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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 (601–709 of 709, oldest first)

S.W.O.R.D. (2021)
A.X.E.: Judgment Day (2022)
X-Men Epic Collection (2014)
#20
Reign of X (2021)
Free Comic Book Day 2022: Avengers / X-Men (2022)
#1
Marvel (2022)
X-Men by Gerry Duggan (2021)
#2
Deadpool Epic Collection (2021)
Immortal X-Men (2022)
X-Men: Red by Al Ewing (2022)
#1
Trials of X (2022)
Immortal X-Men by Kieron Gillen (2022)
Deadpool: Bad Blood (2023)
Marauders (2022)
Dark Web: X-Men (2023)
#3
A.X.E.: Judgment Day Companion (2022)
X-Men No. 1 Facsimile Edition (2023)
Deadpool: Badder Blood (2023)
Marauders by Steve Orlando (2022)
#2
X-Force Epic Collection (2017)
Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe (2024)
Deadpool: Bad/Badder Blood (2024)
New Mutants 98 (2024)
X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse (2024)
Children of the Vault (2023)
Wolverine Epic Collection (2014)
#14
Deadpool: The Saga of Wade Wilson (2024)
Die furchtlosen X-Men (2022)
X-Men: Reign of X by Jonathan Hickman (2024)
#1
X-Men: Forever (2024)
#3
Rise of the Powers of X (2024)
#5
Deadpool: Noch mehr bΓΆses Blut (2024)
Deadpool & Cable Modern Era Epic Collection (2024)
#1
Cable: United We Fall (2024)
X-Men: X-Tinction Agenda Omnibus (2024)
Psylocke (2024)
Laura Kinney: Wolverine (2025)
Exceptional X-Men (2024)
Magik (2025)
#1
Uncanny X-Men by Gail Simone (2025)
#1
Weapon X-Men (2025)
#1
Deadpool Team-Up by Rob Liefeld: Blood of the Dragon (2025)
X-Force (2024)
Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider (2024)
X-Force by Geoffrey Thorne (2025)
#2
Phoenix (2024)
Cable: Love and Chome (2025)
Weapon X-Men: The Real Thing (2025)
Wolverine: Old Man Logan [Marvel Premier Collection] (2025)
Expatriate X-Men (2025)
#3
Deadpool by Cody Ziglar (2024)
#3
X-Men: Age of Revelation - World of Revelation (2026)
Laura Kinney: Sabretooth (2025)
#3
Amazing X-Men (2025)
#3
X-Men: Book of Revelation (2025)
#3
Unbreakable X-Men (2025)
#3
All-New Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider (2025)
Ultimate X-Men (2024)
#22
Sorcerer Supreme (2026)
Avengers (2023)