Warning: contains spoilers for Excalibur #17!
Pete Wisdom is one of the few mutants who seemingly does not reside on the island of Krakoa. He has no interest in ing X-Men could benefit greatly from his presence. The issue, written by Tini Howard with art by Marcu To and colors by Erick Arciniega, is available in stores and online now.
Wisdom first appeared in Excalibur vol. 1 #86 and was created by writer Warren Ellis and artist Ken Lashley. A secret agent at first for MI6 and later another clandestine spy agency called Black Air, Wisdom can absorb heat and solar radiation, and then channel it into “hot knives,” or concentrated thermal energy. These knives are potentially as hot as the sun, and he is also a skilled hand-to-hand fighter as well as a renowned secret agent. Despite being a mutant and associating with a number of mutant teams over the years, Wisdom tends to keep to himself, shunning the affairs of the mutant world in favor of his work with British Intelligence, and until Excalibur #17, Wisdom had never been to Krakoa, the island home of a large portion of Earth’s mutants.
Speaking for the powerful Clan Akkaba, Ruben Brousseau demands Wisdom track down former Captain Britain Brian Braddock, suggesting Wisdom check Krakoa. Wisdom has no interest in going, calling it a “Margaritaville” and observing he needs to have a proper drink before he can even consider making the trip. This blasé attitude carries over once he gets there, shrugging off Rogue, Rictor and the rest of Excalibur and heading for a teleportation gate to the lighthouse where Captain Britain was last seen. He reveals that Brousseau and his coven of sorcerers want to do away with a mutant Captain Britain, and that the coven will be at the lighthouse. Sure enough, the Coven is there and Wisdom and the rest of the mutants engage them in battle, right as the Captain Britain of Earth-616 returns.
Betsy Braddock, the mutant Captain Britain, had been lost in an alternate reality where she was queen, and - hilariously - one in which that reality's Pete Wisdom had constructed some simple protocols to return her home. In both realities, Wisdom thinks ahead, remaining inscrutable but solving situations before they become untenable. This is a quality Krakoa has been woefully lacking so far. Other crises including the infiltration of Krakoan Gates, the investigation of mutant deaths, and ambassador work bringing mutants to the island were all only addressed once they'd already erupted into problems.
As much as the X-Men should by now expect to be lost in time or between dimensions, only Wisdom truly prepares in advance. Unfortunately, as badly as Krakoa needs someone who thinks ahead, Wisdom is a loyal British subject and would never think of betraying the country for Krakoa. More and more mutants are heading to start a new life on Krakoa, but Pete Wisdom seems to be a major holdout. Part of the character’s appeal is he marches to his own drum and not mutantkind’s. His decision not to relocate to Krakoa makes perfect sense, even if the X-Men badly need to adopt some of their ally's pessimism as their nation continues to face threats from all quarters.
