The late-eighties team puts him through some pretty brutal decisions.

The late-eighties team puts him through some pretty brutal decisions. He goes through the Dallas sacrifice with the X-Men in Fall of the Mutants. They come back, but the world believes they're dead, and Australia becomes their base. Then the Brood story forces Alex into using lethal force. His power isn't convenient when the person in front of him can look human and still be a danger he has to stop. That's where his discomfort matters. A huge blast looks impressive on the page. Alex has to live with the knowledge that he fired it. The Australia period gives him room on the active team, but it doesn't suddenly turn him into somebody who's comfortable with everything that requires. He's still capable of getting overwhelmed, and his decisions don't stop being personal just because he's wearing the uniform.