X-Men ’97‘s Cable offered a perfect way for the MCU to somehow improve on Josh Brolin’s already fantastic depiction of the character. By the time of X-Men ’97 episode 10’s ending, Cable was established as one of the show’s primary characters. This came to the fore in X-Men ’97 episode 5, in which Cable solidified himself as an ally of the X-Men and an enemy of their threatening antagonist, Bastion. To make this even more exciting, the teases towards X-Men ’97 season 2’s story proved Cable will have a continued presence going forward.

When combining X-Men ’97 with the sole Marvel movie releasing in 2024, the year takes on a distinct mutant-centric twist for the MCU. This certainly makes sense, with Marvel Studios having slowly integrated several mutant characters into the MCU’s vast multiverse. With Deadpool & Wolverine‘s story, the first live-action solo film centered around X-Men characters will be released in the franchise. Through X-Men ’97, the perfect way to improve Josh Brolin’s Cable from Deadpool 2 has been revealed, which could potentially come to fruition in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Deadpool 2’s Best New Character Was Josh Brolin’s Cable. But He Wasn’t Comic Accurate

Deadpool 2’s Cable Had Some Missing Comic Elements, Though These Could Be Retconned

After the first Deadpool in 2016 became such a success, excitement for a sequel was naturally high. In 2018, Deadpool 2 was released and expanded upon the first film by introducing a handful of new mutants that took a central role in the film’s story. One such mutant was Zazie Beetz’s Domino, who was a great addition to the heroic side of the film by joining Deadpool’s fledgling X-Force team. However, Deadpool 2‘s antihero was arguably the standout new character, Josh Brolin’s Cable.

Brolin is naturally a fantastic actor, and he embodied the gruff, hardened style of Cable from the future perfectly. Similarly, he was written with a sympathetic backstory, with the script and Brolin’s performance making Cable’s motivations believable. While all of this – combined with Cable’s exciting action sequences – saw Cable become Deadpool 2‘s best new character, there were some notable differences from the Marvel Comics version of the character. For instance, Cable’s ties to mainline X-Men like Jean Grey and Scott Summers were not mentioned in Deadpool 2.

In the comics, and X-Men ’97, Cable is the child of Jean Grey and Cyclops who was taken to the future to be cured of a virus, kickstarting his journey to becoming the time-traveling Cable. Deadpool 2 did not mention these connections, though some elements of his character could be retconned. Cable’s primary motivation was killing a young mutant to avoid the death of his family in the future.

It could be retconned in the future that this is actually Hope Summers, Cable’s adopted daughter, giving both characters the connections to Scott Summers that were absent in Deadpool 2 .

In Deadpool 2, Cable mentions his daughter is called Hope, a reference to the Marvel Comics mutant Hope Summers, but she is credited as simply “Cable’s Daughter.” It could be retconned in the future that this is actually Hope Summers, Cable’s adopted daughter, giving both characters the connections to Scott Summers that were absent in Deadpool 2. Regardless of the admittedly blurry comic book accuracy, Deadpool 2‘s Cable was one of the best new additions to the franchise.

X-Men ’97 Gave A More Comic Accurate Version Of Cable

The Connections To The X-Men & Cable’s Hero Origins Are Fleshed Out In X-Men ’97

Where Deadpool 2 left out Cable’s more intricate origin story details. X-Men ’97 leaned heavily into them. In X-Men ’97 episode 2, Jean Grey was shown birthing her and Scott’s child. However, it was later revealed that Jean was in fact Madelyne Pryor, a clone of Jean created by Mister Sinister. This meant that Nathan Summers was the son of Cyclops and Jean’s clone, as he is in Marvel Comics. After Madelyne’s death in X-Men ’97 episode 5, Cable travels back in time to help the X-Men defeat Bastion.

It was at this point that Scott and Jean realized that Cable was Nathan, as the baby was sent forward in time in X-Men ’97 episode 3. This was due to him being infected with a virus that could only be cured using future technology. Once in the future, Nathan became the time-traveling mutant known as Cable. While Cable’s X-Men ’97 origin has minor changes such as Bishop taking him to the future and the lack of Apocalypse connections, the overall groundwork is the same as Marvel Comics, marking a difference from Josh Brolin’s Cable in Deadpool 2.

Deadpool 3 & The MCU X-Men Could Make Brolin’s Cable More Like X-Men ’97’s

X-Men ’97 Offered Ways To Improve Brolin’s Already-Great Cable

Now that both major versions of Cable in film and TV have been explored, it is clear that X-Men ’97 showcased the best way to improve upon Deadpool 2‘s version. If Cable’s backstory in the latter had been more fleshed out concerning his links to the wider X-Men universe, the character would have been near perfect. X-Men ’97 understood this, making Cable an infinitely compelling character that audiences cannot wait to see more of in season 2.

Interestingly, Marvel Studios has several opportunities to make Brolin’s Cable more like the X-Men ’97 version, should the former reappear in the franchise. With Deadpool & Wolverine ushering in the X-Men to the MCU in a bigger way than any other project thus far, Cable’s debut in the franchise could come sooner rather than later. If Brolin returns, the aforementioned elements of his backstory that are somewhat blurry – namely his connection to the Summers family – could be more overtly explored like they were in X-Men ’97. This would combine the best elements of both iterations, making the character a complete whole.

Josh Brolin has stated Cable will not return in Deadpool & Wolverine , though this could be a way of hiding his appearance as is common with actors in Hollywood franchises.

Josh Brolin’s Return In An MCU Deadpool Film Would Be Perfect

Deadpool Could Sidestep Josh Brolin’s Double Role In The MCU

For many reasons, Josh Brolin’s Cable returning in an MCU Deadpool project is the ideal scenario. For one, Brolin’s contract from Deadpool 2 could indicate his return in the future. Shortly before the movie was released, Brolin interviewed with Collider. In the interview, the actor revealed that he had signed a four-movie contract with 20th Century Fox, expected to encompass Deadpool 3, an X-Force movie, and a solo Cable project. That said, plans for these movies likely changed drastically upon Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox and the blending together of the MCU and Fox’s X-Men timeline.

Nonetheless, this lengthy contract proves Brolin was willing to play Cable in several more movies, something Marvel Studios could cash in on. Another reason why Deadpool would be the perfect franchise to re-introduce Brolin’s Cable is the actor’s other MCU role as Thanos. If Brolin appeared in an MCU Deadpool movie, the franchise’s meta, self-referential humor could easily explain the actor’s double role as Cable and Thanos. Deadpool could break the fourth wall and use the MCU multiverse as a reason for Brolin’s dual appearance in the franchise once as Thanos, now as Cable, with the latter hopefully learning from X-Men ’97.