What If Cable Had Never Come Back To The Past?

[PhoenixBoyX]

Hey everyone!
I decided I wanted to help contribute to the boards. So I'm planning on doing a "What If..." topic every few days. I'm gonna try not to cover stuff already covered in the What If series, and I'm gonna try to keep them interesting and revelent to the current Marvel continuity. So, without further delay, here's the first one!

What if Cable had never come back to the past from the future world he was raised in, and simply aged there and died, leaving no one in the past with any knowledge of Scott's firstborn? Let's look at just SOME of Cable's impact (granted his lack of involvement in the first ordeal would likely cause the chain of events down the line to change):
Cable's character was the leader of The New Mutants during the X-Tinction Agenda
Cable created and led X-Force, the first really badass good guy mutant team.
Cable and his clone Stryfe we're the whole freakin' point of The X-Cutioner's Song, which released the Legacy Virus
Cable was used to allow the X-Men to travel back through time to chase Legion during Legion Quest, resulting in Age of Apocalypse
Cable kept a constant watch over Apocalypse and helped to keep that threat in check, not to mention the whole "Finally Killing Him" crap.
And hey...that whole Twelve debacle.

My take? Without Cable, The New Mutants would have wound back up at the X-Mansion, under the care of the Professor, and yes, it would take time to heal the wounds, but they would've been a single, strong, cohesive unit and able to take on the whole Genoshan troops crap that knocked 'em out. My guess is Styfe would have still come back, with or without Cable, as he did come back without him to begin with, but without Cable's constant interferance, Stryfe would have been much harder to beat. He'd've wound up in that Apocalypse/Magneto/"Oh God How Can We Win!?" bracket. But, as Stryfe seemed to release the Legacy Virus as a last resort, to garuntee the people of the world suffered JUST before he died, I'm gonna assume it never got released, or at least, not until much later, possibly allowing Illyana to live a few more years, developing her sorcery, and even being able to cure herself of that virus, like she did the techno organic virus she recieved from Warlock. Illyana's magickal prescence might have changed the flow and ebb of the Marvel Universe, if she'd became as powerful as she theoretically could've if it weren't for that whole can't control her power thing...

Now comes the fun part! Your response!
-Nick

[Bryan Rios]

We would not have a fabulous comic called Cable/Deadpool.

[mattbib]

New Mutants never would have ended. And dozens of other useless characters wouldn't have been created and added to the X-mythos and there wouldn't be so many X-titles. :)

[HellFrost]

New Mutants never would have ended. And dozens of other useless characters wouldn't have been created and added to the X-mythos and there wouldn't be so many X-titles. :)
True dat Bib!

Peace! :D

[PhoenixBoyX]

New Mutants never would have ended. And dozens of other useless characters wouldn't have been created and added to the X-mythos and there wouldn't be so many X-titles. :)
Like some of the AMAZINGLY DUMB MLF members or the forgettable SHIELD/XFORCE hybrid characters?
-Nick

[StarsAndGarters]

I wonder if we would have had the whole Big-Gun-Bad-Ass thing without Cable.

That's all I got really. I don't know much about him.

[Neolucifer]

We would not have a fabulous comic called Cable/Deadpool.

True , but we might have a different deadpool title , in solo , duo or a team (agency x :() .

[Jesse Newcomb]

Rob Liefeld wouldn't have a career.

[Ant-Man]

Rob Liefeld wouldn't have a career.

Liefeld has a career? since when :D .

[StarsAndGarters]

Liefeld has a career? since when :D .Of course!

When Bad-Ass just isn't Bad-Ass enough... there's ROB LIEFELD!

[Dizzy D]

New Mutants never would have ended. And dozens of other useless characters wouldn't have been created and added to the X-mythos and there wouldn't be so many X-titles. :)

I agree on the first, I disagree on the second: by the time of X-force, X-men, Uncanny X-men, Excalibur, X-factor, Wolverine and New Mutants were already around plus whatever limited Marvel could think off. The change from New Mutants to X-force didn't introduce a new title. So multiple spin-offs were already a Marvel-thing years before X-force.

[The Fury]

In comic Productions way, Yes New Mutants would have not been cancelled.


In the MU, The New Mutants would have stayed together, the characters would not have died (Illyana as the main one), and the orignal Hellions did not all die either.

[Dizzy D]

If Cable didn't come back to the past: storywise:

- New Mutants would probably still exist as a group, though there would have been changes in the line-up. (Dani, Illyana, Magma and Karma all had left before Cable appeared) Rusty and Skids probably would still be members of the New Mutants: the New Mutants would try more to save them once they were taken by the MLF.. *if* the MLF would take them at least (Without Cable Stryfe's methods would definitely change a lot)
Sunspot would leave when his father dies, but probably return sooner.
Rictor would stay with them, as would Wolfsbane.

- James Proudstar would leave the Hellions, but not join New Mutants/X-force
Whether his people would still be killed by Stryfe remains to be seen. (again Stryfe without Cable is rather unpredictable).

- Siryn never joins, she will probably go to X-factor after the Shadow King-incident, because of her ties with Jamie Madrox. This will have some small influence on the new X-factor's first mission (knowing Jamie, but in return Jamie not knowing her would make the Jamie vs. Dupe a bit different)

- The Hellions would still die though (Cable being in the 20th century or not, didn't seem to have any direct influence on Trevor Fitzroy attacking the Hellfire Club)

- Stryfe still travels to the 20th century: his reasons to do so had nothing to do with Cable.

Big changes:
- Apocalypse wouldn't have woken up or woken up much later when another supermutant appears (Phoenix, Franklin Richards, Nate Grey if he appears, Onslaught etc.)

- Xavier will lack some of the futuristic technology that Cable has given him, but is still a genius so he will make due. Probably contacts a Tony Stark or Reed Richards for help if necessary, forging stronger ties between the main heroes and the X-men.

- Sinister would probably still fall for Stryfe's trick (claiming that he was Nathan Summers). And I think Stryfe would still die in his attempts to get revenge on Cyclops and Jean. He's just way too self-destructive. After Stryfe's death, Sinister would try to manipulate Cyclops and Jean into having another baby, because he still needs a weapon against Cyclops. I'm afraid the Legacy Virus would still be released.

- Rachel never returns from the future without Cable to save her from Gaunt. (And she will go to the future: her exchange with Captain Britain again had nothing to do with Cable.)

- Nate Grey will probably still show up: Xavier will find somebody else to send back in time to warn the X-men to stop Legion (Cable's role in Legion's Quest) and things will pretty much go from there.

- Garrison Kane, Eugene Cantry aka Hammer, Domino, Grizzly and G.W. Bridge all have a much happier life.

- The Dark Sisterhood will keep their power, influencing politics from the shadows.

- The Undying will keep playing their games.

As for the rest, not too much will change I guess.

[fishtaco]

I cant imagine what would happen. There wouldnt be a Legacy Virus, though, because Stryfe wouldnt of came back. jeez, thats hard to imagine. Not quite sure I want to think about it either.

Why does Liefeld get the credit for creating Cable? cause he didnt. Chris Claremont created Nathan Summers (Uncanny X-men 201). Liefeld just turned him into a high profile character.

[Sheldon]

We would not have had the opportunity to see futuristic hairdryer guns.

[The Fury]

I cant imagine what would happen. There wouldnt be a Legacy Virus, though, because Stryfe wouldnt of came back. jeez, thats hard to imagine. Not quite sure I want to think about it either.

So because Cable never came back nore did Stryfe, so no Legacy Virus.

Which means:

Illyana is not dead. (Therefore Amanda never became Magik).
Pyro is not dead.
Revanche is not dead. (Confusing more stuff).
Mastermind is not dead.
Moira is not dead.
Colossus never died for the cure.
Mnay characters would not have uffered and nearly died.

And lots of things would change because of these changes.

[Christopher O]

Why does Liefeld get the credit for creating Cable? cause he didnt. Chris Claremont created Nathan Summers (Uncanny X-men 201). Liefeld just turned him into a high profile character.
Liefeld did create Cable--the look, the concept, the personality, the name. He also wasn't intended to be Nathan Summers. That was a later addition to the character.

[Dizzy D]

I cant imagine what would happen. There wouldnt be a Legacy Virus, though, because Stryfe wouldnt of came back. jeez, thats hard to imagine. Not quite sure I want to think about it either.

Why does Liefeld get the credit for creating Cable? cause he didnt. Chris Claremont created Nathan Summers (Uncanny X-men 201). Liefeld just turned him into a high profile character.

Stryfe would have come back, Cable and Stryfe didn't know that the other travelled back as well. In case of Stryfe it was to escape the Canaites in the Askani-future.

[StarsAndGarters]

Liefeld did create Cable--the look, the concept, the personality, the name. He also wasn't intended to be Nathan Summers. That was a later addition to the character.Yeah, I heard a rumor that he was originally supposed to be Cannonball from the future.

[Tobias March]

Stryfe would have come back, Cable and Stryfe didn't know that the other travelled back as well. In case of Stryfe it was to escape the Canaites in the Askani-future.

I'd take it back further....no Nathan Summers at all! Which means having to get rid of Sinister. No Sinister means no Madelyne Pryor, no baby Nathan, presumably no techno-organic virus, No Cable/Stryffe and as a result no Legacy virus.

Leading to....

X-Tinction Agenda pans out differently... Cyclops and Marvel Girl die (just to be on the safe side, don't want any 'possible future', Cables turning up). Teams reform:

Havok takes the leadership of X-Men, while plotting with Worthington to have X-Factor act as a front for the outlaw team and track down the New Mutants and re-establish Xavier's underground.

X-Factor - Archangel, Iceman, Beast, Polaris, Multiple Man.

X-Men - Havok, Wolverine, Psylocke, Storm, Rogue, Domino and Forge.

The New Mutants disappear and go on the run only to encounter Gambit, still reeling from the Mutant Massacre. He sees potential in building his own Thieves Guild of mutants (though Cannonball soon returns to the X-men) so:

Gambit, Boomer, Wolfsbane, Rictor, Danielle Moonstar, Leech :D .

[hbkabdul]

Rob Liefeld wouldn't have a career.

Took the words right outta my mouth.

[nubly]

Liefeld did create Cable--the look, the concept, the personality, the name. He also wasn't intended to be Nathan Summers. That was a later addition to the character.

i've always wondered how his characters would turn out had he stayed with marvel. he created some great characters that turned out dull:

cable, deadpool, shatterstar, feral, thornn, stryfe, the MLF, kane, gw bridge...the only ones that came out ok post-liefeld are deadpool and kane

[streator]

cable was supposed to be cannonball from a point in the future at one point, yes. he was also just supposed to be a human/cyborg with no telekinesis or any relation to the summers.
im glad he stuck around, for what its worth there have been stories involving cable that ive enjoyed.