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Nathan Summers
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Nathan Summers

709 appearances Β· Copper/Modern Age Β· 1989–2026 Β· 21 key issues
Who is Nathan Summers?

The infant son of Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor, Nathan Summers was infected with a lethal techno-organic virus and sent into the far future to survive. He grew up as a hardened soldier across war-torn timelines, returning to the present as the adult warrior Cable.

Few Marvel characters have carved out a legacy as sprawling and consequential as Nathan Summers, who burst onto the scene in The New Mutants #73 in 1989, courtesy of Louise Simonson and Bret Blevins. A titan of the Copper/Modern Age, he went on to headline his own long-running series and became a cornerstone of X-Force and the broader X-Men universe, sharing countless adventures alongside legends like Wolverine, Cyclops, and Ororo Munroe across 619 catalog appearances. With 21 recognized key issues to his name and a publishing history stretching from 1989 all the way to 2026, Nathan Summers is the rare character who defined an era and never stopped mattering β€” a must-know figure for any serious Marvel collector.

Identity

Real name. Nathan Christopher Charles Summers

Powers. Powerful telepathy and telekinesis; uses TK to hold back a techno-organic virus infection. Time travel. Skilled soldier, marksman, and tactician.

Teams & affiliations
X-MenX-ForceMutant Liberation Front
β˜… First appearance
The Uncanny X-Men #201
Jan 1986

Trivia

  • Cable's true identity as Nathan Summers stands as one of Marvel's most rewarding legacy mystery payoffs, with the thread weaving through The New Mutants and into later X-Men events rather than being handed to readers upfront.marvel.com
  • What quietly drives much of Cable's storytelling is a detail baked into Marvel's own continuity β€” a techno-organic virus he must constantly suppress using his telekinesis, a behind-the-scenes consequence that shaped countless stories built around him.marvel.com
  • Fabian Nicieza has written more of Nathan Summers's comics than any other writer in our catalog β€” 99 issues.

Top series

Covers through the years β€” 1989–2024

The New Mutants #73 β˜… 1989
The New Mutants #73
Marvel Age #116 1992
Marvel Age #116
The Uncanny X-Men #321 1995
The Uncanny X-Men #321
X-Men #-1 1997
X-Men #-1
X-51 #12 2000
X-51 #12
Soldier X #6 2003
Soldier X #6
X-Men Unlimited #11 2005
X-Men Unlimited #11
Cable #1 β˜… 2008
Cable #1
Avengers vs. X-Men: It's Coming #[nn] β˜… 2012
Avengers vs. X-Men: It's Coming #[nn]
Marvel Now! Omnibus #[nn] β˜… 2013
Marvel Now! Omnibus #[nn]
Uncanny Avengers #4 2016
Uncanny Avengers #4
Season's Beatings #1 2019
Season's Beatings #1
X-Men #24 β˜… 2023
X-Men #24
X-Men #34 2024
X-Men #34

Appearances (301–450 of 709, oldest first)

Weapon X (2002)
#6
Soldier X (2002)
Domino (2003)
#2
Cable Vol.1, No. 73 [Marvel Legends Reprint] (2004)
Arma X (2003)
#8
X-Force (2004)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: X-Men 2005 (2005)
X-Force: Shatterstar (2005)
#3
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Teams 2005 (2005)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005 (2005)
X-Men Unlimited (2004)
#11
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z (2006)
#3
Civil War (2006)
The Amazing Spider-Man (1999)
X-Factor Visionaries: Peter David (2005)
Essential X-Factor (2005)
#2
X-Men Annual (2007)
#1
Civil War: X-Men Universe (2007)
Ultimate X-Men (2001)
Civil War Chronicles (2007)
Secret Invasion: The Infiltration (2008)
Deadpool Classic (2008)
#1
Cable (2008)
X-Men: The Complete Onslaught Epic (2007)
X-Men: Divided We Stand (2008)
X-Men vs. Apocalypse (2008)
#2
King-Size Cable Spectacular (2008)
#1
Punisher (2009)
#1
X-Men / Spider-Man [X-Men and Spider-Man] (2009)
#4
X-Men: Manifest Destiny (2009)
X-Men: The Shattering (2009)
X-Men: Legacy (2008)
X-Force / Cable: Messiah War (2009)
Avengers / X-Men: Utopia (2009)
#1
Deadpool & Cable Ultimate Collection (2010)
X-Men Origins: Nightcrawler (2010)
#1
X-Men: Prelude to Onslaught (2010)
The Uncanny X-Men (1981)
X-Men Origins: Deadpool (2010)
#1
X-Men: Second Coming (2010)
X-Men: Phoenix Force Handbook (2010)
X-Men Forever 2 (2010)
#6
X-Men: Second Coming - Revelations (2010)
Origins of Marvel Comics: X-Men (2010)
#1
Amazing Spider-Man by JMS Ultimate Collection (2009)
#5
X-Force: Cable & the New Mutants (2010)
X-Men: X-Cutioner's Song (2011)
Captain America: Man and Wolf (2011)
Deadpool Max (2010)
X-Force: A Force to Be Reckoned With (2011)
Wolverine: Wolverine Goes to Hell (2011)
Onslaught Unleashed (2011)
#1
X-Force: Under the Gun (2011)
Cable & Deadpool MGC (2011)
#1
X-Men: X-Tinction Agenda (2011)
Deadpool: All in the Family (2011)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z (2011)
#2
X-Force: Assault on Graymalkin (2011)
Deadpool Max 2 (2011)
Legion of Monsters (2011)
#2
Marvel SΓ©rie II (2012)
#5
Thunderbolts (2006)
Deadpool Max X-Mas Special (2012)
#1
Avengers: X-Sanction (2012)
#2