Cable was first introduced in The New Mutants #87 as an enemy of Stryfe. He soon became the leader of the New Mutants and would go on to reform them into the team known as X-Force.

The first issue of X-Force went on to become the second best-selling single issue of a US comic book of all time. This gave Cable and his team a huge amount of exposure, to the point where he would guest star in the popular X-Men animated series.

The fans didn't know it at the time, but the ultra-popular Cable was actually introduced in Uncanny X-Men #201, as he was actually the son of Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor, who was named Nathan Summers.

Nathan Summers was infected with the techno-organic virus by Apocalypse. He would have perished, if not for the arrival of Sister Askani from the future. She took Nathan into the future to save his life, even though he may never return to the past.

This new aspect of Cable's background added whole new dimensions to his character, turning him into one of the most interesting members of the X-Men family. Cable went from being a gun-toting anti-hero to a soldier in a war that is taking place across time and place.

We are here today to learn the secrets of one of the most popular X-Men characters of all time - from the time he transformed into a giant head, to the time when DC viciously parodied him in one of the most famous Superman stories of all time.

Here are Twenty Weird Facts Only Super Fans Know About Cable’s Body!

20 Cable Once Turned Into A Giant Head

via.MarvelDatabase

Cable spent most of his life fighting against the influence of the techno-organic virus. The Askani clan were able to slow down the growth of the virus throughout most of Cable's early life, but there were limits to what they could accomplish.

In the Earth X reality, it's revealed that Cable eventually lost the battle against the techno-organic virus and had his entire body turned into metal. His body transformed into a gigantic metal face that was stored beneath the Savage Land.

This version of Cable lost control of his body, but still retained his mind and access to some of his powers.

19 Cable's Weapons Made Him A Top-Tier Fighting Game Character

via.FightersGeneration

One of the most important decisions that come up when creating a 2D fighting game is how to implement long-range moves. If the player can easily fire off lots of ranged moves, then they can beam spam their way to victory.

Cable might be the best example of a high-tier fighting game character who earned their spot through beam-spamming.

In Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, Cable is considered to be one of the four best characters in the game (along with Magneto, Storm, and the Sentinel) due to the fact that he can fill the screen with lazer fire with the press of a button.

18 Cable's Powers Were Always Restricted By The T-O Virus

via.Pinterest

Cable is the son of Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor, who is a clone of Jean Grey. This means that Cable has an incredible pedigree when it comes to mutant genetics, as Mister Sinister believes that the Summers family has the most potent DNA of all time.

Cable was never able to utilize the full strength of his powers throughout most of his life, as they were being used to hold the techno-organic virus at bay. This means that his telepathy and telekinesis could have been much stronger throughout his life if they weren't being restricted by the virus.

17 A Clone Of Cable Became One Of The Toughest Villains

via.TheUnspokenDecade

Askani promised Scott Summers that she could save the life of his child, but even the futuristic technology that was available to her almost failed.

The Askani clan cloned Nathan Summers so that they had a backup in case he lost the battle with the techno-organic virus. This clone was captured by the forces of Apocalypse and raised to act as his next host body.

When Apocalypse was defeated, the clone was left with no purpose in life. He became the villain known as Stryfe and traveled back in time to battle both Cable and the X-Men. Stryfe was responsible for releasing the Legacy Virus in the present day, which was responsible for claiming the lives of numerous mutants.

16 The T-O Virus Gave Cable Powers

via.ComicBook.com

Cable lost around a third of his body to the techno-organic virus, meaning that his left arm, left eye, and part of the left side of his abdomen were mechanical.

The techno-organic limbs may have been part of a detrimental condition, but they actually gave Cable some powers that he wouldn't have had access to otherwise.

Cable's techno-organic left arm possessed super strength, as his bones and muscles were made of metal, while his left eye could see in the infrared spectrum. These limbs were also incredibly durable and could take far more punishment than the other parts of his body.

15 The Artists Can't Keep Cable's Scars Straight

via: sciencefiction.com

When Cable was first introduced, he had a scar over his right eye, even though there seemed to be no damage to the eyeball. It's possible that Cable used the futuristic technology that he had access to to heal the damaged organ, or that the wound wasn't very deep.

Since Cable's debut, the artists at Marvel haven't been able to keep his scar straight. There are times when Cable's scar is over the wrong eye, while there are times when he has three different scars over his left eye.

14 Cable Was Created To Destroy Apocalypse

via.IGN

"The Dark Phoenix Saga" ended with the demise of Jean Grey. This was later retconned so that Jean Grey had never actually been the Phoenix and was actually placed in an underwater cocoon for years.

The absence of Jean Grey threw a wrench in Mister Sinister's plans, as he was expecting her to procreate with Scott Summers and create a powerful mutant child. It's for this reason that Sinister created a clone of Jean Grey to seduce Scott.

The reason why Mister Sinister was so determined to create a powerful mutant child was to ensure that there was someone around who could stop Apocalypse in the future. Mister Sinister had worked closely with Apocalypse in the past and came to the realization that Apocalypse's "Survival of the Fittest" plan would result in the destruction of most of the life on Earth.

13 Cable's Son Became The Heir Of Apocalypse

via.CBR

Mister Sinister's plan succeeded and Cable was able to slay Apocalypse, though this was something that was accomplished in the far future and was after the point when Apocalypse had devastated most of the planet.

Cable may have taken down Apocalypse in the future, but he also came close to creating a new one in the present.

Cable had a son in the future, named Tyler Dayspring, who was raised to be part of the resistance against Stryfe. He would eventually travel to the present day and become the evil being known as Genesis, who claimed to be the heir to the throne of Apocalypse.

12 Cable Can Transform Into A Giant

via: pinterest.com

Telekinesis is one of the most versatile superpowers of all time, as it can be used to emulate other abilities. A mutant with sufficiently powerful telekinesis can use it to fly, create force fields, or enhance their own strength.

One of the most peculiar uses of Cable's powers happened during the Soldier X series, where he was able to transform the molecules in his body so that he became giant-sized, which even included his techno-organic limb.

The ability to transform into a giant is a power that Cable seldom uses, which means that its canonical status is debatable.

11 Cable Once Broke The Silver Surfer's Surfboard

Via: herocollector.com

One of the metrics by which you can measure the strength of a superhero or villain is how they match up against one of the Heralds of Galactus.

When Galactus turns a mortal into one of his heralds, he gives them a fraction of the Power Cosmic so that they can perform their duties. This drop of the Power Cosmic is more than enough to turn a Herald of Galactus into one of the most powerful beings in the universe.

Cable is one of the few people to go head to head with a Herald of Galactus and gain the upper hand, as he destroyed the surfboard of the Silver Surfer.

10 Cable Prevented His Powers From Working By Hurting Himself

via: marvel.wikia

In the Cable and Deadpool miniseries, Cable's powers grew to a point that they had never reached before. There was a brief period of time when Cable became the most powerful mutant on Earth.

The problem with Cable's increasing powers is that they would eventually burn out. In order to prevent this from happening, Cable asked Deadpool to use a teleportation device to lobotomize the portion of Cable's brain that gave him access to his powers. Deadpool succeeded and Cable's telepathy and telekinesis faded away to almost nothing.

9 Cable Was Going To Be An Older Version Of Sam Guthrie

via.Pinterest

The idea that Cable was the future version of Nathan Summers who had returned to the past to battle Apocalypse was technically a retcon. The idea of linking Cable to Nathan Summers wasn't the plan when he was first introduced.

When Cable was first introduced, he had a strange fascination with Sam Guthrie, who was the mutant known as Cannonball. Cable became a mentor to Sam and the two remained friends and allies for years to come.

The original idea for Cable was that he was an amnesiac version of Sam Guthrie from the future, who traveled back in time in order to mentor himself. This idea was scrapped over time and replaced with the Nathan Summers origin story.

8 Cable Used His Gadgets To Fake Superpowers (After He Lost His)

via.MarvelWikia

When Cable lobotomized parts of his brain, he lost access to most of his powers. In order to replace the powers that he had lost, Cable used gadgets in order to emulate the effects of his telepathy and telekinesis.

Cable used a device called the Cone of Silence to act as a substitute for his telekinesis. This was a force-field generator that could be used to move objects and create barriers. Cable also used to use a weapon called the psimitar, which was an energy weapon that would amplify the psionic power of those who wielded it.

7 Cable's Glowing Eye Is A Reference To His Summers' DNA

via: cbr.com

The idea that Cable was actually the older version of Nathan Summers ended up answering one of lingering questions about the character.

When Cable entered battle and started to use his powers, one of his eyes would start to glow with a yellow light. This was retconned into being a result of his Summers DNA, as his father's powers came out through his eyes.

The idea of Cable being the son of Scott Summers (with his optic blasts) and a clone of Jean Grey (with her telepathy and telekinesis) meant that his psionic powers would manifest from his eye.

6 Cable Had To Use Implants When His Limbs Were Restored

via.ComicVine

Cable struggled with the techno-organic virus throughout most of his life and there was nothing anyone could do to help him. Cable had access to technology from every part of human history, as well as associations with some of the greatest healers that the timeline could offer, but no one could help him.

Cable was finally purged of the techno-organic virus by Hope Summers, but his left arm and right eye had atrophied from lack of use. This forced Cable to use a specially made eyepatch and bionic casing for his arm, so that he wouldn't be held back in battle.

5 Cable Had A Psychic Connection With X-Man

via: cbr.com

The version of Mister Sinister from the "Age of Apocalypse" reality was given full reign to create the perfect mutant, as he had access to both Scott Summers and Jean Grey. He saw the need for a mutant who could defeat Apocalypse sooner rather than later, as Apocalypse was threatening to destroy the world, so Sinister created a clone of Scott and Jean, who was the incredibly powerful mutant known as X-Man.

X-Man was one of the few charactrs from the "Age of Apocalypse" reality to escape into the main continuity. When he arrived, it was revealed that he had a strange psychic connection with Cable, which was never fully explained.

4 Cable Took Time Out Of His Career To Earn A Diploma Of Law

via.ComicBook.com

Cable is the child of one of the founding members of the X-Men. He was forced to travel into the far future, where he was responsible for slaying Apocalypse and forming a resistance against his own clone.

Cable has traveled throughout history and has acted as a leader to several prominent superhero teams. Cable has also acted as a villain and has fought some of the greatest heroes of all time.

Cable has had a very busy life, but he still found time to earn his diploma in law. It's unclear what university he attended and how many semesters he studied for, or why no one thought it was weird that a guy with a metal arm was taking classes.

3 The Ultimate Version Of Cable Was Wolverine

via.Pinterest

The Ultimate X-Men series was set in its own continuity that included elements from the popular X-Men movie franchise. This series was created in order to give new fans a fresh take on the X-Men without needing to be caught up on forty years of continuity.

In the Ultimate X-Men reality, Cable was not Nathan Summers but was actually a version of Wolverine from the future.

This version of Cable came from a timeline where Apocalypse defeated the X-Men. Wolverine survived the battle and would eventually go back in time to change history and save the team.

2 Cable Almost Defeated The Avengers On His Own

via.Pinterest

When Scarlet Witch wipes out the powers of most of the mutant population on Earth, it is believed that a girl named Hope Summers is the only one who can save mutantkind from extinction. Cable becomes the protector and mentor of Hope.

Cable learns that the Avengers will be responsible for the demise of Hope Summers. He decides to take on the whole team, as he only has twenty-four hours left to live.

Cable takes on and nearly defeats the Avengers in the Avengers X-Sanction storyline, which involves overcoming Cap, Iron Man, and the Red Hulk in battle.

1 DC Once Parodied Cable Because They Thought He Was The Worst Character Of All Time

via.WallpaperAbyss

Cable is seen by many as representing the dark age of comic books. He was introduced with huge guns blazing while sporting numerous pouches and packs, which became the aesthetic of the time.

Two of the people who hated the Cable look (that was created by Rob Liefeld) were Alex Ross and Mark Waid. They used their hatred of their design to create Magog, who was one of the main characters in the DC book called Kingdom Come.

In Kingdom Come, the Joker is responsible for the demise of everyone at the Daily Planet, which results in a new hero called Magog taking his life. Superman is so disgusted by the public's acceptance of Magog's actions that he goes into exile, which brings about the end of the age of superheroes.