The X-Men have one of the most eclectic mixes of superpowers in comic book history. Mutation gives some lucky participants godlike control over the elements while turning others into devil-like monsters. Creativity animates most of the cast, but there are a few old standbys that remain integral. Psychic mutants often maintain central roles in the franchise, with characters like Charles Xavier and Jean Grey holding immense control. Cable doesn't look like most X-Men psychics, but his mutant powers will seem familiar.

Most fans probably met Cable in the 90s cartoon that inspired X-Men '97 or in Deadpool 2. The earlier cartoon has abnormal inconsistencies in how they portray the character. His presence as a time traveler only emerged in the second season. Josh Brolin's take on Cable was accurate to his personality, but it changed or left out large aspects of his abilities to let him fit better into the action. Neither picture is 100% correct, but Cable is a complicated character.

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What is Cable capable of?

Nathan Summers is the son of Scott "Cyclops" Summers and Madelyne Pryor, the first clone of Jean Grey. Evil geneticist Mr. Sinister carefully engineered their romantic union to take advantage of the superior mutant that they would birth. Sinister cloned Jean, creating Madelyne Pryor without informing her of her origin story. This led to Nathan's birth, fulfilling the prophecy that Sinister imagined. Nathan Summers inherited his mother's powers, giving him access to Jean Grey's psychic gifts. He's a gifted telepath and one of the world's mightiest telekinetics. He develops his psychic powers shortly after his birth, forming psychic bonds long before he learns to walk or talk. Nathan could create a telekinetic bubble around himself in his infancy. He would grow into an astonishingly skilled psychic, possibly surpassing any other existing mutant.

Cable's powers appear radically different in various depictions. Characters routinely speak of him with soaring language. Rachel Summers, Cable's powerfully telepathic sister, considers him the most capable psychic who has ever lived. She seems to believe that he could extinguish a star with a thought and listen into internal monologues from across the globe. Cable can reach out to others across dimensional boundaries, create realistic illusions, control the minds of others, and traverse the astral plane at will. He's even more gifted at telekinesis. Cable can seemingly lift hundreds of tons with his mind. He can also accurately manipulate objects with surgical specificity. He can create impenetrable force fields and project concussive blasts. Cable can fly, alter his size, teleport, travel through time, alter matter, and disintegrate almost anything with his natural mutant superpowers. Cable would be one of the mightiest mutants who ever lived under normal circumstances. However, his powers are typically depleted by unusual circumstances.

Why doesn't Cable use his powers?

Shortly after his birth, Apocalypse infected Nathan Summers with his Techno-Organic Virus. This would have overwritten Nathan's personality and turned him into a ravenous cyborg monster. Scott and Nathan's stepmother, Jean Grey, had to send Nathan into the distant future where a time traveler promised them a cure. The virus manifested itself as cybernetic enhancements, taking over Nathan's left side. The Techno-Organic Virus keeps Nathan's powers at bay for the majority of his life. The liquid metal in his veins doesn't suppress his telekinetic powers. Instead, Nathan learned to use his psychic powers to keep the virus from fully consuming him. This occupies his mind, preventing him from using his mutant powers in most other situations. This arrangement has fallen in and out of favor in the comics. Other characters have cured his infection at times, letting him demonstrate his might as a psychic. Most of the time, however, Cable uses advanced technology to make up for his missing powers. He has devices that allow him to read minds, create force fields, and project concussive blasts. Over his many years at war, he also became a gifted soldier, tactician, and leader. Even without access to his powers, Cable is a force to be reckoned with.

Cable takes after his mother by inheriting her telepathic and telekinetic powers. While many fans rarely see him use those gifts explicitly, he's actually always engaging those gifts to ensure his continued survival. A lot of Marvel properties see Cable gain the full use of his powers, or split his abilities with technology, or lose his powers entirely to focus on physical combat skills. Cable's psychic powers could make him the strongest of his kind, but he needs that strength to keep him alive. Marvel didn't want another Charles Xavier, so they gave him a metal arm and let him focus on big guns.

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