Deadpool Movie: Top 5 Actors We Want to Play Cable

Spoiler Warning: Cable, the time travelling mutant who is the son of the X-Men’s Scott Summers, aka Cyclops, and a clone of Jean Grey, Madeline Pryor, is one mutant who has yet to appear in the cavalcade of mutants we’ve already seen hit the big screen. While Cable doesn’t appear in Deadpool proper, and most likely won’t be making an appearance in X-Men Apocalypse, Nathaniel Summers has been a major part of the X-Men universe for decades. Following the credits of the recent Deadpool movie, Wade Wilson pops back on the screen in a bathrobe, informing audiences that for sure, Cable will be appearing in the sequel whenever it may come out. Wilson makes sure to note that Summers has yet to be cast yet, so we thought we’d go ahead and take this opportunity, letting you know who our top five choices for Nathaniel Summers would be.

Liam Neeson

Taken star, Liam Neeson, is no stranger to playing serious roles, and there’s hardly any comic book character more serious than Cable. Holding a demeanor and stature that exudes a lack of sense of humor through most of his roles, even though he does in fact have a good sense of hilarity as can be seen in a skit he did with funnyman Ricky Gervais. Spanning roles of Jedis to FBI agents to bodyguards, Mr. Neeson has yet to appear in a role as a comic book hero or villain and Nathaniel Summers would be the perfect choice for the role. If we’re going to have someone play off the insanity of Ryan Reynold’s Wade Wilson, you’d be hard pressed to find an actor who could fit the bill better.

The idea of Cable is fantastical, but rooted in the idea of being a soldier of fortune. It’s a role that Liam Neeson has played many times in his acting tenure, and I would love to see him not only play opposite of Deadpool, but also eventually lead the misfit team of X-Force members that act as a strange counterpart to the main X-Men team. With Hugh Jackman stepping down as Wolverine shortly, Neeson and Reynolds could help usher in a new era of mutants that has a bit more edge.

James Marsden

For sure, this is the most unorthodox choice of the bunch because Mr. Marsden already played the role of Cable’s dad, Cyclops in the previous X-Men films. While having the same actor play two different roles in comic book films isn’t necessarily something unseen in movies to this point, having Marsden play both father and son would make for an interesting twist on the character. Let’s be real, the chance of Marsden coming back to play Cyclops seems like an impossibility at this point, with X-Men Days of Future Past acting as the swan song to much of the original cast. Granted, he may appear in the final Wolverine film, but Marsden graying up his hair to play Cable would make for a good choice for the role.

James Marsden was pretty unceremoniously killed in X-Men 3: Last Stand and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind getting another crack at a character in the X-Universe, and I think him taking on the role of Nathan Summers would fit the bill.

Jon Hamm

I feel that with a lot of comic book roles, the discussion eventually steers toward Jon Hamm being chosen for a role. He’s been thought of as being perfect for Superman, he played Lex Luthor in a humorous Youtube video, and has stated on record that he’s actually been approached by some comic studios to bring some of their most important characters to life. I think now, and especially with the role of Cable, Hamm would have the perfect opportunity to take on a character that wouldn’t necessarily require a large contract and he could play on his own terms.

Hamm can do deathly serious, as we saw in his role as Don Draper in AMC’s Mad Men, but he is also able to have a pretty decent sense of humor, which would be good in matching Reynold’s energy, as sparingly as that would be. Jon Hamm is just an all around charismatic actor and if you’re trying to introduce one of the bigger mutants in the X-Men universe, I could think of a lot worse actors to bring Cable to life.

Bruce Willis

I love the idea of Bruce Willis as Cable simply because he can act so seriously and having Deadpool bounce off his rigid exterior and gruff demeanor would simply be amazing to see on screen. From Die Hard to Sixth Sense, Willis has brought so many impactful characters to the screen and set deadly serious tones throughout the way. With Cable, just take his portrayal as John McLane, slap a metal arm on him with some telekinetic energy to boot, and you have your man.

Willis has continued to be present in a ton of movies that have dropped over the recent years, but I’d like to see him take center stage once again. If you watch Die Hard With A Vengeance, you know that he’s got the “buddy comedy” down pat and Deadpool’s sequel could be a fantastic rendition of that. 

Karl Urban

To be honest, I just want to see Karl Urban in more movies. His portrayal of Judge Dredd, in the appropriately titled “Dredd”, proved that he can bring a grim and gritty character to the screen, especially one who has a tactical and harsh background. Dredd and Cable have a lot in common, and while I wouldn’t want Urban to play the exact same character, Urban has a demeanor of “not taking any crap” and it would be fun to watch him knock Deadpool around throughout a movie.

Urban needs to get more limelight, and I would love for him to bring Cable to the big screen. Who all do you think should portray the time travelling mutant? Be sure to let us know in the comments!