Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Cable & Deadpool: The Original Odd Couple


In the annuls of comics there are some very memorable partnerships. There's Batman and Robin, Spider-Man and the Black Cat, and pretty much anybody and Wolverine. Some partnerships allow characters to really compliment one another and help tell better stories. Some help contrast the characters, bringing out new sides to their persona that wouldn't have emerged otherwise. Either way there are many ways that such partnerships exude awesomeness. But one in particular is very special.

Enter Cable and Deadpool, the two people you would least expect to get along. On one end you have Cable, a rugged soldier from the future. He was born of a clone, raised by Cyclops and Jean Grey, and earned his battle experience in the worst of environments. He has a dark, serious demeanor. Who wouldn't after growing up in a dystopian future? He has Wolverine's badassery and the poise and determination of Cyclops. He's the last person you would think could get along with someone like Deadpool, a man who by any measure is one of the craziest characters in comics. He's a wisecracking, 4th wall breaking, offbeat psycho mercenary who can have a heart of gold at times. He's lovable in so many ways. If Spider-Man used guns, could heal, and was nuttier than squirrle turds then that would be Deadpool. You would think that someone like him wouldn't be able to stand someone like Cable. And yet, they make it work.

The Cable and Deadpool series brought out the best in each character. They showed once again that the old ploy of the odd couple can still make for great stories. Leading up to Civil War, it most certainly did. These two kicked some serious ass together, creating a partnership you would never see anywhere else. What's more is it worked for them. These characters were able to grow and develop. It has often been said that Deadpool's surge in popularity was helped in part because of the success of Cable and Deadpool. It was somewhat of a shame that this partnership ended after Civil War, but both characters have gone on to better things. Now Deadpool has so many ongoing titles it's hard to keep up with. He's almost as omnipresent as Wolverine and that's saying something. Cable has taken center stage in the Messiah Complex story, now helping to raise Hope Summers, the first mutant born after M-Day, in the future. It has made for some great moments, but there's still no substitute for that old classic partnership.

And it seems as though we may get one last gasp at Cable and Deadpool. It was recently announced that the Cable series, which began after Messiah Complex, is about to end and the final issue, Cable 25, will bring Deadpool back into the fold.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=24473

It's an exciting prospect, promising to tell the story of how Cable was able to get the infant Hope before the X-men and the Purifiers. It is a tale that hopes to bring the odd couple back together, but is it for the last time?

Recent releases for the upcoming Second Coming event indicate there will be some deaths by the end. Is Cable one of them? The man has pushed himself a great deal in the comics. He raised Hope into her teenage years and even for a time traveler, he isn't getting any younger. Will he end up making the ultimate sacrifice for her? If so it would be fitting, but at the same time it would be tragic because that would mean the end of the Cable/Deadpool partnership. Only time will tell. We'll just have to wait and see. Either way, Cable and Deadpool have already shown that no matter how uptight or certifiably crazy two people may be it can always work to produce grade-A awesome.

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