Wolverine begins this era with a new brown-and-tan costume and a trip to Canada that lets Kurt see another part of his life. The change of clothes is memorable, but the company…

Wolverine begins this era with a new brown-and-tan costume and a trip to Canada that lets Kurt see another part of his life. The change of clothes is memorable, but the company he keeps is the more important development. By #139–140, Nightcrawler can travel with him into old obligations and unfinished arguments. Their fight alongside Alpha Flight against Wendigo makes the friendship practical as well as social. Logan has someone beside him who can see the danger without treating every part of his past as a reason to back away. He remains difficult to live with. Angel's departure makes clear that the team hasn't reached a universal agreement about Wolverine's conduct. Being useful in a crisis doesn't mean everyone is comfortable with how quickly he reaches for violence, especially with Kitty now in the house. The Brood story gives that tension its harshest setting. Logan's senses begin contradicting the pleasant reality the captives have been made to accept. In #162, his own body becomes the battleground as his healing factor fights the embryo inside him. Survival tells him what is happening to his friends without supplying an easy way to save them. His willingness to consider killing them before the transformation is horrifying, and the story understands that. He is imagining a responsibility he doesn't want anybody else to carry. The danger is that deciding what mercy requires can put him in conflict with the people he means to protect. His friendship with Kurt survives a much quieter disagreement about faith during that ordeal. Logan can doubt what gives his friend comfort and still stay beside him. This version of Wolverine is growing more attached to the team while discovering how uncomfortable attachment can make his hardest decisions.