James Proudstar arrives near the end of the run, rather than appearing alongside Cable at the beginning. In #99, Cable approaches him about joining. James initially declines. He…

James Proudstar arrives near the end of the run, rather than appearing alongside Cable at the beginning. In #99, Cable approaches him about joining. James initially declines. He already has a life, a history with the Hellions and reasons not to take another invitation from another powerful adult at face value. That first refusal gives his recruitment some necessary space. Cable may be looking for people with strength and combat experience, but James is not an empty place waiting for the right team name. He has a community to return to and priorities that exist outside the X-Men's recurring disputes. Then he returns to Camp Verde and finds his people massacred. Evidence at the scene points him toward the Hellfire Club, and that belief changes his response to Cable's offer. The attribution should remain his understanding at this stage, rather than a definitive answer supplied from outside these issues. The grief behind his arrival distinguishes him from someone simply eager for a more aggressive costume. He wants allies and a way to act against the people he believes responsible. Cable's growing team can offer both, which makes their partnership possible under terrible circumstances. By #100, James is fighting alongside the new arrivals. His exchange with Shatterstar connects two people who speak about communities threatened by violence, although they have reached that conversation through very different lives. This is the James Proudstar associated with the emerging Warpath identity. The important point within this short window is the recruitment itself: an invitation, a refusal, a devastating discovery and a changed answer. His place in the team begins with that sequence, and the wound is still fresh when the series ends.