Nate Grey is a Marvel comics character who first appeared during the X-Men storyline "Age of Apocalypse". He was created by Sinister using the DNA of Scott Summers and Jean Grey. He is essentially the "AoA" version of Cable (although they technically have different mothers). At the end of the "AoA" storyline, Nate ends up in the "normal" Marvel universe.

Nate's comic, titled "X-Man" (although I don't remember anyone referring to him by this in the actual comics) was fascinating because it let us view the Marvel universe in an entirely new light. Everything was strange and different to Nate, who came from a world where everything was very wrong. For example, for a large portion of the story, Nate viewed the X-Men as borderline villains who couldn't be trusted. How different from the way we as readers usually view them! Nate also served as a constant reminder of what I personally think is one of the greatest X-Men stories ever told, the "Age of Apocalypse". His random flashbacks (presented as images or as written narrative) could easily draw us back into that dark and horrible world, never letting us forget what we saw there.

As a character, Nate was very obviously flawed. He was a teenager, a young man who barely understood who and what he was. As such, he was prone to making mistakes. He occasionally lashed out. Occasionally hurt people who didn't deserve it. He was slow to trust anyone and quick to assume that everyone was an enemy. This is understandable, given his past. Nate had amazing abilities and even more amazing adventures, but he also had very human needs, thoughts, and habits. Nate liked junk food. He liked television and pretty girls and playing hero. He liked attention and money. He liked to have fun. But despite this, Nate was always on the run, always trying to escape his various enemies and just be left alone. Like any teenager, he wasn't sure what to do with his life, hadn't figured out what his plans were, but he wanted to enjoy the ride.

The title was eventually canceled (I still don't understand exactly why, something about trimming down the number of X-titles, which makes absolutely no sense to me; if a comic is still selling well, why cut it?) after seventy-five issues. The quality went up and down, and many readers complained that Nate's lack of "focus" or a clearly defined goal is what doomed the title. I happen to think Nate's free-roaming adventures of self-discovery, searching for fun, and trying to find his place in this strange new world, were a major part of the comic's charm. In fact, the parts of the series I found to be most disappointing were when Nate DID have a focus or goal.

Will Nate ever return? It's definitely possible. Marvel has a habit of bringing back characters who are supposed to be dead or nonexistant or scattered across the multiverse or whatever. I would love to see a revival of Nate's character, the way he was in the earlier issues, when he was actually fun and relatable. Maybe give him a bit more edge without making him too dark (though it would be interesting to put him in some realistic, dark, edgy stories even if the character himself is not too dark). At the very least, Nate lives on in the realm of fanfiction and fanart.

If you would like to see Nate return, consider sending an e-mail to Marvel (visit their website to find out how to contact them) to let them know that you still love Nate and would definitely buy or subscribe to a new title featuring him!