The end credits scene of Deadpool teased the popular comic book character Cable would appear in the sequel, and Deadpool 2 made good on that promise by casting Josh Brolin in the role. In a recent interview with Collider, Brolin confirmed that he’d signed up to play the character in not only Deadpool 2, but three additional films–but the question of where else the X-Men movie universe will take Brolin and Cable still stands. If Deadpool 2 and the recently confirmed X-Force movie will be the first two movies of Brolin’s four-picture contract, then what are the other two? We have a few ideas about where and when we could see Cable again.
The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix
It would be easy to fill Cable’s dance card with Deadpool 3 and X-Force 2, but it would be a mistake to introduce Cable and not let him interact with the X-Men. As comic book readers know, Cable is the son of Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor (a Jean Grey clone) who was sent into the future to be cured of his techno-organic virus. While it seems unlikely that the movies will introduce Madelyne Pryor, Cable’s connection to his parents demands to be explored. Within The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix miniseries, Scott Summers and Jean Grey were brought to the future in borrowed bodies to raise Cable from infancy and stand alongside him in his war against Apocalypse.
Granted, Brolin’s role would probably be limited in this adaptation, since Cable/Nathan would be a teenager for the majority of the story, but this would be an invaluable way to establish his bond to his parents.
X-Cutioner’s Song
What if Cable tried to assassinate Professor Xavier? That was the premise behind X-Cutioner’s Song, which could serve as the basis for a X-Men vs. X-Force movie. When someone who looked just like Cable (*cough* Stryfe *cough*) nearly murdered Xavier on live television, the X-Men went on the hunt for Cable and his team. This was also one of the key chapters in Cable’s history that firmly established his connection to Phoenix and Cyclops, while also exploring Cable’s link to his doppelganger, Stryfe. We’d go with this story just for the sheer amount of characters it manages to juggle. It could be the Infinity War of the X-Men movies, if the producers ever decide to mash all of the characters into a single story.
The New Mutants
Cable actually made his debut in The New Mutants comic book series, and he mentored the team during their transition towards becoming the paramilitary group known as X-Force. The only problem with recreating that dynamic on the big screen is that New Mutants is being pushed as a horror franchise within the X-Men movie-verse. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to bring Cable into their orbit.
Ideally, a movie with Cable and the New Mutants would adapt their first storyline together, which pit them against the Mutant Liberation Front (MLF). The MLF was essentially a group mutant terrorists who went further than the Brotherhood, which might be a timely theme. However, if the New Mutants absolutely have to stay within the realm of horror, then we suggest bringing Cable into the introduction of the alien Warlock and the subsequent sci-fi/horror tinged invasion of Magus (Warlock’s father). Cable’s partially cyborg body actually came from the techno-organic virus used by Warlock’s race. That might be too much to explore on the big screen, but it is a link that could work.
Messiah War
We suspect that Deadpool 2 may introduce Hope Summers, a.k.a. the mutant messiah whom Cable adopted and raised as his own daughter. During the Messiah War storyline, Cyclops sent his black ops X-Force team to the future to retrieve Hope, and it put them in conflict with both Cable and Apocalypse’s heir. There’s even room for Deadpool in this story, as his future self was even crazier than ever before.
One of the main reasons to pursue this adaptation is that the time travel angle might allow Dafne Keen’s Laura/X-23 from Logan to make her way into the main timeline of the films. This wouldn’t be the easiest adaptation, given the way X-Men: Apocalypse seemingly killed off its title villain, but it’s far from impossible.
Cable vs. Wolverine
Sooner or later, Fox is going cast someone new to fill the void left behind by Hugh Jackman‘s departure. However, it would probably be a good idea to introduce the new Wolverine in a film with a few veterans from the X-Men film franchise. New Mutants #93 was the first official, on the page meeting between Cable and Wolverine, and it was clear from the get-go that it wasn’t their first encounter and that they couldn’t stand each other. Their shared backstory wasn’t really explored in the comics and that leaves their animosity wide open for exploration within a potential film.
Cable: Blood and Metal
Having a star of Brolin’s caliber means that a Cable standalone film is definitely not out of the question. And what better place to start than Cable’s first ever solo story? In Blood and Metal, readers finally got the full scope of his history and his time travel adventures, as we witnessed his early days working alongside Domino as well as an extended trip to his home in the far future. This was one of the first times that Cable realized Stryfe was a near exact duplicate of him and far more powerful than he was. Translate that to film, and Brolin would have the chance to play both the hero and the villain of his own story.
Which X-Men movies should Brolin appear in as Cable? Let us know in the comment section below!
Images: 20th Century Fox/Marvel
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