Warning: This article contains spoilers for Excalibur #3, by Tini Howard, Marcus To, Erick Arciniega, VC's Cory Petit and Tom Muller, on sale now.
Over the course of the X-Men's ongoing Dawn of X relaunch, several mutant characters have reappeared after being dead or simply remained unused for a long period of time. While fan-favorite characters like Skin, Synch, Sophie Cuckoo and Esme Cuckoo have been revived thanks to the X-Men's new resurrection process, some mutants are simply returning from other corners of the Marvel Universe.
In Excalibur #3, another long-absent character, Rictor, makes his advertised return. However, he's also joined by another surprise return in the issue, the British secret agent Pete Wisdom.
With the mutant power to absorb heat and solar radiation, then releasing the energy from his fingertips as "hot knives," Pete Wisdom was a regular in Excalibur throughout the '90s after he debuted in Excalibur #86, by Warren Ellis and Ken Lashley.
Seeing as Pete Wisdom's first Marvel appearance was in Excalibur vol. 1 #86, it seems fitting that his reintroduction into the Marvel mutant foray is another Excalibur series. Originally, Wisdom worked as an agent for the British covert organization, Black Air, but Wisdom grew to hate his job and sought a transfer. His boss, Michelle Scicluna, would granted his request under one condition: Pete had to work as a non-combat adviser to Excalibur.
He soon pairs up with Kitty Pryde and after a mission went bad, he was invited to join Excalibur full-time. Pete and Kitty also begin a romantic relationship that lasted for quite some time. At one point, Pete even came to near-fatal blows with her ex-boyfriend, Colossus.
Pete's past would continue to haunt him, however, especially after Nightcrawler's life is put in danger because of Black Air. After that Wisdom closed himself off, shutting out everyone and ultimately driving Kitty away. In the wake of his romance with Kitty crumbling, Pete leaves Excalibur.
After a brief stint on X-Force, Pete was thrown back into the world of Excalibur. Post-M-Day, Pete was one of the few mutants to still have his powers and his bosses at MI:13, a spy agency that specializes in extraordinary affairs, ordered him to work with his former Excalibur ally, Captain Britain. This was the basis for Pete's appearances in New Excalibur.
For the most part, Pete's appearances in recent years tend to revolve around in MI-13 related plotlines. In the Marvel Comic Universe, MI:13 is a British intelligence agency, introduced in Warren Ellis' Excalibur series.
His recent appearance seems to confirm his continued involvement with MI: 13, lending the possibility that MI: 13 plotlines will once again reconverge with Excalibur. It also confirms that while all mutants are welcome on Krakoa -and most seem to take up that offer- there are plenty of relatively well-known mutants who choose not to join this so-called "mutant paradise."
Elsewhere in the issue, Rictor's hesitation to live on Krakoa is another indicator of this as well. For Pete, it could be a hesitation on his end to rejoin the world of the X-Men. After all, he's always stuck to more ancillary X-teams like X-Force and Excalibur, opting instead to retain close ties with broader agencies like MI:13.
Pete's plotlines also tend to converge with Brian Braddock's stories. During the original Excalibur run, Brian and Pete often found themselves at odds with each other, though they eventually forged a relationship based on mutual respect. So, it's no surprise he's turned up looking for him. Since Betsy Braddock has taken over Brian's role as Captain Britain, Pete may prove to be just as much as a thorn in Betsy's side, forcing the new Captain Britain to choose between her loyalties to Britain and Krakoa.