iFanboy talked to artist Jamie McKelvie, who will be drawing Cable for issue 11-12, and he revealed that he’s a Rachel fan and would like to draw Rachel:
Question: You’ve done Nightcrawler and now Cable….who is the next character you’ve always wanted to draw?
Jamie: Rachel Summers was always my favourite character when I was younger, but I think she’s still in space? So who knows when I’d get the chance. Of the current X-crop, either more Nightcrawler or Pixie – a Pixie mini or something would be great.
You can check out Jamie’s work at his official site http://www.jamiemckelvie.com and in Cable #11, which is due out in February.
Cable writer Duane Swierczynski is the guest in this week’s edition of X-Position on Comicbookresources.com.
Duane talked a lot about what’s coming up in Cable for Nathan and the Messiah Baby (or is she the Messiah Girl now?)
He was also asked about Rachel appearing in Cable, and gave a rather nondescript answer:
3) Also, any chance Rachel Summers will appear in “Cable” once she returns from space?
As Tom Petty once said, “The future is wide open.”
Warning, possible spoilers for Cable ahead:
Duane Swierczynski said a couple of interesting and alarming things about Cable’s future.
First off, it sounds like the “baby” will be aging quickly, (Duane told X-Position, “So we always intended for the series to show the baby growing up quick”) and as the baby grows up, Nathan will be growing older.
What’s alarming is how Duane describes Nathan as, “a tired soldier who’s seen it all but has been pressed into service one last time for the most important mission of his career.” That doesn’t sound promising for Nathan’s long term development or future in X-books. Even worse, Duane alludes to the potential that Nathan is not going to be coming back with the “baby”.
Duane is clearly writing Nate as being at least in his late 50s and he will age at least 10, and possibly more, years as his young charge grows to be at least a teenager before she returns. Then Duane brings up doubts that Nathan will be returning.
While killing off the title character of a books sound unlikely, it does bring up the ol’ “kill Cable off and bring back Nate Grey” argument again, especially when Nathan is being written as an old man in his 60s-70s and an old soldier on his final mission. I can’t see Marvel wanting to continue that for very long.
That takes a lot of the joy of the speculation that Rachel and Nathan might, at long last, be reunited. I only started reading X-books again when it was announced that Cable would be in Adjectiveless at the same time Rachel would be in Uncanny X-Men. I assumed that there was no way they wouldn’t interact if they were both X-Men at the same time. (Silly me). Now I wonder if it’s going to be decades before that reunion ever happens, if ever.
There has been a lot of fan speculation about the identity of the mysterious mutant baby who sparked the Messiah Complex crossover event. While the X-writers initially said that the baby was a new character that is not related to any known characters, that didn’t stop endless speculation on who the baby is.
One of the most common guesses is that the newborn baby girl is a reborn Jean Grey. While the baby’s hair color seemed to change randomly in the first few chapters, as the series went on it became more apparent that the baby has red hair.
This has also sparked some speculation that the baby may be Rachel. It was even asked in an X-Position column on ComicBookResources:
Question: I have my own theory as to the baby’s identity. Since the baby was found in Alaska, original place of Madelyn Prior, perhaps the baby is Rachel Summers (and her mother is the aforementioned Madelyn). We have never really been told Rachel’s origin, since it may have occurred in a future that no longer exists thanks to her trip back to the past. Am I warm?
Peter David (X-Factor): I don’t know. I haven’t felt your forehead.
While Rachel’s origin is actually quite clear, it could be possible (although highly unlikely) that Rachel would be some how randomly born on Earth-616 without being conceived by Jean Grey and Scott Summers. Although for years now there has been hints that Jean might eventually give birth to a Rachel-616, it’s likely that plot line would be reserved for when Jean actually does return.
Also, keep in mind that time travellers are not impacted by changes to their futures. Any time a character like Rachel or Bishop or Cable travels back in time, even if their future changes, they remain the same. Their future becomes an alternate future. So anything that happens in current continuity will not impact Rachel’s future (Days of Future Past, Earth-811), nor will it change Cable’s past (the Askani future, Earth-4935).
The writers and editors working on Messiah Complex seem to be toying with readers and feeding this speculation that the baby may be a known character (especially Jean), but it may be nothing more than a misdirection to spark fan interest.
Mike Carey (X-Men: Legacy) had this to say to Newsarama on the topic:
In terms of the baby’s identity—I think at various points in this story some readers, to a certain extent, are starting to ask a bunch of questions—which is cool. There has been a certain amount of misdirection involved. Lots of people want to know who her parents are—if the union that produced her was significant—there has been fan speculation that she might be an old character brought back from the dead—reborn in some way.
Clearly, the baby is special. She’s definitely unique; otherwise, how could she be born with powers in spite of the Scarlet Witch’s edict? But it’s far from clear that her powers arise from her lineage – from her being, or being born from, somebody who was already significant in X-Men continuity. It remains a possibility, but I’m not sure that that’s the best way to look at it. I can’t say anything more than that at this point though.
Some readers have also guessed that the baby may be some how connected to the Askani, since there have been so many flashbacks to Scott having to give up baby Nathan Christopher to the Askani in X-Factor 67.
The flashbacks in X-Men 207 point towards the sacrifices Scott has had to made. The top is Scott having to entrust the Askani to save baby Nathan Christopher knowing he would never see him again. The left corner is when Scott had to say goodbye to Nathan a second time at the end of the Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix when Rachel’s death forced Jean and Scott’s psyches’ to return to the present.
The member of the Askani Sisterhood sent back to bring baby Nathan to the future was never specifically named. It was revealed in Cable #7 that she was a volunteer sent by Rachel (Mother Askani), and she had died in the process of bringing Nathan to the future. So she had sacrificed herself to save baby Nathan.
While it could be interesting, albeit a bit confusing, to see the process come full circle – the person who sacrificed her life to save Nathan is the baby whom Nathan raised, it’s difficult to say why the baby would end up as a member of the Askani Sisterhood 2000 years in the future as a member of a group formed by Nathan’s sister.
There is one clue that the baby has nothing to do with the Askani from Chris Yost in X-Position 35:
Question: If the baby is so crucial to Cable’s future, why wouldn’t Cyclops know about it? He spent twelve years there – or is that motivating his decisions?
YOST: Cable’s future is much, much farther away. That baby’s role in his future is ancient history, something Cyclops wouldn’t have casually stumbled across. And we don’t know the baby’s full role yet – it might be something behind the scenes of history, but crucially important. Bottom line, most Americans can’t name more than seven or eight of our presidents. It’s possible this didn’t come up.
This makes it sound like the baby is firmly tied to the immediate future and specifically what potentially causes Bishop’s future and mutants to end up in camps.
While that wouldn’t directly prohibit her for eventually ending up in the Askani future, that may needlessly complicate the situation.
I think that the flashbacks are only references to what Scott is thinking about without resorting to thought bubbles, not some clue about who the baby is.
The baby could have a role in something mentioned in Askani lore though.
In the Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix , Mother Askani tells Jean and Scott, that “for almost a century before this, the world enjoyed an almost unprecedented racial harmony. The Age of Xavier was a time when all races lived in peace. A peace Apocalypse used against an unsuspecting, trusting planet. ”
It could be that the baby grows up to have some role in causing the Age of Xavier, and Cable wants to ensure that history repeats itself. Or, could it be that Cable wants to alter history so that people aren’t quite so peaceful and trusting that they can be prayed upon by a tyrant like Apocalypse?
If the baby’s connection to Cable is only due to her role in history, then what about the locket the baby is seen holding in the flashbacks? One of the clues readers point to that the baby may be Jean or Rachel is baby playing with Scott’s locket that has a photo of him and Jean in it. Is it simply something the baby was playing with? A clue that the baby is Jean or related to Jean? Or that Jean was involved in restarting the mutant population some how from the White Hot Room?
Or, is the locket merely one of the “misdirections” Mike Carey referred to?
Marvel continued to toy with fans about Jean’s return by releasing a cryptic “Phoenix Rising?” cover with no details. The image and post seem to imply Jean may be returning, but it is clearly a misdirection and a merely a cover for X-Men: Legacy.
I suspect that all of these hints about the baby being a known character is to simply increase reader interest in the new Cable series, since a major plot will be revealing the background of the messiah baby. Marvel staffers may assume that readers might pick up the book just to find out if the baby turns out to be known character, such as Jean or Rachel. But I think it’s highly unlikely that she will be.
This also could be testing the waters for a return of Jean Grey. It seemed like as speculation grew that the baby was Jean, the more “clues” there were that it was her. Cynically, I’d say that was Marvel being mean spirited and messing with emotions of Jean’s fans who are desperate for her to return. However, it could have been a light bulb going off at Marvel and the increased number of “clues” is to make sure they leave their options open for one possible way that Jean could return.
When Cable was first introduced, it was never intended that he turn out to be Nathan Christopher Summers. While more planning has likely gone into the story for the Messiah Complex baby then Cable‘s introduction, her ultimate fate, or even her name, might not even be decided yet or could deviate from plan.
So, is the baby Rachel? Or an Askani? It’s highly doubtful. Is it Jean? I also highly doubt that, but you never know. My guess is that the baby is the indirect cause of the peaceful Age of Xavier mentioned in the Askani future and a new character.
In this week’s edition of X-Position, editor Nick Lowe was asked a question about Rachel’s Askani memories:
10) Will Rachel ever remember her time in the Askani timeline?
She’s got plenty on her mind already (what with her recent family massacre, her past in the future as a Hound, and her feelings for Korvus).
Another question Lowe was asked relates to the way Rachel has been handled by writers’ lately:
12) A lot of writers seem to shy away from characters with complicated histories as they seem too intimidating for new readers. What’s your take on this?
It all depends on the character. There are a million ways to approach it. I always tend to push my writers toward simplicity, but there’s definitely something to be said for character histories. One of the best things about working on characters with such rich histories is that you can either draw on those histories, or just not mention them. And that’s not a bad thing, in my book. I don’t bring up that Zepplin incident from my childhood in every current situation in my life. There’s no reason why characters need to have every moment from their past referenced at every moment.
It looks like the “just not mention them” option is the prevalent way of handling Rachel’s complicated history in the X-Office.
It was Chris Yost’s turn in the hotseat in X-Position this week:
A couple of weeks ago, Ashley Keller had sent in a question to Brubaker about Rachel Summers. He claimed ignorance, as the events she asked about would possibly take place in “Emperor Vulcan.” Well, since you’re the one writing that mini, I’ll let her ask again …
“Will we be seeing any reaction from Rachel in regards to Cable’s death (if he is dead) in ‘Emperor Vulcan?’ Since Rachel has a strong psi-bond with Nathan, she would instantly feel his death. Considering everything she’s gone through to try to protect her ‘baby brother,’ she should be one of the characters most impacted by his death, shouldn’t she?”
Yost: Rachel would absolutely be affected by Cable’s death. He’s her brother, and if she were aware of it, she’d be devastated. That being said … we don’t really know that Rachel would instantly feel his death. After all, how do you test that out? And given she’s in a whole other galaxy, their link is strained as it is. But when she does learn of his death, I expect Rachel to react and act accordingly. Gambit and Sunfire better start running if she gets back is what I’m trying to say.
“If she gets back?” And as long as we’re being a bit morose, Brian Moranor had a question about another death: “Are we going to be seeing some reaction from Havok and Rachel regarding the death of Corsair (his father/her grandfather) in ‘Emperor Vulcan?’ I know the mini takes place some time after the ‘Uncanny’ arc (or does it?), but I was wondering if we’d get any insight to their feelings.”
Yost: Of course. Corsair’s death affected Havok deeply and is influencing every decision he’s making now, for better or worse. And Polaris has to deal with extra-angst Havok.
Rounding things off about the “Emperor Vulcan” miniseries, AZPolaris wanted to know more about – surprise! – Polaris: “I am a huge Polaris fan and would love any info about her that you can share. Are she and Havok officially a couple? Will Lorna discuss any of the turmoil that her life was in before she left Earth? I hope to see a bond form between Lorna and Rachel (Havok’s ‘niece’) – will this occur in ‘Emperor Vulcan,’ or will it be nonstop action?”
Yost: I’m a huge Polaris fan as well, and yes – she and Havok are officially a couple. The insanity of Lorna’s life will get brought up, and while what she’s up against now is extreme, it’s a little more straightforward. Except when Doop shows up to kill Vulcan and take over the Shi’ar empire. No one’s going to see that coming.
Lorna and Rachel are definitely going to bond, and drink. After all, the two hottest women in the Shi’ar empire have to stick together. Plus, they’ve both got man troubles. I lean toward non-stop action, but I try to take breaks for angst.
In X-Men #200 and Cable & Deadpool #42, it appears that Cable blows himself up to save information he has stored in Providence. Although there is no body, what Mike Carey has been saying in interviews and to fans has been alarming that Nathan truly is dead.
What also worries fans that this is at attempt by Marvel to get rid of alternate reality and future characters that editors like Joe Quesada and Axel Alonso hate with a passion.
What we need to do is continue to make our voices heard. Rachel & Cable have fans and we want Nathan back.
What Can You Do:
- X-Men writer Mike Carey will be touring the US in July and appearing at book shops and LCS. This is a perfect time for Rachel & Cable fans to impress upon him how we feel.
- There is an X-Men Panel at the San Diego Comic Con on Sunday, July 29th, with Ed Brubaker, Mike Carey, Chris Yost, Craig Kyle and Axel Alonso. This will be a great opportunity to ask Yost questions about X:EV and to badger them about bringing back Cable.
- Email officex@marvel.com and mheroes@marvel.com with demands to bring back Cable.
SPOILER WARNING: This news article contains some possible spoilers for Uncanny X-Men, X-Men and the crossever event happening this fall.
Livewire World has posted a fantastic interview with X-Men writer Mike Carey and he was asked about Rachel joining the cast of his X-book:
Question: You’ve said on your blog that there will be major changes to your line-up in the coming year, and I know you can’t say too much about that but rumour has it that Marvel Girl (Rachel Grey) will be leaving the Uncanny team sometime soon and if the opportunity came up to include her on your team, is she someone you’d like to give time to?Mike Carey: Yes, I like Rachel a lot. I haven’t heard that rumour but I do know that not all of that team are coming home. I’d love to write Rachel, I’d like to write Colossus, I’d be happy to write Nightcrawler, I think there are a lot of cool characters on the other teams.
Mike Carey had previously posted this in response to fan questions on his blog:
Cory – there are a *lot* of mutants I’d like to get my grubby hands on… On the Uncanny side of things, I’ve always liked both Colossus and Nightcrawler. Marvel Girl is a great character and interacts very interestingly with Cable.
Askani – I can promise you that some of your wishes will be granted. (re: interaction between Cable and Rachel) And I agree 100% about the Cable/Rachel interaction (again, see above).
Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada was asked during his Weekly Joe Friday column on Newsarama about any Askani stories in the works:
Q: “XChylde17″ – Any chance we will see some stories coming out of Earth-4935 (the Askani timeline)? It’s such an important part of Cable’s character and it frequently gets referred to, plus it has potential for some really interesting stories, much like Wolverine: Origins. Also, thanks for giving me more Cable by putting him back on the X-Men, with what could be the coolest line-up ever.JQ: Hey, XChylde17, while there are no immediate plans, Cable, Bishop, and Forge are three characters on the top of new X-overlord Axel Alonso’s list of character to bring back into the limelight.
To submit questions for Joe Quesada to answer in future columns, you can post on Newsarama’s forum
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