Starting Alt 4935: Askani

Comic book stories are full of alternate timelines and "what if" scenarios. There are so many, that it can be challenging to keep up them straight. Marvel tracks their "multiverse" by designated each reality with its own numeric value. A better description can be found at Marvel Multiverse on Wiki and the Complete Marvel Multiverse List.  Two of the best known are:

• Earth-616 (Marvel Universe): the reality in which most Marvel comics exist.
• Earth-199999 (Marvel Cinematic Universe): the reality in which most of the Marvel comic movies exist 

Most of the divergent timelines are part of the normal reading, but there are some cases in which we will focus solely on an alternate reality:

• Earth-295 (Age of Apocalypse): I see at least two times in which we will delve into this dystopian future.
• Earth-928 (Marvel 2099): X-Men 2099 fits in this reality set in the future
• Earth-1610 (Ultimate Marvel): A completely revision of the Marvel universe which includes Ultimate X-Men
• Earth-4935 (Earth Askani): covering the origin of Cable

Our first foray into alternate timelines fits perfectly here before we start Era #6. Much of Earth Askani will be explored in Cable's solo title (which I will not be reading), but four limited series in the 1990s provide answers to some of the questions raised in Era #5:

• Where did the mysterious Cable come from before his first appearance in New Mutants #86?
• What happened to baby Nathan Summers after he was sent to the future in X-Factor #68?
• Why does Styfe look like Cable as revealed in New Mutants #100? 
• How do Domino, G.W. Bridge and Kane know Cable?

These four titles do not fit seamlessly making Earth Askani my least favorite of the alternative timelines. Still, I wanted to know more about Cable, and in that regard, these stories provided me with a good enough foundation to be conversant.

• X-Men: Phoenix (1999 Limited Series)
• Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix (1994 Limited Series)
• Askani'Son (1996 Limited Series)
• Cable: Blood & Metal (1992 Limited Series)