Avengers: Infinity War might be the big superhero movie that everybody is talking about right now (and why wouldn't they? It shattered box office records), but let's not forget Deadpool 2! The first cinematic outing for the Merc with a Mouth defied all expectations; Fox was hesitant to greenlight the movie from the start and released it in February - hardly the summer blockbuster season. The result? The most financially successful R-Rated movie of all time!
This time around, the producers have pulled out all the stops for the sequel-- Fans are finally getting their wish, with the likes of Cable and Domino appearing on the big screen for the first time in Deadpool 2.
Cable has been an integral part of Deadpool's history dating all the way back to the beginning. Wade Wilson was introduced in the pages of New Mutants, and the pair went on to have their own series (Cable & Deadpool) not just once, but multiple times. They are an odd couple to be sure, but putting the two mercenaries together is always a riot!
Though Cable appears to be the antagonist in Deadpool 2, fans and audiences alike are hoping that their chemistry will match what we saw in the comics. Like anything with Deadpool, the relationship between these two can get a little weird sometimes.
Here are 20 Weird Secrets Behind Cable And Deadpool's Relationship.
They started off as enemies
Though Cable and Deadpool always seem to be getting on each other's nerves, in the end they always figure out how to get their stuff together and work as a team to save the day. Besides, they are both considered to be mercenary anti-heroes; while they will do good things from time to time, neither character is shy about getting their hands dirty if the paycheck is big enough. This has meant that the two have been at odds from time to time in the past.
Though they are considered allies today, they were anything but when they first met. In The New Mutants #98, the Merc with a Mouth made his debut. He was a much different character than the one we know him as today; this version of Deadpool was an assassin who didn't mess around when it came to taking out his target. In fact, Deadpool acted as an antagonistic anti-hero for years before he was finally repackaged as the insane and vulgar loudmouth he is today.
In his first appearance, Wade Wilson is hired by the villain Tolliver to hunt down Cable and the New Mutants.
He was able to subdue most of the team on his own before getting literally stabbed in the back by his partner Domino (who was also introduced in this issue) and mailed back to Tolliver in a box by Cable.
Deadpool once had to watch over baby Cable
Hang on everybody, because here is where we start getting into the weird stuff. Deadpool's adventures have to be some of the most bizarre in the Marvel canon. Wade has assembled with a bunch of alternate-universe versions of himself to form a superteam, and even has had to fight the zombified versions of our former U.S. Presidents. If one of Marvel's writers has an idea that is just too "out there" for their mainstream titles, chances are it ends up in the pages of Deadpool.
It should be no surprise, then, that Wade once had to watch over and protect a baby version of Cable. In the pages of X-Force, Cable had to fight a very powerful demon named Skornn. Though the hero was successful, the fight left him weak and he vanished into the fabric of the multiverse. Not wanting to give up on his friend and partner, Deadpool and a small team of mutants start traveling through different realities in hopes of finding Nathan Summers.
In one of these universes (the House of M-verse, to be specific), they find an infant Cable and have to steal him away from Mister Sinister. After an epic battle and some hilarious scenes, they finally get Cable back to their universe, where he begins to age rapidly into a full-grown adult.
They're both Spider-Man fanboys
Some comic lovers would argue that nowadays Deadpool is nothing but an R-Rated Spider-Man. They both have similar personalities; both like to smart off when in the middle of a fight and both of them display seemingly carefree yet caring personalities. No matter who copied who, fans love it on the rare occasions when these two team up.
Although Spidey is funny and sarcastic, even he gets annoyed by the Merc with a Mouth after a certain point. Deadpool, on the other hand, adores Spider-Man. Is it weird? Yes. But did you really expect anything else from Deadpool?
Deadpool has expressed his attraction to Spidey multiple times, and their shared comic Spider-Man/Deadpool even classed Spider-Man as Wade's "heartmate."
Although his love for the Wall-Crawler doesn't get as obsessive as Wade Wilson's, Cable is a huge fan of Spider-Man as well. Part of Nathan Summers' whole shtick is that he is a time-traveler (meaning that he can see potential futures). At one point, he tells Peter Parker not to let his insecurities get the best of him, because Spider-Man will eventually go on to become the greatest superhero ever known. He even mentions that Spidey will become more legendary than Captain America, Iron Man, and the Hulk!
Body swapping
Cable's entire origin involves himself growing up in the future and time-traveling back and forth between the centuries to take out his targets wherever they may lie. He also has the technology to teleport around both our reality and the several other multiverses that exist within the Marvel canon.
Deadpool tried to replicate his frienemy's technology to a disastrous result - Deadpool's version of a teleporter is constantly broken, only allowing him to jump around short distances. Though he has incorporated it into his fighting style, the fact that Wade Wilson is running around with a broken teleporter is perfectly fitting!
At one point, Deadpool's teleportation woes were paired up with Nathan Summers'.
The way Wilson and Summers' devices worked was that it allowed you to "bodyslide" from one place to another; the molecules of the body would be pulled apart one by one and transported individually to another spot (where they would be reassembled).
For a period of time, however, whenever Deadpool and Cable would try to bodyslide at the same time to the same location, their molecules would get scrambled up and the two would reappear on the other side stuck together! Cable eventually fixed the issue, but it led to some great imagery of the two heroes looking like Siamese twins.
Cable has plans for other movies
We've known that Cable was going to get his big-screen debut ever since the ending of the first Deadpool film. The Merc with a Mouth comes out in full Ferris Bueller attire after the credits and gave us a little tease that Nathan Summers was going to be in the sequel (and maybe played by Keira Knightley).
Fans speculated for the next year and a half about who was going to play the time-hopping mutant before it was settled on Josh Brolin. Though we have yet to see the character in full, trailers show Brolin as a perfect no-nonsense foil to Deadpool's off-the-wall humor. The only problem? Cable looks to be the antagonist of this movie, whereas in the comics he is usually a friend.
Fear not, comic book fans! It was recently revealed that Brolin has signed on to do three movies in total as Cable.
We know that an X-Force movie is currently in development, and the creation of the task force in Deadpool 2 appears to confirm that those plans are moving ahead.
Most likely Cable will get to play the role of a hero in that film.
Although the potential merger with Disney could cause any of these sequels to derail, things look bright for fans of the more friendly version of Summers.
Both were co-created by Rob Liefeld
The '90s were a strange time for the comic book industry. Gone were the days of bright, colorful superheros who could do no wrong, and present were violent anti-heroes like Spawn, Venom, and Deathlok who were willing to do whatever it took to bring down a criminal - even if that meant taking lives. Even some of our golden age heroes like Superman and Captain America underwent a "dark and gritty" makeover in this decade!
At the center of it all was Rob Liefeld.
Liefeld was the king of the anti-hero and had one of the most iconic art styles to come out of the '90s.
This signature? Lots of pouches, muscles that looked humanly impossible, and an inability to draw feet!
Being Marvel creations of the late '80s and early '90s, Cable and Deapool were both co-created by Liefeld (Cable with Chris Claremont and Louise Simonson, Deadpool with Fabian Nicieza). Cable appeared in the pages of New Mutants in 1987, while Wade Wilson came onto the scene in 1991. For his entire run on with the characters, Wilson and Summers were drawn in his typical style.
Rob Liefeld actually got the Stan Lee treatment in 2016's Deadpool movie; as Wade walks through Weasel's bar he acknowledges a mercenary named "Liefeld," who is played by the writer and artist himself.
Cable hates working with Deadpool
This should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody, but Deadpool is difficult to get along with. Despite being one of the best hand-to-hand fighters in the Marvel universe as well as one of the most efficient mercenaries, Wade Wilson the personality of a clown who has been hopped up on Mountain Dew and a couple shots of 5-hour energy. His though-process is all over the place. He likes to make major decisions on pure impulse alone. He mouths off to the people he's fighting and has little use for stealth. Then there's just the pure annoyance factor.
Cable, on the other hand, is a tough-as-nails, no nonsense, all business type of guy. You can see why the two working together is such an issue, right?
Although Nathan Summers and the Merc with a Mouth have skill sets that complement each other and make an excellent team, it's a total chore for Cable to get through a mission with Deadpool without testing out his healing factor multiple times.
On occasion, Cable has gotten so annoyed with his partner that he has pointlessly maimed him or put him through a world of hurt just to let off some steam.
There don't appear to be any hard feelings on Wade's part; he always is up for an adventure with his buddy Cable!
Cable appeared in the Deadpool game
We know what you're thinking: "There was a Deadpool game?!" Back in 2013, Activision released an action/adventure/beat-em-up game for the PC, 360, and PS3 starring Wade Wilson and a variety of characters from the X-Men universe. The title received mixed reviews; fans of Deadpool loved the humor and the gameplay, but even the most die-hard fan realized that the game was fairly short for a full-price title (you could beat it in about 4 hours). Sadly, the game has all but been forgotten just half a decade later.
Of course, you can't really do a Deadpool game without showing off Cable!
Cable had a minor yet hilarious role in the game, always going off to do the "important" stuff while players went around beating up bad guys as Wade Wilson.
The interactions with Summers played out just as if they were lifted from the pages of a Cable & Deadpool comic - Wade making a stupid joke, Cable yelling at him to take things more seriously, and then Deadpool doing something completely off the rails to set his partner off even more.
Sadly, gamers were not able to take control as Cable as a playable character, but his appearance in the game was part of what turned a mediocre title into something memorable for the fans.
Deadpool likes to tease Cable about being Thanos
When it was first announced that Josh Brolin was going to be playing Cable, fans asked "can he do that?" The actor was already tied to a Marvel property as Thanos in the MCU (a role that he has held since 2014); it was one thing for an actor to take on two superhero movies at once, but by the same publisher?
Not to mention, Disney's acquisition of Fox is just going to muddy the waters. If the Deadpool and X-Men film universes get incorporated into the MCU, that means that Brolin will have two major roles in the same universe!
Of course, Deadpool being Deadpool, this mess is handled ridiculously well by the Merc with a Mouth.
One of Wade Wilson's quirks is that he is aware that he is a fictional character in a comic book/film series, and constantly breaks the fourth wall to talk to the audience and make references to past issues and other movies.
It looks like he's not going to hold back on Cable in Deadpool 2; so far the trailers have featured Wilson exclaiming "Fine. I'll do it myself" (a line from Thanos in Age of Ultron's post credits) as well as making comments about "stones" (a nod to the Infinity Stones).
They were Avengers together
All Deadpool really wants in life is to be loved. He is always pursuing his fellow superheroes in hopes of finding true love.
In the comics, Wade is constantly trying to become a part of the X-Men or the Avengers (although this angle was reversed in the 2016 movie).
Deep down inside, Deadpool's knowledge of his fictional existence makes him extremely lonely and depressed; though he represses his feelings with humor, he just wants a little bit of company every now and again. This is probably why he has borderline obsessive relationships with Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Cable!
For a brief period of time, Deadpool got his wish to become an Avenger. In 2012, Marvel debuted its NOW! line of comics in an attempt at a soft reboot of the entire universe. One of the titles in this relaunch was Uncanny Avengers, a group of super-powered characters some of which were not the familiar faces of the Avengers titles. A few issues in, Deadpool came across the team and helped them out; as a result, Steve Rogers convinced him to join. Later on, Cable would briefly team up with the Uncanny Avengers; though brief, it was a fresh change of pace to see these two "loners" as part of a team dynamic.
They both fought alternate versions of themselves
Comics are weird. It seems like every time you turn around, there is a new alternate universe version of a famous character or some character from the future who becomes so popular with fans that they get integrated into the main canon. Old Man Logan is probably the most prominent example of this in recent years, but it's not a new trend.
Ever since the Silver Age this type of plot development has been a common occurrence. Of course, once you have multiple versions of one character, you can up the ante by making them fight each other.
Neither Cable or Deadpool are a stranger to this. In fact, Cable has done it on multiple occasions! Both the misunderstood teen X-Man and the supervillain Stryfe are clones/alternate versions of Nathan Summers who have come to blows with Cable many a time.
On the other side of the coin, Deadpool had an entire mini-series devoted to fighting his evil clone "Dreadpool." In this series 616 Wade Wilson teamed up with an entire Deadpool Corp of 'Pools from other universes to take on those alt-universe Deadpools who had allied themselves with Dreadpool. Like we said, comics can be confusing and weird if you're not up to date!
They've tried to take each other out... a lot
Being mercenaries and/or anti-heroes, Cable and Deadpool don't really ever pick a "side." If a villain is willing to pay more than a good guy, then Deadpool will be evil for the story. If Cable thinks a target needs to be destroyed, he'll go through anyone who stands in his way of eliminating them (this looks to be the main conflict of Deadpool 2). Though both heroes tend to be on the side of good when push comes to shove, they are morally grey at the core.
This means that, even though they are buddy-buddy in the comics, the pair have tried to take each other out a lot. As stated before, Deadpool started off as an antagonist to Cable and his team. It doesn't stop there; Cable has shot Deadpool point blank in the face, poisoned him with darts, and riddled him with bullets. Wade isn't completely innocent, however; he once took out Cable as an old man and has had no qualms about slicing off his friend's robotic parts or blowing him up when he gets in the way.
Then there are all the times when one or the other has been brainwashed or didn't know that their target was the other. Writers always seem to find a way to get these two to fight!
They have both been Wolverine
The cinematic X-Men universe isn't going to be the same without Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. The actor announced that he was retiring from his role after the critically-acclaimed Logan last summer; this was similar to what Marvel did to Logan in the comic books.
During this time period, several characters stepped up and attempted to become the new Wolverine, including Sabretooth and X-23. In the end, Logan was replaced by both Laura Kinney and Old Man Logan (displaced from his timeline) took up the mantle until the real Wolverine returned.
Cable and Deadpool have both had cracks at being the superhero, however. In the alternate timeline of Earth 2107, James Howlett is the alter ego for Cable, not Wolverine. Of course, this universe's version of the hero is a mish-mash of the two 616 characters; he still has the claws and healing factor of Logan, but also the cybernetic upgrades of Nathan Summers.
Meanwhile, Deadpool threw his name into the mix to replace Logan with no avail. In Deadpool vs. Old Man Logan, he got his chance when he had Old Man Logan's adamantium skeleton and claws fused with his own.
Reynolds' birthday gift for Brolin
Like we said before, you can count on Deadpool to break the fourth wall as consistently as you can count on a rooster to crow every morning! Though it was not an original trait of the character, it's hard to think of a version of Wade Wilson that isn't constantly making meta jokes or pointing out what happened in previous issues.
Even the Deadpool movie gets a few of these jokes in, including the hilarious "a fourth wall break inside a fourth wall break. That's like, sixteen walls!" The marketing team for the second film let us know right off the bat that the inclusion of more serious characters like Cable and Domino weren't going to change this for the sequel.
On actor Josh Brolin's birthday, Ryan Reynolds tweeted out a picture recreating the famous "Rockwell Paints Rockwell" painting with Cable and Deadpool.
It shows the Merc with the Mouth painting a portrait of Brand, the actor's beloved characters from The Goonies that he played almost thirty-five years ago. It also featured the caption "Happy Birthday, bright eye! You don't taste a day over 40!" It was a hilarious yet somehow still somewhat sweet gesture from star of the film.
Cable thinks Deadpool sounds like a "gravelly Demi Moore"
For years the question remained: what does Deadpool sound like? It took until the 2000s for the character to finally be adapted into the video game world in the Ultimate Alliance series, where he was played by beloved actor Nolan North.
North would later reprise his role in subsequent animated series that the Merc with a Mouth would appear in. Of course, nowadays most hear Wade Wilson's voice as Ryan Reynolds thanks to the smash-hit film. Whichever one you prefer, fans are lucky to have two actors who love playing the character so much.
It was once revealed in the comics that Deadpool's voice sounds like none other than actress Demi Moore.
Huh? While jumping across dimensions searching for Cable in the aforementioned X-Force story arc, the gang comes across a version of Nathan Summers in which he became Apocalypse's horseman, War. They try to talk him down, but he simply scoffs and attacks 'Pool and company, retorting that he "missed [Wilson's] gravelly Demi Moore voice..."
Of course, Cable was probably just be using these particular words as a way of taunting Wade, but there's something oddly fitting about comic book Deadpool sounding like Demi Moore after throat surgery. Admit it, you'll never be able to un-hear it!
They both talk to voices in their head
Normally, when somebody starts hearing voices in their head, they get send to a psychiatrist. For Cable and Deadpool, it's just another day!
Wade Wilson's voices started appearing during the early 2000s, when the character started to move away from his roots as a ruthless assassin and became a zany anti-hero. Wade often heard two distinct voices in his head. One, portrayed as a yellow text box, represented Deadpool's inner thoughts. The other, portrayed by a white text box, was a little bit more on the insane side. It was later revealed that the white box was actually the voice of D-list Captain America villain Madcap, whose consciousness had accidentally been merged with Deadpool after an accident disintegrated them both and put them back together.
Wilson's schizophrenic voices went away, but Cable's were intentionally left in. That is because the voices inside Nathan Summer's head were put there to help him!
Part of Cable's whole deal is that he is a cybernetically-enhanced mutant. For a time, the hero had an A.I. implanted into his robot arm named Belle that helped him interact with other computers and allowed him to have nano-bot immunity from certain futuristic viruses. Belle could also be projected into the physical world in the form of a redheaded woman. We're not sure who hears the weirder voices.
They have the same taste in women
If your only exposure to the Merc with a Mouth is the Deadpool movie, this one is going to be a hard pill to swallow. Wade and Vanessa seemed to be a match made in heaven; they both have a twisted, sadistic sense of humor and a heart of gold despite their less-than-kosher profession.
In the comic books, Vanessa's story is significantly different; in the 616 universe she is a shapeshifting mutant who goes by the alias Copycat and has an on-again, off-again fling with Deadpool. Wilson's unrequited crush Domino is set to appear in the second film (played by Zazie Beetz).
Don't tell Wade, but he and Cable seem to have the same taste in romantic partners. Nathan Summers was originally Domino's love interest, as they both served together on the superteam Six Pack and again on the X-Force. Though their relationship never works out because of their lifestyle, they are constantly getting together in the pages of Marvel comics. Meanwhile, Copycat fell madly in love with Cable when she was sent on a mission to destroy the X-Force's headquarters (impersonating Domino to do so).
So just to be clear: Copycat and Deadpool were a thing. Cable and Domino were a thing. Deadpool has unrequited love for Domino, and Copycat has unrequited love for Cable. Fairly straightforward, right?
Deadpool once stopped Cable from committing the ultimate sin
Even though Cable & Deadpool is a humorous book and Deadpool is a ridiculously funny character, writers don't shy away from serious topics in the characters' stories. Wade Wilson has dealt with such topics as deadbeat dads, abuse, and even depression.
It actually seems to be more impactful for a character who is normally so funny to tackle such heavy subject matter; it makes him more human and reminds us that most of the time, Deadpool is only funny because he is so depressed. One of these occurrences happened in the "Burnt Offering" story arc of Cable & Deadpool.
In this story, Cable becomes a prophet of sorts. He takes a bunch of his followers to the floating city of Providence, where he then delivers a threat to all the world's leaders. Summers claims that he is going to go around and steal every country's missiles and throw them into the sun. This prompts an international crisis, and Deadpool is called in to talk some sense into his friend. During the mission, Cable tells Wilson that he never intended to destroy the missiles.
Cable really wanted the world leaders to take him out in a display of solidarity that he hoped would lead to peace.
Instead of letting his wish be granted, Deadpool uses a teleporter to lobotomize Cable.
Cable once had to absorb and regurgitate Deadpool
Brace yourself, for this is perhaps the most disgusting entry on our list! Deadpool stories are no stranger to blood, guts, and immature and foul humor, but rarely do the writers try to put Wilson into gross-out situations.
Where do we even start with this one? It was the very first story arc (literally issues #1-#6 of Cable & Deadpool) in the series that Nathan Summers and Wade Wilson got to go up close and personal with each other.
In the story, Wade is hired by a group of villains to steal a virus. Of course, the title of the book being Cable & Deadpool, the two characters' stories cross paths, and they both end up getting infected with the virus. As the two both slowly start to melt into oblivion, Nathan has an idea.
Cable is able to get over to Deadpool's body (or at least, the pile of mush where his body should be) and absorb it into his own, splicing their DNA together and reforming his own body.
He then leans forward and hurls, sending parts of the Merc with a Mouth all over the ground, where he then regenerates. This disgusting act is the same one that allowed Wade and Summers' bodies to meld together whenever they teleported!
Deadpool has a secret crush on Cable
What is Deadpool's orientation? There has been much debate as of late. Obviously, Wade Wilson is into women since he dated Copycat, Lady Death, and romanced a series of other female Marvel characters of all shapes, sizes, and powersets. We've also established his fascination with characters like Spider-Man and Wolverine, where his man-crush on his fellow superheroes leans more toward a plain ol' crush. His infamous list of "free pass" couplings includes Spidey and Thor ("if he ever becomes a girl").
Deadpool's longtime writer Gerry Duggan confirmed that he always wrote the character as a pan, meaning his attraction is not based on any gender.
In Cable & Deadpool, the character makes several hints that he's got a secret crush on his best bud. During one story, the villain Black Mamba uses her telepathic powers to distract Deadpool by showing him his most intimate desire, which turns out to be rubbing suntan lotion on Cable on the beach. Throughout the series the Merc also makes several innuendos about Cable, like when he says they have a whole "don't ask, don't tell thing going on between [them]" or when he describes their "bodysliding" teleportation in ridiculously inappropriate ways.
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Were your favorite secrets about Deadpool and Cable revealed in this list? Did we miss any big ones? Let us know in the comments!
