Following the announcement of X-Men ’97 as a soft-reboot and the continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series (TAS), the fan speculation about which characters might make an appearance in the new series started to buzz. Many fans wanted to see Cable’s appearance in the new series, considering that he also appeared several times in TAS, and usually warned the X-Men about Apocalypse’s arrival.
Fortunately, the fandom didn’t have to wait for long; X-Men ’97 introduced Nathan Summers (who would go on to become Cable later on) in the second episode of the show, titled “Mutant Liberation Begins.” Furthermore, his adult, time-traveling counterpart already made his own appearance in Episode 5, titled “Remember It.” Considering that he was also a victim of genetic tampering, we’re now wondering whether X-Men ’97 might introduce Nate Grey, a different version of Cable from the Age of Apocalypse timeline and perhaps one of the most powerful mutants to ever live.
Let’s start by saying that both Nathan Summers (aka Cable) and Nate Grey are both the genetic children of Scott Summers and Jean Grey. Sure, one of those Jean Greys turned out to be a clone who took the name Madelyne Pryor, but from a genetic standpoint, she’s still very much Jean Grey — you know, being her clone and all that. Regardless, we see Nathan being born in “Mutant Liberation Begins” and infected with the Techno-Organic Virus (TO virus) by Mr. Sinister in “Fire Made Flesh” before he’s taken to the future by Bishop to find a cure for the infection.
That doesn’t go according to plan, and over time, young Nathan grows into a powerful mutant who inherits vast telepathic and telekinetic powers from his mother. However, the TO virus progressively converts organic tissue into a mechanical form, which, in Nathan’s case, leads to a cyber-conversion of portions of his limbs and his left eye. And though this transformation provides him with enhanced physical strength and durability, a significant part of his innate powers is used to prevent the spread of the virus, limiting his ability to use his full psychic potential.
Despite all that, Cable remains an extraordinarily powerful mutant and even goes back in time to try and kill Apocalypse. In doing so, he inadvertently infects the ancient mutant with the very same TO virus, which ends up enhancing En Sabah Nur’s abilities. He then purposefully has young Nathan infected so that he can grow up to become Cable and go back in time to deliver the TO virus to Apocalypse. But what about Nate Grey?
Nate Grey, also known as X-Man (singular), is an alternate version of Cable, hailing from the alternate timeline Earth-295, which was established in the Age of Apocalypse storyline. He’s actually the biological son of Earth-295’s Scott Summers and Jean Grey (the actual Jean Grey), though he was also born through genetic tampering by Mr. Sinister, who even named him after himself. Due to not being infected by a techno-organic virus like the original Cable, Nathaniel Grey achieved vast telepathic and telekinetic powers, which mirrored those that Cable would’ve had without the TO virus.
This effectively makes Nate Grey one of the most powerful mutants in existence. He has the ability to reach into people’s minds across great distances, manipulate reality, generate massive amounts of psychic energy, and shoot energy blasts. But it doesn’t end there. As an Omega-Level mutant, he has also exhibited the power to resurrect the dead, travel between dimensions, and manipulate time and space.
Now, the question remains whether or not he will be introduced in the X-Men ’97 series. To be honest, it’s really hard to tell. The recent episodes have shown that Nathan Summers became Cable, but Cable’s introduction, regardless of how short, doesn’t negate the possibility of the future appearance of Nate Grey. Given that the series also introduced Mr. Sinister and Forge, the one who made him and the other who trained him, we wouldn’t exclude the possibility, at least for future narratives.
In the end, it would be interesting to see Nate and Cable involved in the same stories because they’re pretty much the same and very different at the same time. Since Nate has never done any time travel, he’s considerably younger than Cable, and that’s on top of being more powerful than Cable since Cable uses the majority of his power to keep the virus from spreading. While Nate retains full access to his abilities, Cable is much more efficient with his since he has to learn how to use what he has left.
Finally, Cable possesses extensive military and weapons skills he acquired as a result of growing up in an Apocalypse-torn future, while Nate primarily relies on his considerable abilities. And it’s precisely this juxtaposition that would allow writers to come up with interesting new narratives and explore the complexities of family relationships (particularly Scott Summers and Jean Grey’s family tree) in the world of X-Men. So, this might be an out-there idea, but why not give the two their own one-season spin-off? An X-Men version of What If…?