Uncanny X-Men #205, “Wounded Wolf,” gives Katie a very different encounter with Wolverine. Chris Claremont and Barry Windsor-Smith put them together in a snowstorm while Logan i…

Uncanny X-Men #205, “Wounded Wolf,” gives Katie a very different encounter with Wolverine. Chris Claremont and Barry Windsor-Smith put them together in a snowstorm while Logan is being hunted by Lady Deathstrike and the men accompanying her. Katie recognizes him. Logan is so badly hurt that he is struggling to remember himself. The familiar arrangement of the dangerous adult protecting the small child becomes much less comfortable when that adult can barely keep himself together. She helps him survive long enough to recover. There is no need to turn her into a better fighter than Wolverine for that help to matter. Staying with someone, trying to get them somewhere safe and refusing to abandon them are meaningful actions in their own right. Once Logan can take responsibility again, he does. Katie offers to use her power against his attackers, and he tells her to stay out of the fight. That decision is important for both of them. He accepts the help she has already given without treating her destructive ability as an invitation to make her finish his battle. The story leaves room for her to remain scared of him. Friendship does not magically remove everything frightening about Wolverine, especially from a child’s point of view. He has claws, a temper and a history of violence. He is also someone capable of recognizing that a child should not have to carry his fight for him. Power Pack’s connection to the X-Men becomes particularly clear through Katie. These encounters give the mutant heroes people to care about outside their own roster, and they let those people contribute something in return. Logan can get Katie home. Katie can help Logan find his way back to himself. That is why this small family earns space beside the bigger teams. Their place in the story comes from relationships that survive beyond a single fight, not from wearing the same uniform.