Feral reaches the closing issues while running from Masque and the Morlocks associated with him. Her introduction across #99–100 brings a different reason for joining into the e…

Feral reaches the closing issues while running from Masque and the Morlocks associated with him. Her introduction across #99–100 brings a different reason for joining into the emerging group: she needs somewhere the people pursuing her cannot simply claim her back. That is an immediate problem, and Cable answers it immediately. In #100, he refuses to hand her over. His confrontation with Masque and Brute makes clear that shelter with this group will be defended, and that he is prepared to use force to make the point. There is a connection here to the older New Mutants premise. A young mutant needs protection from people who want control over her. The form of that protection has changed sharply by the last issue, but the need itself would have been familiar to Xavier's first class. Feral also arrives with abilities that suit the new group's physical intensity. Her claws, agility and animal appearance make her a striking addition to a cast already acquiring swords, guns and heavier combat silhouettes. Her presence helps make the final ensemble look different before readers have had much time to learn about her. That limited introduction matters. This window establishes her escape, the pursuit and the refuge she finds. It does not support importing every later revelation about her family or every later judgment of her behavior into the moment when she first arrives. By the end of #100, she is among people whose reasons for standing together vary enormously. Cannonball has stayed, Domino knows Cable, James wants allies, and Shatterstar wants help for his own cause. Feral needs protection. Cable's next team begins by bringing those immediate needs into one place, without having resolved all the trouble attached to them.