Wolverine rejoins a functioning X-Men team while his body is still struggling to keep up with him. That is important to the way he behaves in this lineup. His experience and det…

Wolverine rejoins a functioning X-Men team while his body is still struggling to keep up with him. That is important to the way he behaves in this lineup. His experience and determination remain, but neither gives him an unlimited reserve of strength. Genosha makes the problem worse. He and Psylocke infiltrate the Citadel in Uncanny #271, only to be captured by Cameron Hodge. In #272, Hodge forces Logan and Archangel into a fight for his entertainment. Even after the prisoners regain their powers, the final battle in X-Factor #62 leaves Wolverine badly wounded and unable to keep pursuing Hodge. Getting everybody home does not mean he has come home healthy. The Danger Room match with Gambit in #273 brings that condition into an ordinary team setting. Logan tests the newcomer, Gambit refuses to be intimidated, and the encounter becomes much more personal than a routine exercise. A Lady Deathstrike projection distracts Wolverine, giving Gambit an opening to finish the match. Jubilee watches with a better understanding of Logan’s recent condition than his swagger suggests. Her concern changes the scene. Someone who depends on him is watching him take risks he cannot comfortably absorb, while he continues to act as though pushing harder will be enough. The outcome says something about this particular encounter. Turning it into a permanent ranking of Wolverine and Gambit would overlook Logan’s injuries, the distraction and the emotional pressure surrounding the session. For the reassembled team, Wolverine brings both reassurance and a problem they cannot ignore. He knows these people, he will fight for them, and he accepts the shared uniform despite grumbling about it. He also needs room to recover, even when admitting that need sits badly with the image he projects.