Warning: contains spoilers for Children of the Vault
Summary
- Cable and Bishop, previously mortal enemies, are forced to work together in Children of the Vault to save mutantkind's future.
- Both heroes have a history of conflict, with Bishop chasing Cable and Hope in a desperate attempt to kill the "mutant messiah."
- Despite their tension and differences, Cable and Bishop show respect and iration for each other as they collaborate to defeat the manipulative Children of the Vault.
One of the most personal conflicts in all of X-Men history is back in the limelight during the Fall of X, as Cable and Bishop must work together to save mutantkind's future in Children of the Vault. Bishop and Cable are two of the quintessential Marvel characters, and Children of the Vault has proven that the duo, who were previously mortal enemies, work much better as partners.
As the X-Men's devastating Fall of X era continues in earnest, Cable and Bishop have been forced to get over the past differences and collaborate, if they hope to stay alive against Orchis while also working to take down the manipulative Children of the Vault. After Bishop rescues Cable in Children of the Vault #1, it becomes clear that the Children can only be defeated with the combined forces of the two mutant heroes, who must use their impressive mutant abilities and a shared love of firearms to rebel.
Cable And Bishop Were Mortal Enemies For Many Years
Both Cable and Bishop debuted in X-Men comics in the '90s and quickly became fan favorites, partly because their over-the-top designs and violent behaviors were perfectly of the times. For years after their debut, the two spent very little time together, until the disastrous X-Men: Messiah Complex event, which introduced the future "mutant messiah" Hope. Cable quickly took it upon himself to keep Hope safe, moving stealthily through the timeline, but Bishop became convinced that Hope was the cause of his horrific future.
For many years, Bishop chased Cable and Hope across the timeline, with Bishop destroying humanity in an attempt to kill Hope, among other terrible atrocities. Bishop became quite focused, unable to think of anything else besides Hope's death, and made Cable and Hope's lives a constant battle for survival. Eventually, X-Men: Second Coming revealed that Hope was indeed the "mutant messiah," and when Bishop was eventually brought back to the present by a convoluted X-Force plot, Storm and Psylocke psychically removed Bishop's obsession with Hope from his mind. This turned him back into the hero they knew.
Their Latest Adventure Might Finally Repair The Bridge Between Them
Bishop's descent into villainy while stalking Cable and Hope never made much sense and basically destroyed his character, so it is encouraging to see the former adversaries forced to team up for the greater good. Children of the Vault shows that there is still a lot of tension between Bishop and Cable over the "misunderstanding," as Cable puts it, but there is a chance that their war against the Children could finally mend the rupture between the two iconic heroes. Both Cable and Bishop are highly skilled tacticians, with extensive knowledge of advanced weaponry, psychic defenses, and future timelines, meaning that by working together they have a real chance of taking down the Children.
Even if Cable and Bishop succeed in defeating the Children, they will most likely never be close friends, but it appears they are already building up a healthy dose of respect and iration for each other. When Bishop rescued Cable, he clearly did it knowing that their work together would be awkward, and both men have worked through this tension to fight for the mutants of Earth. As the two time-traveling X-Men heroes begin their assault on the Children's advanced City, Cable and Bishop continue to prove they work way better as partners than they do as enemies.
Children of the Vault #1 and 2 from Marvel Comics are available now in stores.
