We Enter The Endgame Of Cable #10

Cable has a problem. He made a big fuss about making sure the timeline was safe and stable and then stuck around for far too long. Now he is in over his head and thinks there is only one way this ends. Gerry Duggan, Phil Noto and Joe Sabino deliver Cable #10.

Ian Gregory: We’re entering the last stretch of Duggan’s Cable and I think we’re starting to get our first glimpses of where this story is going to end up. This is an issue cram full of character moments as well as little details about life on Krakoa.

Ritesh Babu: The moment I went ‘Oh god’ was when I saw the chapter title, right after the recap. ‘Depression’. We’re really closing up shop here, and there’s a bunch of stuff in here, as Cable contemplates his future, or perhaps, futures, I should say, given he’s burdened with a choice now.

Clone Conspiracy

Emma and Cable discuss how to solve his problems.

IG: This issue opens with Cable about to knock out Xavier to steal Cerebro – all so he can bring himself back from the dead. I like that he’s discovered by Emma, as she’s a character who will not only understand why Cable wants to take such a drastic measure, but will help him find another solution without judging him. They’ve had a tricky relationship in this book, but I like that they get a moment to themselves for Emma to give advice (and chastise him for treating Esme poorly last issue).

RB: Cable being an impulsive teen, and thus almost immediately leaping to and resorting to this kind of exaggerated maneuver works nicely. He hasn’t really, fully, thought this through yet, and he’s relying on his training and instincts, which don’t always lead to him making the most considered calls. See: The Case Of Esme. He could’ve handled that better, but he didn’t. And Emma stepping in to be the one figure who he can openly speak to, who evaluates him without any contempt or judgement, that’s great, and useful. Kid Cable absolutely needs that, someone who isn’t either Scott or Jean and can be there for him like that.

IG: I like that every issue in the Krakoa era ends with a little blurb that says “Krakoa is for all mutants.” It’s a nice pat statement that works as a great stinger in issues that show the potential and wonder of Krakoa, and also in issues that show its hypocrisies. The continuing hullabaloo over whether to resurrect clones (here, and in Hellions) is a great story that continues to reveal how Krakoa, though wonderful for those on it, is built on false promises and arbitrary decisions. Last issue, we saw that it wasn’t just that we need Old Cable back to stop Stryfe, but that people want him back for who he was as a person. The Resurrection Protocols, despite their purported immortality, are actually endangering Krakoa with how inflexible they are regarding clones.

RB: I’m thinking of the recent Brave New World reboot for TV, which was all about a flawed attempt at utopia. The final episode was penned by Grant Morrison, and the conclusion it comes to is that stasis breeds problems. And ‘better’ isn’t static or cemented, but a path. To quote them directly, ‘Utopia is ever on the horizon’. That sums up my read and feeling on Krakoa quite well, I think. It’s better than what was previously. It’s got its own flaws and messes, which will have to be addressed and unpacked, and from them, there must be lessons learnt to build an even better vision of mutant society.

I’m curious to see how the protocols end up playing out, in the long run.

IG: I really like that Cable gets to talk to Emma about Apocalypse. He hasn’t been the main focus of Cable’s solo stuff for a few decades, but Apocalypse was essentially the center of Cable’s world in the 90s and early 2000s. Even though Kid Cable didn’t go through all the fights against Apocalypse that his counterpart did, I felt like interactions between the two were seriously underexplored (and now, Apocalypse is off with his wife). Casting Stryfe as a whetstone nicely recontextualizes Apocalypse’s actions in the future into this current status quo, and it also serves as Emma giving Cable a nice little pep talk. Cable’s self-confidence has been a center of his character in this book, and I like that Emma shows him a little empathy and gives him the push he finally needs to talk to his dad.

RB: That conversation about Apocalypse felt like a long due moment. Very much a ‘finally!’. And certainly, the contextualization that Emma provides Cable with in regards to Apocalypse’s actions is one I’d like to see dug into more. I do enjoy that we’re only getting this post-Apocalypse departure, because the ambiguity, the uncertainty, the theories, the wondering, it all makes things richer, than if he was actually there to provide all the answers.

An Arrakan Mutant in London

Cable and Cyclops have a hard discussion while fighting Arrakan mutants

IG: Between this and SWORD last week, we’re starting to see more Arrakan mutants as parts of the regular X-books. Castor and Pollux have little role here other than to get beat up for some father-son bonding time, but there are some interesting details here. I like seeing Arrakans enjoy the culture of a world that has developed without waging constant war against demons. I’m glad Arrakans aren’t just being thrown in as regular mutant characters, but are given special attention to distinguish them culturally.

RB: Duggan and Noto are clearly having a ton of fun here with these bits. Arrakans getting really drunk and into British culture makes for some good gags, but on the whole, I like the sort of casual normalcy here, of just, it’s just a dude and his dad going to a bar and getting into a bar fight, and they’re talking stuff through that. This is kind of their day-to-day. It’s a vibe that works for this book, even as Cable weighs grand, heavy choices that may define both his fate and the fate of the world itself. It’s a book about him having a chat with a maternal figure, and then him having a chat with his dad, just, y’know, they involve a potential assault on a base (House Of X) and a big international incident that is also a Bar Fight.

IG: This whole series, Cable has been incredibly reluctant to ask his parents for help. He’s had team-ups with the Cuckoos, with Domino, even with Deadpool, but he has time and again resisted opening up to Scott or Jean. It’s kind of heartbreaking that, when he finally reveals his concerns and how he thinks he should solve the Stryfe problem, Scott simply dismisses him out of hand. In Cable thus far, Duggan has mainly shown Scott as a competent, if slightly out of touch, father and captain. Here, though, Scott’s flaws (his rigidness, his commitment to doing things “his way”) finally show up to interfere with his relationship with Cable. Unlike Emma, who possesses a kind of moral flexibility, Scott can’t understand why Cable thinks he needs to go back to the future, or bring back Old Cable. Emma encourages Cable to defeat Stryfe to better himself and his family, and Scott tries something similar (“the future belongs to you”), but he lacks the necessary empathy to make it work.

RB: You can also see the unrelenting father in him. The man who just will not let go of his son. Not this time. Not again. Never again. He’s grit his teeth, and he will not let this moment, when he has it all together, when it’s all finally right, slip. He cannot let his world fall apart. He’s controlled in that sense, but it’s also clearly rooted in his own deep sense of loss and pain, from having to do all that he did, and thus his inability to let Cable go, or help him best deal with or assess his situation. He’ll die a dozen times over before he lets his son go.

Playing Possum

Old Man Cable reveals he still his the Light of Galador.

IG: Old Cable has been an infrequent presence in this book, but I’ve enjoyed his every appearance. However, his appearance here (equipped with the Sword of Galador) suggests that this Old Cable is actually our Cable grown up (which, I suppose, is how time works) and not the “old” Old Cable who was killed in Extermination. I’m suspecting that just about everything we’ve seen in this series so far is going to come back in the grand finale. We identified Cable as being in hell way back in the first issue, but after that visit to Limbo last week I’m wondering if there really isn’t any connection – maybe this is far in the future, after Nastirh’s punishment is complete.

RB: Yeah, that surprised me. Suddenly, that felt like it recontextualized stuff. Perhaps this isn’t just The Old Man from the broken world. Maybe it’s our Cable who got to grow up, live his life, be happy, and is now old and world weary and dealing with all of this stuff. But I suppose only time will tell and give us true clarity.

IG: “Preparedness” has always been one of Cable’s defining traits. We see that here not only with his trick with the Sword of Galador, but also in reference to his Casket Protocols. I kind of like that all of Old Cable’s resources are waiting out there for Young Cable to take, except that he’s too focused on being his own person to take the help where it’s available. I’m looking forward to more Old Cable action as a way of contrasting how the two approach their friends and family, and their differing approaches (Young Cable certainly takes a “it’ll work out” attitude). My only concern is that when these storylines converge, there won’t be enough time for real character work between the Cables and the Summers family, and we’ll get a nice resolution to the plot, but no real time to unpack their complex relationships.

RB: For sure. I remain curious as to how the wrap up will happen across these final issues. And in regards to Cable and his preparedness, he really is Scott’s son in that sense, eh? I’m thinking of that lovely Kieron Gillen line from Cyclops, which goes something like “No, not Plan B, Plan 2. Plan B implies we only have 26.” [Ed. note: It’s from the Fear Itself tie in issues and I don’t want to look up the numbers rn] Cable is certainly cut from that exact cloth, for better or worse.

IG: A bit like last issue, this week’s Cable feels like it’s still setting up for the endgame. With only two issues left, there’s a lot of ground to cover (physically, temporally, and emotionally). What I’m looking for as this series wraps up isn’t really the comedy or action, which Duggan has delivered on month after month, but impactful, lasting character development for Cable and his cohort.

RB: Yeah, the arc of Cable and those closest to him, from when this series began, to where it ends, that is absolutely the priority and key point of interest. We’ll see how things go, as the penultimate issue comes next, followed by the series finale.

X-Traneous Thoughts

Jumbo Carnation takes Cyclops' measurements for the Hellfire Gala.

Cable calling his dad “myopic” is both a nice bit of teenage petulancy and also completely accurate
Why are Castor and Pollux named after Earthling myths, not Arrakan mythology? Unless, of course, they are Castor and Pollux (in which case, surely the Greek versions of the characters have shown up alongside Hercules or something)
Fitting to see so much being pulled from Duggan’s Uncanny Avengers considering him and Pepe are about to run the X-Men
Ed. note: looks like a cameo in Incredible Hercules #118 but that’s it
Krakoan Reads: The Old Man