Cable & Deadpool #1

Issue Date: 
May 2004
Story Title: 
If Looks Could Kill - part 1: Face to Face
Staff: 

Fabian Nicieza (writer), Mark Brooks and Shane Law of Udon (art), Erik Ko (Udon Chief), VC’s Cory Petit (letterer), Nicole Wiley & Andy Schmidt (assistant-editors), Tom Brevoort (editor), Joe Quesada (editor-in-chief), Dan Buckley (publisher), Rob Liefeld (cover-art), Cable created by Rob Liefeld and Louise Simonson, Deadpool created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza

Brief Description: 

Deadpool gets a phone call from Paris, where he’s hired by the One World Church, a cult that tries to unite humanity by making everybody lose their identity. The Church’s leader wants Wade to retrieve a virus that can help them in their mission. Deadpool leaves for the facility in Germany, where the virus is processed. Meanwhile, Cable has been spying on that same facility, while staying in a hotel. He helps a mutant in the hotel by sending him to Charles Xavier and then calls Irene Merryweather for information on the Sunic Pharmacopoeia, which has created that virus. Deadpool infiltrates the facility with his usual lack of subtlety, while Cable simply walks into the building, shielded from all harm by his telekinetics. They both run into each other in the middle of the facility and neither is happy to see the other.

Full Summary: 

Wade Wilson, out of costume, sits in his apartment while he is watching TV. Night becomes day, day becomes night. Wade still sits there, surfing channels and commenting on programs. At one point, the phone rings, Wade answers and the voice on the other end asks for Deadpool. Wade walks away and returns a few seconds later wearing his mask. The person on the other side is a representative of the One World Church and they want to hire Deadpool. Deadpool refuses when he hears the church is in France, thinking that they are at war with France. But the lack of war in France and the great amount of money quickly convince him to get on a plane.

Arriving at Orleans Airport, Deadpool walks up to two blue figures in white cloaks, who are carrying a sign with the name “Mr. Deadpool” on it. Deadpool, disguised by as a normal tourist, tells them to hide the sign and just call him Wade. The blue monks agree and wonder if he has any luggage. Deadpool says that he hasn’t: guns are always easy to get, even in France.

Inside the car, Deadpool asks if he can take off his face. The blue monks are confused and one of them quotes their own books. Deadpool removes a latex mask and tells him to stop preaching or he will gouge eyes. He then wonders why the monks aren’t freaked by his true face. The monks are actually rather pleased by his true face. According to them, he is on his way to “lose his mask for the greater one.” They remove their hoods and reveal their blue, nearly featureless faces. The monks explain that they have cleansed themselves of all identity.

They arrive at a monastery but Deadpool tells the driver to keep the motor running, because he doesn’t trust this place. An elderly blue man with tattoos tells him that he hopes that won’t be the case. He introduces himself as the Prime Minister of the One World Church, formerly known as Anton Kruch, and welcomes Deadpool to the colony. Deadpool is confused by the word colony, making several jokes about Star Trek, William Shatner and alien sex.

The prime minister beckons him to follow while he explains. He explains that, five years ago, he lived as most other men do, gathering money, foods and pleasure, but that he was empty inside. He then explains the dogma of the One World Church: the human race is divided by lots of things: colour, language, nationality, beliefs and culture. Deadpool concludes that the prime minister tries to remove those divisions by making everybody look and think the same. The prime minister agrees and asks Deadpool if he thinks it’s madness or genius. Deadpool replies that he never could tell the difference. Deadpool wonders why he chose blue as a colour. The Prime Minister replies that he thinks it’s a very placid colour. Deadpool responds with being partial to red and black himself, he asks for more details on his job.

Inside the monastery, there is a high-tech information facility. The prime minister briefs Deadpool on the Sunic Pharmaceutical Cooperation and that members of his cult have insinuated themselves in the cooperation, sacrificing their lives in the colony for the benefit of the colony. Deadpool understands: they’re spies. The prime minister continues: inside the lab is a synthetic virus that can pose a grave danger to humanity but, according to his scientists, the virus can also be used for good. Deadpool wonders how but the prime minister shows him a case full of money. He asks Wade if it really matters. Wade is convinced and the prime minister tells him to retrieve the toxin from a German facility. He also tells him that Germany is another country they are not at war with. Deadpool just responds that they will be when he’s done.

In Frankfurt, a man called Beimer enters the facility, greeted by various members of the staff on the way, but Beimer never responds. We also see the thoughts of the staff to Beimer’s rudeness. Inside a hotel room, Cable is hanging upside down in the lotus position. While he is looking at the world through Beimer’s eyes, he hears Beimer order that they should use a human subject by tonight to see if the façade works.

Cable interrupts his telepathic surveillance when room service knocks on his door. The hotel worker thanks Cable for his patronage, again. But wonders why Cable orders so much food and never eats it. Cable replies that he wanted to get to know the man. The man gets the wrong idea and answers that he has a family. Cable smiles and replies that he has one as well and tells the other man not to get agitated, Cable wouldn’t like him if he would agitated. The hotel worker is surprised that Cable knows about that, Cable shows him his telekinetic powers and tells him that he’s a mutant like him. He tells the man that he knows about his mutant power to release ‘fissionable discharges of exhaled CO2 when agitated’ and that he never told his family about it. He advises the man to go to the X-Corporation and learn to control his powers, giving him an X-corporation card. The man is not sure, but Cable mentions his daughter and the man is convinced. He leaves, thanking Cable for his advice.

Cable calls Irene Merryweather and asks her for information on Sunic. Irene wonders if he couldn’t get that information telepathically but Cable replies that he did that the whole day already and he wants her to confirm his suspicions. Irene agrees as long as she gets a story in return.

A short while later, Deadpool has entered the Sunic facility and is attacking the guards. He tells them that he is paying them back for Normandy and Brigitte Nielsen. One of the guards wants to reply that she isn’t German but he dies before he can. Some grenades later, Deadpool has defeated all resistance and moves towards the lab. In the security control room, there is a panic, which gets even worse when they notice a second intruder.

Outside, the guards are trying to deal with the second intruder: Cable, who simply walks past them, protected by his telekinetic shield, while he catches the thoughts of three people running past him, who hope that he doesn’t know something. He steps inside the lab and finds Deadpool holding a screaming man. Deadpool sees him and makes a joke about Cable’s list of names and wonders which one he should use. Cable replies that “Cable” is just fine. Deadpool then wonders if they are going to fight. Cable replies that they probably will.

Characters Involved: 

Cable/Nathan Christopher Summers/Nathan Dayspring Askani’son/Soldier X

Deadpool/Wade Wilson

Irene Merryweather (reporter at the Daily Bugle and friend of Cable)

Anton Kruch / Prime Minister of the One World Church

Beimer (Head at the Sunic cooperation’s facility in Germany)

Unnamed mutant hotel worker

Story Notes: 

The position Cable is in is the standard meditation position of the Askani, the philosophy Cable follows.

Issue Information: 

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