Why the X-Men Movies Need Both Cable and Stryfe

Cable's Purpose

The first reason to bring Stryfe into the X-Men movie universe would be to give Cable a distinct purpose and trajectory. Cable's rivalry with Stryfe is something that's (literally) embedded in the character's core, right down to his bionic limbs; the pair have existed as two sides of the same coin throughout the entirety of time in X-Men lore, and it's not really right having one without the other.

Having Stryfe be active within the X-Men movie universe when Cable arrives in Deadpool 2 also sets up a larger story arc for the X-Men movie universe. Since Stryfe is from the future just like Cable, his operations in the past could've been going on for some time and affected any number of events involving the X-Men.

Unraveling the secrets of where Stryfe is and what he's up to could occupy Josh Brolin's Cable (and the fans) for the course of several films...

The Anti-X-Force

Stryfe is master schemer, having first appeared in the late '80s / '90s X-Men comic books as the leader of his own mutant terrorist/anarchist organization called the Mutant Liberation Front.

Cable and Deadpool will be coming out of the events of Deadpool 2 headed for the larger team-up of Drew Goddard's X-Force movie, and it stands to reason that X-Force could use a larger villain threat to fight.

Since X-Force will deal with the ethical notions of mutants using their powers to hurt or kill in the name of the greater good, it would be fitting to have an "anti-X-force" like M.L.F. around, to demonstrate the thin line that exists between terrorists and freedom fighters; X-Men and the M.L.F. or Brotherhood of mutants; and ultimately, Cable and Stryfe themselves.

Canonical Connections

As stated, having Stryfe in the X-Men movie universe is useful in that it could allow for a lot of X-men movie universe canon to be explained or straightened out.

As a master schemer who is able to operate across various timelines, Stryfe is the type of villain whose chess move influences could be used to explain events of films like Logan (the dropoff in mutant births, the genetic testing that created X-23), or Apocalypse (the genetic samples collected by Essex Corporation, and the possible connection to Mr. Sinister).

Since Stryfe and Cable's rivalry and connection extends across the span of time, their respective knowledge of time could be used as an effective way of pruning branches from the overgrown weed that is X-Men movie continuity. It may be a cheap gimmicky fix, but if Brolin played both roles right, it could be the much-needed fix fans have been waiting for.

Performance Feat

One other reason to have Stryfe be part of Cable's world in the X-Men movies is to give Josh Brolin the chance to play both roles!

Brolin has proven to be good at playing both square-jawed warrior types (No Country for Old Men, Men in Black 3) and scene-chewing shady operators (Sicario, Hail Caesar!), not to mention iconic comic book figures (Avengers: Infinity War, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For).

Seeing the Oscar-nominated actor combine all of those talents into a split-screen performance as a both a square-jawed soldier (Cable) and a scene-chewing villain (Stryfe). It would be fun for fans, and a whole lot of fun for Brolin himself. Sounds like a win-win.

Crossover Poential

Deadpool 2 will mark a turning point for the X-Men movie franchise, which will be going through a rapid expansion into fantastical elements like time relativity, cosmic discovery, and maybe even the supernatural, thanks to the release of films like New Mutants and X-Men: Dark Phoenix after the Deadpool sequel.

With the X-Men movies entering the era of a much bigger shared universe, there's almost inherent potential for an eventual crossover, and Stryfe is a villain who has been at the center of couple of really big, and famous, X-Men crossover storylines.

The X-Cutioner's Song - This early '90s crossover event put Stryfe center stage. The story kicks off with Stryfe (impersonating Cable) making an assassination attempt on Charles Xavier's life during a mutant/human peace rally. That sends the various factions of X-Men scrambling to find a cure for the techo-organic virus Stryfe shoots Xavier with, while trying to track down and apprehend Cable and X-Force, who they mistakenly believe responsible for the attack. It's a massive story that ends in outer space, featuring Cable, Stryfe, several X-Men teams and even the villain Apocalypse (Stryfe's mentor).

Messiah Trilogy - The "Messiah Trilogy" of the 2010s saw Cable on the run through time to protect Hope, a powerful mutant baby born in an era where mutants are seemingly going extinct in the world. With the X-Men, evil mutants, and anti-mutant human agencies all looking to get there hands on Hope, Cable must escape with her into the future, in order to raise the child. In the future, he and X-Force must save Hope (as a child) from being turned into the new vessel for Apocalypse by Stryfe, and it concludes with Cable and a grown up Hope returning to the present to fight a two-pronged battle against advanced sentinel Bastion and his legions, in both the present and future.

Either of these storylines utilize elements that have already been established in recent X-Men movies like Apocalypse and Logan, while leaving room to incorporate upcoming franchises like X-Force and New Mutants. In short, they're a great way to give the next phase of X-Men films a proper crossover event, and Josh Brolin's Stryfe would be pivotal to making them work.

Deadpool 2 will be in theaters on June 1, 2018.

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of Paramount. Sign up for Paramount+ by clicking here.