Although the X-Men movies have introduced many of Marvel’s most well known mutant superheroes, there are still a few favorites who have yet to be seen in live action. One of those is Cable, the time traveling mutant with the bionic eye, metal arm and plenty of firepower. Fortunately, co-creator Rob Liefeld has a good choice to play the mutant: Jon Hamm.
Shortly after Hamm won a Golden Globe last night for his performance as Don Draper in Mad Men, Liefeld tweeted out congratulations to the actor and suggested that he be the one to bring Cable to life on the big screen. With Mad Men completing its seven season run last year and Jon Hamm now a household name, playing Cable would be a great blockbuster role, if the actor’s up for it, of course. It would definitely be a major score for 20th Century Fox if they snagged Hamm before Marvel Studios or Warner Bros recruited him for their respective cinematic universes. He would just need to bulk up for the role, but it’s a doable prospect.
For those not familiar with Cable, he is the son of Scott Summers (a.k.a. Cyclops) and Madelyne Pryor who was sent to the future as a baby. His natural mutant abilities are telekinesis and telepathy, but he was infected with a "techno-organic" virus after birth, and he learned to keep it at bay while fighting for survival in this post-apocalyptic environment. As an adult, Cable traveled back to the present to try to prevent the horrible future he lived in from becoming a reality. He subsequently became a key member of teams like X-Force and the New Mutants. Aside from his history with various mutant teams, Cable is known for his (unwilling) partnership with Deadpool, though the two have also had their fair share of feuds over the years.
Although Cable was considered for X-Men: Days of Future Past (which fits given the time travel), it was decided he was too big to feature in the 2014 blockbuster. At one point, he was also one of the five lead characters being looked at for X-Force. Deadpool director Tim Miller said last year that he’s strongly considering putting Cable in Deadpool 2 if the sequel becomes a reality. There’s also a New Mutants movie in the works, and given that Cable was a mentor to the young heroes in the team’s early years, he could certainly perform the same role in live action.
After numerous appearances in animated shows and video games, it’s about time that Cable is brought into the movies, be it in a spinoff or one of the "main" entries. Make sure to let us know in the comments below if you think Jon Hamm is a good choice to play Cable, or if you have your own perfect actor in mind.
