Sam’s place as co-leader becomes harder during this period because the team’s problems stop offering anything like a clean solution. Helping somebody in danger can still be the…

Sam’s place as co-leader becomes harder during this period because the team’s problems stop offering anything like a clean solution. Helping somebody in danger can still be the right instinct, but a good intention does not guarantee that everybody will come home. The Bird-Brain story and Doug’s death force that reality into the class. Sam is one of the older students, and his protective role makes a loss inside the team especially difficult to process. His relationship with Rahne becomes part of how the survivors try to support each other rather than carrying their guilt alone. New Mutants #67 gives Sam another version of the responsibility problem. He promises Magneto that he will not use his powers when he goes to Lila Cheney’s concert. Then aliens attack and Lila is in danger. The promise puts his obedience to his teacher directly at odds with the emergency in front of him. That is a very specific problem for Sam. His word means something to him, and he wants to be trustworthy. The world does not stop producing emergencies just because an adult has forbidden him to get involved. A rule meant to keep him safe becomes difficult to apply when somebody else needs help. As the book moves into Inferno, his blasting is still one of the group’s most immediate ways to reach somebody or break through a threat. The larger question is how he chooses where to put himself. Sam cannot prevent every loss by being more determined, and he cannot become a leader simply by following every instruction. These stories keep forcing him to make decisions while accepting that other people will be affected by them, including friends he desperately wants to protect.