Nathan first appeared as the newborn infant in The Uncanny X-Men #201 (Jan. 1986) created by writer Chris Claremont and penciler Rick Leonardi, while Cable first appeared in The New Mutants #87 (March 1990) created by writer Louise Simonson and artist/co-writer Rob Liefeld; Cable's origin initially was undecided and he was assumed to be a separate character, but it was later decided that he was actually an older version of Nathan due to being a time traveler.

Since making his home in the modern era, he has worked alongside the X-Men (including Cyclops and Jean Grey) and reformed the New Mutants group into the original X-Force.

Editor Bob Harras wanted to "shake things up" for the book, and felt a new leader was needed, a sharp contrast from the group's founder and first mentor, Professor X.

[18] The X-Force series provided further detail for the character's back story revealing that he was from the future and that he had traveled to the past with the aim of stopping Stryfe's plans as well as preventing Apocalypse's rise to power.

[19] In 1992, the character starred in a two issue miniseries, Cable: Blood and Metal, written by Fabian Nicieza, pencilled by John Romita, Jr., and inked by Dan Green, published in October and November of that year.

[21] The 2019 miniseries Major X further revealed that at some point in a possible future, where mutants live together in a Utopian society called the X-Istence, Cable has fathered a son named Alexander Nathaniel Summers.

Wearing a red-and-black costume that completely covers him from head-to-toe, Alexander under the Major X alias, traveled to the past in search of Cable with the hope he can help save his reality from fading away.

[23] The series largely dealt with Cable's efforts to change the world for the better, including turning his old spaceship Greymalkin into the floating utopian island of Providence.

The first story arc of the series features a Cable who has learned to suppress his techno-organic virus to a nearly effortless degree, allowing him to access the better part of his vast psionic powers.

He gains a power level similar to his Nate Grey counterpart from The Age of Apocalypse reality and tries to use them to force the people of the world to live in peace.

The new project, originally titled as "Cable Reborn", was re-titled as Avengers: X-Sanction, written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Ed McGuinness.

[28] This series focuses on eliminating disasters based on mysterious visions that Cable is receiving, resorting to occasionally more brutal methods than the prime X-teams would use.

After the events of "Avengers X-Sanction" Cable is forced to wear an eye patch and an advanced harness for his non-functioning left arm that was created by Forge.

However, Fantomex goes insane from needing to "be the best" and betrays the team using new god-like powers derived from a digitized form of the Volga Effect he had copied during a tryst with Meme.

[32] Cable is seen in the year 2087 dealing with some unidentified issue related to Stryfe, in the aftermath of an Inhuman attack that covers the city of Boston in sentient plant life led by the Shredded Man.

[volume & issue needed] The third arc, "Past Fears", spans five eras of Cable's history and sees him battling a techno-organic villain known as Metus.

[volume & issue needed] During a series called "Extermination" by Ed Brisson and Pepe Larraz, Cable was assassinated by his younger self who takes his place.

He is also able to interface his techno-organic body parts with other types of machinery, an ability that allows him to hack into computers, open electronic locks, and travel through time.

[49] As of the end of the "Avengers: X-Sanction" storyline, Hope Summer has apparently cured Cable of the techno-organic virus using the Phoenix Force, and appears to at least have his telepathy.

[50] As a result, his cybernetic eye and arm have been restored to flesh and blood, although almost nonfunctional and atrophied, forcing Cable to wear an eyepatch (hiding a psimitar-like implant) and use an enhanced brace, made by Forge and laden with special weaponry.

In the meantime, Cable would operate his X-Force team through short-lived clones whom had a fraction of his precognition and a shortened lifespan due to being carbon copies with the faulty Volga Effect serum coursing in their systems.

[57] Nathan often makes use of a spear-like morph weapon called the Psi-Mitar, which was originally a long staff with a spear point on one end and a scythe blade on the other, used primarily by the Askani.

[67] In the reality of the Earth X series and its sequel comics, the Techno-organic virus has overtaken Cable's body, transforming him into a blob of organic metal.

Along with his colleagues General Stryfe and J. Edgar Hoover, he hires former CIA Agent Wade Wilson to get back a stolen nuclear briefcase.

[69] In the fantasy world depicted in the graphic novel Wolverine: Rahne of Terra, Cable's counterpart is a wizard called the Mage, who carries the Warlock Staff and a crossbow.

Ultimately, Cable leads a faction of mutants loyal to him and assassinates the Professor, Cyclops, and Jean Grey before embarking on a violent crusade.

Magneto attempts to take control of the United States in the chaos, but is killed by a new model of plastic Sentinels, who decide that enslaving humanity is the best way to root out mutants.

[77] Josh Brolin was cast in a four-picture deal with 20th Century Fox to play Nathan Summers / Cable in their X-Men film series.

Cable subsequently sacrifices his ability to return to his time to save Deadpool and stay in the present to ensure his family has a brighter future.

But the thing is, when I put those elements together with the helmet of Shatterstar – I think that was his name – well, the ram horns and the gold, suddenly it held together as one of the designs that I felt happiest with in the entire series.