When Scott Summers/Cyclops first welcomed his young son, Nathan Christopher Charles Summers, to the X-Men, he couldn't have imagined that he'd be forced to send his son to live an unknown fate in the far future away from his family. He also couldn't have imagined that his son would one day return as the militaristic mutant known as Cable.
The man who'd become Cable was raised 2,000 years in the future as Nathan Dayspring. He fought against Apocalypse and his followers as the prophecied Askani'Son, and after that, he dedicated the remainder of his life to safeguarding the timeline and preserving the future that he called home.
10 He Was Raised By A Time-Displaced Cyclops & Phoenix Known As Slym & Redd
Rachel Summers is Cable's sister from an alternate timeline. She found herself similarly displaced to the future, where she became the leader of a sect of religious freedom fighters known as Mother Askani. She was responsible for bringing Nathan Summers into the future. However, when she was injured and unable to care for the young mutant, she brought in some help.
Cyclops and Phoenix were on their honeymoon when their astral psyches were brought to the future and implanted in the cloned bodies of their descendants. They became known as Slym and Redd based on their school nicknames and helped raise young Nathan as the Daysprings for 12 years, training him to use his mutant abilities and survive before they returned to their own time.
9 His Clone Was Stolen As An Infant And Raised By Apocalypse To Become Stryfe
Apocalypse's fatal strike against young Nathan came in the form of a techno-organic virus, which threatened to consume and replace the organic material of his infant body. While his trip to the future came with the hope that he could be saved by advanced technology, it seemed like he was still going to perish after his trip forward through time.
The decision was made by Mother Askani to clone the young infant in the event that he did die, although Apocalypse raided their stronghold and captured the clone. Apocalypse raised him as the evil despot named Stryfe with the intention of using him for a host body. However, he abandoned his plan when he discovered that Stryfe was the clone and not the original.
8 Nathan Was Bonded To A Celestial Artificial Intelligence Named Professor
Cyclops, Jean Grey, and the rest of X-Factor lived aboard a Celestial starship known simply as "Ship," which they'd freed from Apocalypse's service. It's where young Nathan spent the earliest days of his life. In revenge for Ship's betrayal, Apocalypse also infected his former headquarters with the T/O virus, which allowed it to merge with the dying young Nathan.
Ship was able to use the last of its energy to help protect Nathan on the trip through time. However, it lost its memories and was dormant for years before it was eventually restored to take on the new identity of Professor. Professor was bonded with Cable and helped him for years until an encounter with the Phalanx in the present-day transformed it into a new being named Prosh.
7 He Was Trained In The Way Of The Askani Sisterhood As The Askani'Son
While Nathan was brought forward through time by Mother Askani and her followers, they were nearly eradicated in their ongoing battle with Apocalypse. Nathan didn't reconnect with the Clan Askani until after Slym and Redd were forced back to their own time by the death of Mother Askani and he was left on his own.
Factions of the Clan Askani had survived to become the Askani Sisterhood, which followed the beliefs of the X-Men. While Nathan Dayspring wasn't an immediate conscript to their way, he was eventually recruited and trained as the chosen "Askani'Son," who'd help protect the sacred timeline. His Askani teachings allowed him to further focus his psionic abilities as well.
6 His Mentor Was The Mysterious Blaquesmith Who Also Traveled Back In Time
The mysterious mutant known only as Blaquesmith was one of Rachel Summers/Mother Askani's first allies in the future. He helped establish some of the tenets of Clan Askani that he'd later pass along to young Nathan Dayspring.
Blaquesmith was a psionic who was able to reconnect Nathan with Professor, and he appeared to sacrifice himself for Cable more than once. Blaquesmith also traveled back in time so he could continue guiding Cable in his mission to protect the sacred timeline.
5 Nathan Met And Fell In Love With A Fellow Askani Warrior Named Aliya
When Nathan Dayspring first decided to learn from the Askani Sisterhood, he was paired with a warrior named Aliya who was tasked with teaching him the ways of the Askani. She was a follower of Mother Sanctity, who'd taken over the Askani after the death of Mother Askani.
Aliya initially instructed Nathan in the ways of the Askani, and they began to fight together on the battlefield against the followers of Apocalypse. They eventually fell in love and were married, and Aliya Dayspring took on the codename of Jenskot to honor the parents of her husband. She was tragically killed in one of Cable's final battles in the future that led him to travel back in time.
4 Cable Founded The Clan Chosen With Aliya And His Close Ally Tetherblood
The Askani found themselves constantly at war – first with Apocalypse and then his followers – after En Sabah Nur's death at the hands of Slym, Redd, and Nathan Dayspring in The Adventures of Cyclops And Phoenix. The remnants of the Askani Sisterhood were destroyed, leaving Nathan and his allies to form the next phase of the rebellion.
Nathan's long-time friend Tetherblood and his partner Aliya created the Clan Chosen, a well-trained group of freedom fighters who followed the tenets of the Askani while they fought against Stryfe and the other Scions of Apocalypse. The group grew in number under the command of Dayspring, who earned his role as a military leader and strategic asset in their ongoing battle.
3 He Fought A Lifetime War Against The New Canaanites And Neo-Canaanites
After the fall of Apocalypse, Stryfe and his generals became the leaders of a group known as the New Canaanites that took over En Sabah Nur's kingdom and continued the fight against the Clan Askani and later Clan Chosen. Dayspring and his allies spent years fighting against the New Canaanites, although a new group known as the Neo-Canaanites soon appeared.
They challenged Stryfe and the New Canaanites for control of Apocalypse's power base, bringing him into conflict with Dayspring and the Clan Chosen as well. Nathan was able to negotiate a peace treaty with the New Canaanites, but they ultimately lost the war with the Neo-Canaanites and suffered heavy losses that included the death of Aliya and other key members.
2 Cable Used Captain America's Shield During Battle To Inspire The Clan Chosen
During a period of time when Cable used his enhanced abilities to create the topic island of Providence, he came under the investigation of Captain America who went undercover as a new citizen. Hoping to convince Captain America that he could trust him, Cable revealed that when he was Steve Rogers' apparent age, he'd wielded Cap's iconic shield himself in the wartorn future.
Dayspring and Tetherblood undertook a mission to save the shield from the cybernetically-enhanced and mutated Neo-Canaanites. He wielded the shield for years to inspire his troops in battle and carry on the ideals of Captain America.
1 He Raised A Son Named Tyler Dayspring Who'd Later Be Warped By Stryfe
As Cable spent his entire life fighting against Apocalypse alongside the various clans of the future, he never had a chance of pursuing the typical family lifestyle. However, Aliya was kidnapped by Stryfe and held for months, returning pregnant with a child. Stryfe was presumed to be the father, although Cable raised the young boy as his own.
Tyler Dayspring fought alongside his family in Clan Chosen for years, although Stryfe was able to capture the young soldier and warp his mind to make him a loyal follower of Apocalypse. Tyler took on the new name of Genesis and traveled back in time to help bring about the ascension of Apocalypse until he was eventually killed by Wolverine.