What’s the deal with the X-Men‘s youngest mutant powerhouse, the teenage version of Cable? Marvel’s relaunch of the X-Men franchise has brought a lot of readers back to the X-books. Fortunately, writer Jonathan Hickman has generally taken a dismissive view of recent continuity in resetting the table, to the extent that there isn’t much new and returning readers need to be up-to-speed on in order to make sense of the story.

One important exception, however, is a younger version of Cable. He’s been featured in no less than three issues so far; Hickman’s X-Men has focused on his family dynamic with Cyclops and Rachel Grey, while Fallen Angels has made him part of a clandestine group of mutants who are secretly investigating the next evolution of humanity. Readers can be forgiven for being confused, given Cable is usually portrayed as a grizzled old war-horse. He was even played by Josh Brolin by Deadpool 2 – and suffice to say the teen version looks nothing like Brolin. So what’s going on?

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The precedent for kid Cable was set back in Cable #157, which revealed that the time traveler named Cable is essentially a complex time-space event in his own right. The timelines have changed around Cable on countless occasions, and as a result history is full of different versions of the Askani’son, all jumping around time and space with impunity. That became a major part of Marvel’s Extermination event, which introduced a younger version of Cable. His job was to correct the timeline by sending the All-New X-Men back to their own times, and the very first thing he did was kill their protector; the older Cable, who he believed should really have insisted on sending them back long ago.

This new, younger Cable has essentially replaced the old one – and he’s already become quite an important figure in X-Men lore. Not only is he responsible for returning the All-New X-Men to their own time, he’s also the one who used a portion of the Phoenix Force to resurrect Cyclops, who’d died of exposure to the Inhumans’ Terrigen Mists. Kid Cable resented the brewing conflict between the X-Men and the Inhumans, and despised Emma Frost for inciting this in Cyclops’ name. He felt his father deserved a better ending, and he was willing to go to any lengths to guarantee it.

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Kid Cable has been surprisingly prominent in the first wave of Jonathan Hickman X-Men books. At this stage, it’s unclear what scale his powers operate at; he isn’t listed as one of Krakoa’s Omega mutants, which means his telepathy and telekinesis probably act at a lower level than the older Cable’s. Unsurprisingly, he’s best known for carrying as many weapons as possible – but unfortunately his lack of experience seems to mean he frequently makes tactical errors.

Readers can get their latest dose of Young Cable with Fallen Angels #1, available in comic book shops now.

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Thomas Bacon
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Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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