong-willed, critical and capable, Irene's the one who keeps everything running, indulges most of Nate's socio-political whims, and asks the hard questions. Unfortunately for her, she has an unrequited crush on him-- which has never kept her from mocking the crap out of him whenever possible.
At the end of the series, she decides to support Cable's legacy by staying behind to help the Rumeki people.
Domino - Cable's on-again, off-again flame. She's a plucky, agile, smart-mouthed mutant (her mutant power is to influence probability in her favour-- ie, she is genetically lucky) mercenary, who worked at Cable's side for many, many years. Eventually, they gave up on their raging UST to pursue some 'feelings'. It ended pretty badly the first time. Although she professed to be out to take Cable down, her feelings towards the Providence project changed over the course of the series. By the end of it, she and Nate get back together and she takes a spot as advisor and general sidekick on Providence-- to both Irene and Deadpool's displeasure (really, the Domino-Deadpool catfights are something to watch for).
And then Nate blows himself up along with his island after telling her he wouldn't. Bad, bad break-up.
Gareb Bashur/Commcast/Black Box - He was once an enemy of Deadpool's, but later tracked the mercenary down to brainwash him for his own ends: namely, to kill Cable. But Cable fixed Deadpool's conditioning and tracked Bashur down... and offered him a deal. Gareb accepted, and became Cable's defacto head of intelligence on Providence. Gareb was gifted with the mutant ability of retrieving, interpreting and storing data from any electronic medium, and with the help of some stolen technology by Cable, he managed to figure out how to focus his ability, thus granting him the power to actively search out information from all electronic media everywhere. Needless to say, this was helpful to Cable's cause.
Gareb was horribly murdered by Sabertooth shortly before Providence kasploded. We miss him lots.
Prester John - A former time travelling supervillain from the past, Prester John serves as the head of Multi-Religious Studies on Providence. He's big, he's tall, he wears fancy armor and likes to brandish his Stellar Rod around, much to Deadpool's amusement.
Johann Kriek - Cable's Chief of Security, who was talked into coming to Providence by his wife. Finds himself more than just a little unnerved by the big mutant, and no one can really blame him.
The Six Pack - Formerly Cable's team of mercenaries, they're now mostly employed by SHIELD to keep an eye on him. Notable members of the Six Pack include Domino, Cable's sometime ally and sometime enemy G.W. Bridge, and Hammer, a man who has Cable to thank for his quadriplegia (and hence harbors something of a grudge. Who knew!). Other membership of the Six Pack tends to change, but these three are generally a part of it.
Cyclops - Cable's father, and you'd need an essay longer than your average novel to really fully describe him and their relationship. Sufficient to say that while Cable has buried any problems he might have with his father deep, the daddy issues are a big, big factor. Then again, that's kind of a given with the Summers family.
Deadpool, AKA the Mouthy Merc, AKA He Who Breaks The Fourth Wall One Brick At A Time, AKA the Clever Idiot.
"See, that's what I mean! What does being 'cured' really mean? He's still an insufferable idiot!"
"Yeah... he is... wonderful, isn't it?"
The Merc with the Mouth, which I swear isn't anywhere near as dirty as it sounds. Deadpool started out a small time villain from way back in the day in X-Force--One of Cable's many many teams. Since then he's grown into a character able to stand on his own in a series, saved the world, dealt with an identity crisis, thought he was part god, got killed and had to save his good name from some two-bit hack with yellow sunglasses pretending to be him.
It's all a long story.
In more recent events, he's teamed up with his former enemy in order to save the world!
Or something like that. He's mostly very suspicious of Cable's less than happy plans and frequent attempts at suicide. Oh, and the epic ghey love. A bromance, if you will.
But they don't talk about that.
Deadpool was once an ordinary soldier-- or, let's back up, an ordinary boy who lost his mother to cancer at a young age and was abused by his military father. After his father died, he took off on his own, heading out into the army.
And then he got cancer.
He decided to throw his luck up in the air and joined with a little program called Weapon X - of Wolverine fame - and had the honour of being granted a copy of Wolverine's healing factor. Unfortunately, it didn't work as planned, and so he was thrown into the program's 'trash bin', to be experimented on and then discarded.
He fell in love with the anthropomorphic representation of Death - don't ask - and nearly gave up right there. Unfortunately, that's when his pesky hero complex perked up for the first time, he caused an insurrection, and set the refuse of Weapon X free. He spent many years as a merc and played the cha-cha with the idea of possibly being a hero one day.
Also, his mind snapped like a brittle twig - and he began to see the Fourth Wall for what it really was. As such, a Legend was Born.
Deadpool's Supporting Cast
Jack 'Weasel' Hammer
Unlike a certain messiah figure, Deadpool's supporting cast doesn't pop up quite as much as Cable's. But the one that does show up for quite a bit, is one of the best.
Weasel has been Deadpool's weapons dealer, best friend, drinking partner, mildly frightened partner for years before he hooked up with Cable. He's there to help solve any plot holes that that pesky thing called technology causes. and to, quite frankly, be just awesome at dealing with Deadpool.
The Irene to Deadpool's Cable, if you will. Without the crush.
Bob, Agent of HYDRA
Isn't so much an old supporting cast member as someone who Deadpool kidnapped and kept around as a mascot. Because his cowardice is just so damn adorable. He was, as the name would imply, an agent of the sinister 'secret' organization called HYDRA. He was never really evil henchman material (in fact, he was a Househusband with a Demanding Wife and Equally Demanding Children) But, since HYDRA has such a great dental plan, he joined up. And the rest is history.
Of the kidnapping kind. Thanks, Wade.
The Cat
So, you know that one guy everyone thinks is just the coolest ever? That would be The Cat. Wolverine wants to fight him, Deadpool and Weasel get all fanboy-y over him and Cable... Well Cable is still Cable at him.
Where To Find It And Other Stuffs
All fifty issues of C&DP are neatly collected in a staggering eight trade paperbacks. Those would be the following and can be found at all yer local online and offline comic book stores...
If Looks Could Kill (#1-6)
The Burnt Offering (#7-12)
The Human Race (#13-18)
Bosom Buddies (#19-24) [ totally spring_lost's favorite ]
Living Legends (#25-29)
Paved With Good Intentions (#30-35)
Separation Anxiety (#36-42)
Deadpool vs. The Marvel Universe (#43-50)
Or, if all of that is too verbose and image-heavy for you... there's always The Vid. We're, like, media-versatile.
That will be all. Questions, comments and cake can be directed to mouthy_merc and yours truly, etcetera, ad infinitum.
The Basics, or 'Cable & Deadpool Is A Serious Comic Book.'
"You."
"Blow my mind! If it isn't Nathan Dayspring Askani'son Summers Cable Soldier X!"
"Cable is fine."
"So... is this gonna be a testosterone thing?"
"Yes... yes, it is..."
Now, don't get me wrong. C&DP is a very, very funny comic book. Especially the first twenty-nine issues or so have had me laughing, laughing, laughing with every turn of a page.
The strength of the book lies in the fact that it's not just a funnybook. If you take the time for multiple rereads, the layers start to become apparent: it's a buddy comedy, but it's also a (b)romance between two very messed up guys, a treatise on seemingly impossible friendships, a psychological exploration, a morality book that's all about grey areas (there is no recurring character in this comic which can be seen as either a good guy or a bad guy), a look at how to make the world better, the story of a dying dream, and a journey of redemption.
Have I mentioned it's also very, very funny?
The comic, written by Cable veteran and Deadpool creator Fabian Nicieza, ran for 50 issues, was oft-plagued by crappy editorial mandates in its last few issues to the point that one of its leads (Cable) was absent for twelve of those issues, and managed to gain a steady niche audience over its four year run. Many still mourn its loss (sob).
But let's rewind. On one side of our Odd Couple set-up, we have Deadpool, the crazy mercenary who's always looking for and failing at redemption, and on the other side we have Cable, the Messianic soldier from a future that went totally wrong who's looking to redeem the present.
Deadpool first appeared as a Cable villain in New Mutants. He went on to gain his own fanbase over the years, culminating in a 60-issue run of his own solo comic. Obviously, he and Cable have a History. It was in Deadpool issue #23 that they found a fragile ceasefire as both men grudgingly admitted some similarities between them; it was Cable & Deadpool that cemented a friendship. It's pointed out to us throughout the comic that both men grew up without (useful) parents in their teens, both made mistakes they'd rather not talk about, both are, essentially, killers in rehab with varying levels of success.
They're also both absolutely batshit crazy.
That Thar Plot!
The comic kicks off as Cable is slowly dying of his own powers, and suffering one final existential crisis about what exactly to do with himself before the curtain falls. Deadpool is being Deadpool, throwing himself at any job with self-loathing abandon. They meet somewhere in the middle, as Wade gets a job stealing something called the Facade Virus from a major drug company-- and Nate finds himself on the trail of said virus for his own, murky reasons.
To make a long story short, they play games of cat and mouse for a few issues until Deadpool manages to shoot Cable in the head (that would've been Deadpool-Cable headshot number one, for those playing at home), and takes the virus back to his employers: a church that intends to erase racism by turning everyone blue. Yep. Deadpool, with his healing factor, becomes their guinea pig. Meanwhile, Cable's back and stalking the place to find out exactly what they're up to.
In the end, Wade and Nate wind up doing what they've been wanting to for five issues: they beat the ever-living crap out of each other. Cable comes out on top, takes control of the Facade virus the moment the church decides to irradiate the world with it, turns everyone pink, and then makes himself look like the good guy by shutting the virus down. Somewhere in this mess, he also winds up swallowing Deadpool.
I'm not kidding. Seriously.
With his new status of resident world good guy, Cable takes the opportunity to fly around the world solving people's problems while he slowly assembles the remains of his old space station, Graymalkin. World governments, of course, aren't pleased, but Cable holds them in little regard as he deals with major world conflicts, world hunger, and other such fun issues. Meanwhile, Deadpool's sneaking around the States, figuring out a way to put a stop to Cable's plans if need be.
The only problem? Wade doesn't know if he actually wants to stop Nate.
Well, not the only problem, perhaps. As the boys find out, their little swallowage incident has linked them together on an intimate level-- not like that-- not that there's anything wrong with that-- and now whenever Cable activates his bodyslide technology to teleport somewhere, Deadpool comes along. This makes Deadpool an insanely attractive target for any government agencies that might want to take a shot at Cable, and our boy Wade finds himself working as part of the X-Men for the first time in his life.
Although let's not talk about the costume he wanted to wear...
The action hits 100% as Deadpool and the X-Men invade Cable's new base, the island Providence (assembled out of pieces of Graymalkin). Cable's powers have accelerated to their top performance, but the X-Men still seem to get a good lock on him. Pity Deadpool's finally made his decision and shoots them in the back before they can do anything about it.
Because Wade? Wade might've found 'a better offer'. Too bad Cable's kind of counting on having his ass taken out-- and the Silver Surfer arrives on the scene to oblige, warning the world of the kind of passion that Nate's displaying towards saving the world.
Apparently it destroys more than it saves. Prophetic, maybe.
Lying dying, with his powers going completely haywire, Cable turns out to have one more ace up his sleeve. Deadpool, who's been busy putting together a device that will remove the part of Cable's mind that deals with his powers (and giving The Cat ideas about him and Cable while he's at it).
Yep. Nate's super sekrit plan to save the world involves getting himself a lobotomy. In the biz, we like to call him a 'magical, magical man'. In his last moments, he pulls together all of his power to show the world what it's like to live in perfect harmony.
And then the brainbits go and he turns into a drooling houseplant. Anywhere else, that would be the end of it-- but for our boys, it's only the beginning... as Deadpool decides he'd much rather have Cable alive and devotes both his time and his life savings to the task of bringing him back.
Sufficient to say that two issues later, Cable's back alive and on Providence, making plans to change the world for the better... and then the story really takes off.
After all that, Deadpool and Cable are stuck to each other like glue. Frick and Frack. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Tom and Jerry!
...you get the point.
The government, of course, is less than pleased by all this still and start to plan a way to keep Cable on the island before he can pull another messiah move. Cable, being Cable, knows all about this and starts to work on a way to replace his now non-functioning telekinesis and telepathy with technologic replacements.
Deadpool
HI, GAREB!
Yes, with the gentleman you'll hear more about below. He also brainwashed Deadpool to kill Cable when he was a baby.
Deadpool
But, really now, I was just trying to avoid having to change all those diapers and teaching him how to walk and ride a bike and-- *chokes back a sniffle* He was my adorable lil' guy!
Cable
I'm still here, you realize.
Deadpool
...well I know that. And what are you doing here? This is MY recap page!
Cable
I heard about a disturbance around here. Also, I'd like to make an appearance myself, considering how you've been hogging our letter pages...
Deadpool
It's not my fault the fans think I'm more adorable than you. It's the mask. It adds mystery.
Cable
Don't mind him, folks, he's convinced it's 'dashing'...
Deadpool
Moving on! After all that, there was something brewing in the Marvel universe. Something... sinister in a way that didn't involve any pastey faced goth boys.
Cable
Thank you for clarifying.
Deadpool
I try to be as precise as I can. *clears throat* CIVIL WAR! Brother turned against brother, hero against hero, villain against--- hero. Anti-Hero shooting people because he could!
Cable
Which has never been particularly conducive to anything... While I wasn't really concerned with the immediate conflict, there were some long-term effects that worried me about the Civil War.
Deadpool
Yeah, yeah... Cable knows best. We get it. But that is where we had our divorce. He kept the island, the plucky reporter, the country in Eastern Europe, that one DVD of Top Gun that I got as a gift from Gareb...
Cable
Something of a comfort during the soul destroying-- well, let's not go into that.
Deadpool
Yeah.
Cable
*scrapes throat* Lethal Weapon on Wednesday...? I mean, moving on.
Deadpool
OH MY GOD, IT'S APOCALYPSE!
Cable
*slightly uncertain* Wade, by editorial mandate, you know that's not possible.
Deadpool
He's right over there! Monologuing about how this island will be easy to take over!
Cable
... *sigh* ... I'll be right back.
Deadpool
...that was way too easy. Anyway! That would be our series in a nutshell, folks. Even if we are... ignoring more recent things. But, c'mon! We did most of that here already!
And then there's the end.
Yep.
Cable, AKA Nathan Dayspring Askani'son, AKA Nathan Christopher Summers, AKA Soldier X, AKA That Magnificent Bastard
"Wilson-- Wait. You... you haven't left Nate yet... haven't turned on him. Do you really believe he can do this? I mean... it sounds so ridiculous... do you think he can really change the world?"
"No jokes, Domino? What I think don't much matter. Not for you, it shouldn't. Real question is... what do you think?"
"He's still Cable."
Or as his previous solo comic's backflap would have it, 'His name is Cable. He's a good guy. That's all you need to know.'
Cable's backstory is, to put it lightly, a little difficult to follow. In a nutshell, he's the son of Cyclops and a clone of Jean Grey, sent to the future by his dad to cure a horrible infection he did up which was slowly turning all of his systems into metal. In his post-apocalyptic future, he tried to lead his people, the Askani, to change the world. Instead, almost all of them died, including his wife, and he fled into the past in the hopes that if he killed the man responsible for the mess that was his future, everything would be better for all.
It didn't quite work out that way.
Fast-forward, and Cable & Deadpool finds Cable somewhat disenfranchised with his old, more violent tactics. His powers, previously kept in check by the virus that still lives in his system, have finally started to grow to their full potential. The only problem is that his body can't actually handle them. He doesn't have much longer to live. So he devises a great big stunt: he'll upset every world government enough that they'll try to take him down, build his own example of what paradise would be like, and, finally, lobotomize himself to show the world what they could be, if only they worked together.
But between the efforts of both Deadpool and his ex-girlfriend Domino, Cable's life is saved. That leaves him alive, with an island full of utopian thinkers to his name: and that's when he really gets to work, setting out to change the very principles on which the world operates based on his wild, yet coordinated, dream for the future.
Cable might be a soldier, but he's a dreamer at heart. His upbringing relied heavily on the principle of 'even one man can change everything', and from that, he takes both his proactive philosophies and his gigantic Messiah complex. The real kicker for Cable is that he's very good at what he does, but he always wants to do just a little bit more than any man could be capable of. Inevitably, like Providence, his dreams fall apart around him, and he's left to pick up the pieces and try again.
He's also pretty much a basketcase, although not nearly as obviously as Deadpool. In other words, he's that scary kind of lunatic: a rational one with rational-sounding arguments. His Messianic goals come before everything - and everyone - else, and he'll manipulate events, people, and objects to get his way. In the process, he's done up quite a list of people who hate and/or distrust him; he rarely ever lets anyone in on his secrets, and that's gotten people killed as well as paralyzed, dismembered, or otherwise... well, fucked over. During one notable storyline, he even brought his old enemy, the remorseless mass-murderer Apocalypse, back to life-- to give the mutant population an enemy to focus on while they were divided.
In other words, his goals are sound-- admirable, even. His methods are anything but. He remains a charismatic presence who always seems to be one step ahead.
On a personal level, despite his status as nominally one of the good guys, Cable seems to feel far more comfortable around the supervillains and mercenaries of this world. His Messianic status might be, to some extent, a boon to the world, but it's also a great wall between him and the people close to him. The world and its future are always going to be priority number one: in the process, his friends and family often wind up being played as pawns, and rarely find themselves with anything but the most cursory information about Cable's plans, history, or, heck, feelings.
Being Cable's friend is mostly a guessing game.
Finally, he's also a true master of the rationalization. Come hell or high water, nothing will sway his plans once he's set on them, be they changing the government of a country or supporting Deadpool through his attempts at redemption. It serves him well on Providence: until he comes to the realisation that the little voice of doubt he's been shutting out all this time, the voice that told him he'd never actually be able to do this-- is actually right, and he blows up Providence and himself to keep its technology from falling into the wrong hands-- and to make sure Domino, Irene and Deadpool get home safe.
Although Providence dies near the end of the series, not all of Cable's efforts have gone to waste. Through his three year attempt at being the Saviour of the known world, he managed to completely rebuild the fictional Eastern European nation of Rumekistan, serving them up with their first democratic elections in a long, long time, restoring water and power and everything else.
Like every other character in this comic, Cable is neither a bad guy nor a good guy-- he'd just like you to think he was the latter.
Cable's Supporting Cast
Irene Merryweather - Originally a journalist, she became Cable's chronicler after he saved her from the wreckage of her old newspaper in the wake of a grueling attack. Flash forward some ten headache-filled years, and Irene has taken on a position as Cable's Chief of Staff on Providence. Strong-willed, critical and capable, Irene's the one who keeps everything running, indulges most of Nate's socio-political whims, and asks the hard questions. Unfortunately for her, she has an unrequited crush on him-- which has never kept her from mocking the crap out of him whenever possible.
At the end of the series, she decides to support Cable's legacy by staying behind to help the Rumeki people.
Domino - Cable's on-again, off-again flame. She's a plucky, agile, smart-mouthed mutant (her mutant power is to influence probability in her favour-- ie, she is genetically lucky) mercenary, who worked at Cable's side for many, many years. Eventually, they gave up on their raging UST to pursue some 'feelings'. It ended pretty badly the first time. Although she professed to be out to take Cable down, her feelings towards the Providence project changed over the course of the series. By the end of it, she and Nate get back together and she takes a spot as advisor and general sidekick on Providence-- to both Irene and Deadpool's displeasure (really, the Domino-Deadpool catfights are something to watch for).
And then Nate blows himself up along with his island after telling her he wouldn't. Bad, bad break-up.
Gareb Bashur/Commcast/Black Box - He was once an enemy of Deadpool's, but later tracked the mercenary down to brainwash him for his own ends: namely, to kill Cable. But Cable fixed Deadpool's conditioning and tracked Bashur down... and offered him a deal. Gareb accepted, and became Cable's defacto head of intelligence on Providence. Gareb was gifted with the mutant ability of retrieving, interpreting and storing data from any electronic medium, and with the help of some stolen technology by Cable, he managed to figure out how to focus his ability, thus granting him the power to actively search out information from all electronic media everywhere. Needless to say, this was helpful to Cable's cause.
Gareb was horribly murdered by Sabertooth shortly before Providence kasploded. We miss him lots.
Prester John - A former time travelling supervillain from the past, Prester John serves as the head of Multi-Religious Studies on Providence. He's big, he's tall, he wears fancy armor and likes to brandish his Stellar Rod around, much to Deadpool's amusement.
Johann Kriek - Cable's Chief of Security, who was talked into coming to Providence by his wife. Finds himself more than just a little unnerved by the big mutant, and no one can really blame him.
The Six Pack - Formerly Cable's team of mercenaries, they're now mostly employed by SHIELD to keep an eye on him. Notable members of the Six Pack include Domino, Cable's sometime ally and sometime enemy G.W. Bridge, and Hammer, a man who has Cable to thank for his quadriplegia (and hence harbors something of a grudge. Who knew!). Other membership of the Six Pack tends to change, but these three are generally a part of it.
Cyclops - Cable's father, and you'd need an essay longer than your average novel to really fully describe him and their relationship. Sufficient to say that while Cable has buried any problems he might have with his father deep, the daddy issues are a big, big factor. Then again, that's kind of a given with the Summers family.
Deadpool, AKA the Mouthy Merc, AKA He Who Breaks The Fourth Wall One Brick At A Time, AKA the Clever Idiot.
"See, that's what I mean! What does being 'cured' really mean? He's still an insufferable idiot!"
"Yeah... he is... wonderful, isn't it?"
The Merc with the Mouth, which I swear isn't anywhere near as dirty as it sounds. Deadpool started out a small time villain from way back in the day in X-Force--One of Cable's many many teams. Since then he's grown into a character able to stand on his own in a series, saved the world, dealt with an identity crisis, thought he was part god, got killed and had to save his good name from some two-bit hack with yellow sunglasses pretending to be him.
It's all a long story.
In more recent events, he's teamed up with his former enemy in order to save the world!
Or something like that. He's mostly very suspicious of Cable's less than happy plans and frequent attempts at suicide. Oh, and the epic ghey love. A bromance, if you will.
But they don't talk about that.
Deadpool was once an ordinary soldier-- or, let's back up, an ordinary boy who lost his mother to cancer at a young age and was abused by his military father. After his father died, he took off on his own, heading out into the army.
And then he got cancer.
He decided to throw his luck up in the air and joined with a little program called Weapon X - of Wolverine fame - and had the honour of being granted a copy of Wolverine's healing factor. Unfortunately, it didn't work as planned, and so he was thrown into the program's 'trash bin', to be experimented on and then discarded.
He fell in love with the anthropomorphic representation of Death - don't ask - and nearly gave up right there. Unfortunately, that's when his pesky hero complex perked up for the first time, he caused an insurrection, and set the refuse of Weapon X free. He spent many years as a merc and played the cha-cha with the idea of possibly being a hero one day.
Also, his mind snapped like a brittle twig - and he began to see the Fourth Wall for what it really was. As such, a Legend was Born.
Deadpool's Supporting Cast
Jack 'Weasel' Hammer
Unlike a certain messiah figure, Deadpool's supporting cast doesn't pop up quite as much as Cable's. But the one that does show up for quite a bit, is one of the best.
Weasel has been Deadpool's weapons dealer, best friend, drinking partner, mildly frightened partner for years before he hooked up with Cable. He's there to help solve any plot holes that that pesky thing called technology causes. and to, quite frankly, be just awesome at dealing with Deadpool.
The Irene to Deadpool's Cable, if you will. Without the crush.
Bob, Agent of HYDRA
Isn't so much an old supporting cast member as someone who Deadpool kidnapped and kept around as a mascot. Because his cowardice is just so damn adorable. He was, as the name would imply, an agent of the sinister 'secret' organization called HYDRA. He was never really evil henchman material (in fact, he was a Househusband with a Demanding Wife and Equally Demanding Children) But, since HYDRA has such a great dental plan, he joined up. And the rest is history.
Of the kidnapping kind. Thanks, Wade.
The Cat
So, you know that one guy everyone thinks is just the coolest ever? That would be The Cat. Wolverine wants to fight him, Deadpool and Weasel get all fanboy-y over him and Cable... Well Cable is still Cable at him.
Where To Find It And Other Stuffs
All fifty issues of C&DP are neatly collected in a staggering eight trade paperbacks. Those would be the following and can be found at all yer local online and offline comic book stores...
If Looks Could Kill (#1-6)
The Burnt Offering (#7-12)
The Human Race (#13-18)
Bosom Buddies (#19-24) [ totally spring_lost's favorite ]
Living Legends (#25-29)
Paved With Good Intentions (#30-35)
Separation Anxiety (#36-42)
Deadpool vs. The Marvel Universe (#43-50)
Or, if all of that is too verbose and image-heavy for you... there's always The Vid. We're, like, media-versatile.
That will be all. Questions, comments and cake can be directed to mouthy_merc and yours truly, etcetera, ad infinitum.