Kurt's friendship with Wolverine is one of the pleasures of this lineup. They can spend time together without agreeing about everything, and the differences give their companion…

Kurt's friendship with Wolverine is one of the pleasures of this lineup. They can spend time together without agreeing about everything, and the differences give their companionship room to breathe. The Canadian trip in #139–140 brings Kurt into Logan's world. He sees the connections behind the arguments with Alpha Flight and helps face Wendigo rather than waiting at the mansion for somebody to summarize the adventure. His curiosity extends to the people he cares about, even when their lives contain things he cannot neatly explain. At home, Kitty gives him a less comfortable experience. Her initial reaction to his appearance hurts because it comes from inside the place that ought to offer him acceptance. Kurt's friendliness doesn't make the prejudice imaginary. The Caliban encounter in #148 helps Kitty recognize what she has been doing, and their growing bond has more substance because the early awkwardness is allowed to exist. The Dracula story in #159 brings Kurt's faith clearly into view. When a cross fails in another teammate's hands, Kurt's belief gives the same symbol force. It is a wonderfully direct comic-book way of making an inward conviction visible, without requiring him to turn every conversation into a sermon. The quieter conversation with Logan during the Brood crisis develops the idea further. Kurt prays while facing the possibility of losing his own humanity. His faith gives him somewhere to stand, and he can explain that to a skeptical friend without demanding that Logan become somebody else. The swashbuckling humor and athletic pleasure remain. They belong to the same person as the frightened mutant, loyal friend and believer. Kurt can take the danger seriously and still help make the time between dangers worth having. The team needs that combination more often than it admits.