The X-Force leader Cable just admitted that he was being watched by the Time Variance Authority for all the trouble he’s caused on the timeline.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Cable #11 by Gerry Duggan, Phil Noto & VC’s Jow Sabino, on sale now
The Marvel Universe is full of ageless and endless powers that exist far beyond the standard realms of perception within the Marvel Universe. And thanks to Loki, one of the most powerful is the TVA, which just made the leap from obscure footnote to major Marvel Cinematic Universe force in that Disney+ series.
And in Cable #11, the comic book Marvel Universe version of the TVA has a new reason to watch the mutants of Krakoa, because the mutant island nation now has two time-traveling Cables. And as the just-resurrected elder Cable says, he’s already on the TVA’s watchlist.
The Time Variance Authority is a powerful bureaucracy that exists outside of the formal passage of space and time. Functioning as a governing body that monitors almost every timeline that exists, they’re quietly one of the most powerful organizations in the Marvel multiverse. Over the years, they’ve come up against various Marvel heroes and villains, including putting She-Hulk on trial, confronting the Fantastic Four and frequently becoming a thorn in Kang the Conqueror’s side.
One notable mutant they’ve dealt with over the years has also included Nathan Summers — aka Cable. The time-displaced son of Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor, Nathan was infected with the Techno-Organic Virus in his youth and was sent to the distant future in hopes of finding a way to counteract it. Growing into a hardened soldier, Cable soon began traveling across space and time as part of his various missions to repair the world, which put him squarely in the TVA’s sights. At some point in the timeline, the TVA even captured Cable — believing him to be his villainous clone counterpart, Stryfe. During the events of Despicable Deadpool by Gerry Duggan and Scott Koblish, Wade Wilson attacked the TVA as part of a deal with Stryfe to save his family, slaughtering plenty of TVA officers and playing a big role in Cable’s escape from the TVA.
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However, the aged Cable has been more or less removed from the board since the events of Extermination, when he was hunted down and killed by a younger incarnation of himself. This younger Cable found a home on Krakoa, and has resisted going through the process that could turn him into the seasoned, aged version of Cable. But with Stryfe back in the open and causing chaos across the world while trying to enact some mysterious scheme, the young Cable has no choice but to help convince Hope Summers and the rest of Krakoa to ignore their own laws and resurrect him. The two Cables quickly discuss their plans to stop Stryfe and recruit a team to help them. As they go along, they both admit to having changed the timeline multiple times, which is exactly the sort of action the TVA tries to police.
The older Cable explains to his younger self that he’s used to messing with the timeline to produce results that benefit him and his allies, revealing that both of them are likely still on the TVA’s watchlist. The older Cable even believes the younger one could be blamed for the actions of his older self, considering they’re effectively the same person from different places in the timeline. With the older Cable set to have a defined future in the Marvel Universe (including taking part in the events of the upcoming “Last Annihilation”), this sets up the possibility that the TVA could try to hunt down either version of Cable and try to bring them “to justice” for their actions that have resulted in a changed timeline.
Given the recent resurgence of the TVA and the reminder of just how powerful Cable really is, this could potentially set up the mutant hero and his allies to go head-to-head with one of the most powerful forces in the Marvel multiverse.
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