WARNING: The following contains spoilers for King In Black: Marauders #1 by Gerry Duggan, Luke Ross, Carlos Lopez & VC's Cory Petit, on sale now
The X-Men and their assorted allies have been trying to cement Krakoa as a major world player in the Marvel Universe, with various veterans of the hero team gaining their own squads to contend with various threats. But one member of the Marauders seems to secretly be working for another major figure over his stated leader.
While Bishop and the Marauders are officially on a rescue mission, part of Bishop's mission during King in Black includes killing the Knull-corrupted Cyclops and Storm if need be. And in the process, King in Black: Marauders #1 suggests that Bishop might be in league with Beast over Kate Pryde, which could create more tension for Krakoa.
With the entire world at risk due to the coming of Knull in King in Black, numerous heroes have given it their all to defeat the dark god, only to find themselves not strong enough to win their battle. Instead, many of them -- including Cyclops, the Great Captain of Krakoa, and Storm, an Omega-Level mutant and member of the Quiet Council -- have been captured by Knull and corrupted by his influence. This means there are two very powerful mutants, one of them even an Omega-Level threat, are out there running around under his control. To contend with this, the Marauders have set sail for New York, with Kate Pryde leading Bishop, Iceman, Pyro and Lockheed on a mission to try and reach the city to save their corrupted friends.
However, t it turns out that one of their numbers isn't just there to help. On the way to New York, the team encounters a distress beacon from a ship that's under attack by some of Knull's symbiote dragons. Although Bishop is initially of the mind that they should continue on to New York, Kate directs the group to assist the ship and evacuate the civilians. Bishop takes part in the rescue -- and even single-handily realizes how many innocents are trapped in the depths of the ship just in time to save them. However, it's hinted that he's far more focused on their mission, even if it goes against the rest of the team. This is because he actually has a secondary objective, directly ordered by Beast: if the team isn't able to rescue Cyclops and Storm from Knull's influence, then Bishop is under direct orders to attack the pair and kill them.
This could keep the two powerful and famous mutants from causing any more damage around the world. On the one hand, this isn't the worst plan in the world. Krakoa already has a tenuous relationship with the rest of the world, and Storm or Cyclops committing terrible acts -- even while under Knull's control -- could cause more drama for the island going forward. Storm's powers in particular make her a potentially global threat if she isn't contained. The fact that the Five exist in Krakoa and are able to revive any fallen mutant gives Bishop extra reason to take such a step, as either of them could be restored following their potential demise. However, there are also some serious larger potential concerns this incident raises.
The fact that Bishop is handed this mission in secret instead of discussing it with the rest of the Marauders suggests that Bishop may ultimately be more loyal to Beast's X-Force over Kate's Marauders. Early in Marauders, Beast urged Bishop to accept the role the Hellfire Corporation's Red Bishop. Beast has steadily been gaining more and more adversaries on the island nation, such as angering the Five and members of X-Force like Wolverine. This could set up more internal conflict within the Krakoa -- which comes at a particularly dangerous time, especially for the Marauders.
With Sebastian Shaw weakened, now is the perfect time for Kate and Emma Frost to ensure heroes take the reigns of the Hellfire Corporation fully. But any possible conflict that arises out of Bishop following Beast's orders over Kate's could derail and distract the heroes, giving figures like Shaw an opening to regain influence.
It could even be seen as a subversion of the Quiet Council itself, as Kate's role on that team makes her technically one of Krakoa's most powerful figures. And yet, Bishop chooses to follow Beast's orders. It hints that Bishop might be willing to serve as Beast's trigger-man on certain missions going forward, meaning there's always a chance that Bishop might choose to execute a conflict above the desires of his nominal commanding officers. Kate and Bishop even joke about how Kate would throw him overboard if he disobeyed orders, which he seems poised to potentially do. It's an interesting place to put Bishop, and it sets up the Krakoan War Captain to become a seriously controversial figure within the Krakoan government structure.