Entry 016 – Cannonball

Art by Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado

• Name: Samuel Zachery Guthrie
• Code Names: Cannonball
• First Appearance: Marvel Graphic Novel #4: New Mutants (Nov ’82)
• Powers: Propels himself through air with explosive force, nigh invulnerable when blastin’
• Teams Affiliation: New Mutants, X-Force, X-Men, Avengers

About

Responsibility is a tough concept for most kids to comprehend. They want to be trusted with more but aren’t always willing to deal with the consequences of their actions. Some never have a choice in growing up and have responsibility thrust upon them, and in that moment their true character is shown. The mutant known as Cannonball immediately understood what responsibility meant and embodied that every day. He was molded by the most important leaders of the mutant world and became the crown jewel of the Xavier Institute, the embodiment of its mission to train the next generation of mutants.

Sam Guthrie was introduced in The New Mutants Graphic Novel by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod. The oldest of the ten Guthrie kids, Sam always felt a strong draw to be there for anyone who needed him. When his coal mining father died from the black lung, Sam took it upon himself at sixteen to give up school and support his family in the mines. During his first shift the mine suffered a cave in and, while Sam was unharmed, his supervisor was trapped in some rubble. Sam didn’t hesitate to try and help the man, and in doing so his legs began to explode and propelled the two through the crumbling mine. His blossoming mutant ability caught the attention of both the Hellfire cardinal Donald Pierce and Charles Xavier. Pierce reached him first and offered the boy a job with the Hellfire Club, and while Sam had reservations about the job, he knew it would help support his family. He assisted in capturing Xavier and drew the attention of the other young mutants Xavier was recruiting. Sam proved his moral center during the conflict, when Pierce commanded him to kill his foes, the boy responded with a simple “No sir.” After conflict was resolved, Sam accepted Xavier’s invitation to join his new students at the Xavier Academy.

Art by Bob McLeod and Glynis Wein

As one of the oldest members of the New Mutants, Cannonball naturally gravitated towards a leadership role. He became close friends with Sunspot and started a friendly rivalry with Dani Moonstar. Sam struggled to control his powers in the Danger Room and in the field, but kept pushing forward under Xavier’s tutelage. He truly believed that humans and mutants could find unity, thanks to Ma Guthrie raising him right. Cannonball began to grow into his own when he started a long distance semi-relationship with intergalactic rock star, and planetary thief Lila Cheney.

Art by Bill Sienkiewicz

Professor Xavier eventually left Earth and the New Mutants under the care of Magneto. This did not sit well with the straight-laced Sam who continually questioned his new headmaster’s motives. This distrust lead to the New Mutants not consulting Magneto and generated a feeling of anger throughout the team. At one point Sam joined the New Mutants in leaving the Xavier School and joining their rivals, The Hellions and their headmaster Emma Frost. They eventually saw Magneto’s passion for the students and rejoined him at the Xavier Academy, but the seeds of distrust would never fully disappear. His fellow New Mutants teammate Cypher was killed by an anti-mutant group, thanks in part to the team not informing Magneto of their activities. Cannonball realized that his worldview was a bit naïve and there may been some merit to Magnetos’s belief that humans and mutants could never co-exist. When the X-Mansion we destroyed during the events of Inferno the New Mutants decided their training under Magneto had come to an end and struck out on their own.

Art by Jackson Guice, Kyle Baker, and Michelle Wrightson

The New Mutants combined forces with the X-Terminators, a team of teenaged mutants who had been under the care of X-Factor, but after an adventure in Asgard realized they still needed guidance. They soon met the mysterious freedom fighter known as Cable and Sam took quite a shine to him. Cable offered a different path than Xavier or Magneto, not passive but still working towards to the dream of human/mutant integration. As teammates came and went, and Cable transformed the New Mutants into X-Force, Cannonball stayed as a strong second in command gaining as much field knowledge as he could. When the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants attacked X-Force, Cannonball was stabbed by Sauron and presumed dead, however he quickly recover like nothing had happened. Cable revealed that Guthrie was an immortal High Lord and Cable came to this time period to train him through his ascension.

Art by Rob Liefeld

Behind the scenes shake ups changed the direction of the X-Force book and that lead to the High Lord plot getting effectively dropped and Cable floated in and out of the team, leaving Cannonball in charge. Samuel Zachery Guthrie took on this responsibility as well as he always did. He stood behind his team when the X-Men questioned their methods, he didn’t allow his blossoming relationship with his teammate Boom Boom to interfere with his leadership, and he was willing the challenge is mentor Cable when he disagreed with orders. Cannonball began fulfilling the potential Xavier saw in him many years ago. It paid off when Cannonball was finally asked to become a full-fledged member of the X-Men, the first New Mutant to make it to the team.

Cannonball’s tenure on the X-Men was sadly short lived. While he earned his keep, holding his own against foes as tough as the Shi’ar Gladiator, the X-Men as a team were just unfocused at the time and Sam never found a place to fit in. He left to team to take care of his family and shortly after joined Peter Wisdom’s new, refocused X-Force, eventually leading the team. When they disbanded he bounced from group to group, a short stint with the Paris X-Corporation, a few missions with Storm’s X-Treme X-Men, searching out his old mentor Cable, but nothing seemed to fit. Eventually Sam took a position on one of the X-Men field team operating out of the Xavier Academy. His brother Jay and sisters Melody and Paige were students there and he finally found a place to belong.

Art by Joe Madureira, Tim Townsend and Richard Starkings

M-Day, and the events that followed hit the Guthrie family hard. Melody was depowered during the decimation and Jay was killed during the Church of Humanity’s attack on the school. This devastated Sam and he hardened his resolve to protect the remaining mutants. He reunited with Cable to join Rogue’s X-Men team, known by fans as the Supernovas, and left the school as it reminded him too much of his brother’s death. In the lead up to Messiah CompleX the X-Men were ambushed by threats from inside and out and Cannonball was caught right in the middle. He battled valiantly to prevent Sinister’s Marauders from getting a hold of the Destiny Diaries but was seriously injured in the process.

Art by Chris Bachalo

Sam recovered and followed the rest of the X-Men out west to establish new home for mutants. There Sam requested to reform the New Mutants as an autonomous X-Men squad, a request Cyclops immediately approved. Cannonball lead the team well, during the events of Necrosha, and Second Coming and his long time rivalry with Dani Moonstar turned more flirtatious. When Legion rewrote reality in Age of X Cannonball died and when everything was returned the normal, the mental scars from the event didn’t fully heal. At the same time his sister Paige was experiencing difficulty with her mutation. When Logan asked him and Paige to come with him to form the Jean Grey School, Cannonball accepted and went back east.

Iron Man had an idea, the Avengers had to get bigger. To that end he and Captain America began recruiting the biggest and most power team of Avengers they could. Cannonball and Sunspot made the list. Sam brought a youth and a new perspective to the team and he and Bobby were thrilled to trade being feared and hated for being loved and adored. During the Builder’s War Sam became close with his new teammate, the Shi’ar Super Guardian Smasher, Izzy Kane. Izzy was the daughter of an Iowan cattle farmer, she loved the sky, and she worked hard up the ranks of the Shi’ar Guardians. She was perfect for Sam and they fell for each other. Izzy became pregnant and by Shi’ar law was forced to return to the home world, unable to tell Sam what was going on. Cannonball chased her across the galaxy, facing down the Imperial Guard just to be with her. When he learned of the situation he knew his home was no longer on Earth, it was here with Izzy and their son Josiah.

Art by Jeff Dekal

Must Read

There is one obvious answer to this, Chris Claremont’s New Mutants remains the definitive Cannonball stories. A great teen adventure that takes this Kentucky kid and turns him into a fully formed character and there is nothing more anyone could say about it. That’s why it isn’t my pick for the must read Cannonball story at all, mine is coming out of left field but it is the story you all need to track down and read, Avengers World #17 by Frank Barbiere and Marco Checchetto. This story has it all, Ma Guthrie giving her son sage advice, the day being saved by Cannonball blasting through a space squid, Bobby and Sam being best friends, Starjammers, and true love. Maybe I’m a little biased because my first son was born recently but this story about Sam having his really spoke to me. Looking at Checchetto’s art you can tell he is an A-Lister waiting to happen, his characters are a perfect mix of realistic and emotive. This issue is on Marvel Unlimited and available as part of the trade Avengers World Vol. 4: Before Time Runs Out.

Art by Jeff Dekal

Ranking

I don’t want the top of this list to just be the biggest names and I don’t want it to all be from one team, but dang it if Cannonball doesn’t deserve to be up in the top. Here we have a character who could have been turned into a generic country bumpkin but is instead a good guy with one of the most believable senses of responsibility in comics. Here is a character who has actually been allowed to grow up and readers have been allowed to see that. He stayed good during the worst parts of the 90’s. That’s why Cannonball is the new number 2 in the Xavier Files.

Zachary Jenkins

Zachary Jenkins co-hosts the podcast Battle of the Atom and is the former editor-in-chief of ComicsXF. Shocking everyone, he has a full and vibrant life outside all this.