One of the strongest young recruits of the X-Men’s S.W.O.R.D. team is also Marvel best dragon-slayer in the King in Black crossover.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for S.W.O.R.D. #2 by Al Ewing, Valerio Schiti, Marte Gracia & VC’s Ariana Maher, on sale now.
S.W.O.R.D. has brought in several mutants to serve aboard the space station in a similar capacity as the Five in Krakoa. However, while the Five have the important distinction of resurrecting dead mutants, the Six in S.W.O.R.D. has the job of taking the team anywhere in the universe, leading to future technology discoveries for mutantkind.
The Six formed to help the exploration for mutant tech, with six teleporters and five additional mutants that aid in the work using their specific skills. One of the five extra mutants is Wiz-Kid, a mutant who uses his abilities as a technopathic, in which he can adjust and unify the powers of the teleporters. He is known as Control, and Abigail Brand explains that he runs the machine that keeps S.W.O.R.D. in orbit.
And in S.W.O.R.D. #2, Wiz-Kid shows how his unparalleled knowledge of the S.W.O.R.D. space station makes him Marvel’s best symbiote dragon-slayer.
Magneto met up with Wiz-Kid in the first issue, and Takeshi seemed highly honored to see the Master of Magnetism in person. When asked by Magneto if he can use his powers as a technopath to understand and master the bio-tech of Krakoa, he admits that is true as he can also do so with any tech, whether mechanical, electronic, plant, or even mutant-based. Magneto said it was his honor to meet Wiz-Kid, calling him one of the architects of the future of mutants.
In the second issue, Wiz-Kid proved how powerful he was. S.W.O.R.D. was working on trying to help out concerning the Knull invasion of Earth, and they found a way to get to Krakoa through the gates, even with the attack of the dark god. However, when Fabian Cortez acted nonchalant about his role on the team and dismissed Wiz-Kid, claiming that that Control needed to deal with “trifling problems.” That is when Wiz-Kid was working on finding a quick way through the Krakoan gates and then noticed a symbiote dragon was attacking the S.W.O.R.D. space station. Wiz-Kid seemed exasperated at the interruption and blasted a hole through the dragon, destroying it instantly before getting back to work. He created a weapon that destroys Knull’s creations, something few on Earth has been able to do.
Clearly, Wiz-Kid is much more important than Fabian Cortez and much more trustworthy to both S.W.O.R.D. and Krakoa, but who is he? Takeshi made his debut as a child in 1988’s X-Terminators #1 by Louise Simonson, Jon Bogdanove, Al Williamson, Al Milgrom, John Wellington & Joe Rosen. The X-Terminators were a group of young mutants that X-Factor saved when the original X-Men posed as mutant hunters to help save and train young mutants to protect themselves from a population that feared them. When X-Factor revealed themselves as mutants, they sent the kids to school. Artie and Leech went to a private school and met Takeshi there.
Takeshi was in a wheelchair and had been since his parents died in an accident, and he had great resentment for being left alone. Other kids bullied him, which cause him more pain. However, he found friends in the X-Terminators, and they teamed with the New Mutants to save 13 babies captured in an attempt to open a portal between Earth and Limbo. Eventually, Wiz-Kid joined Avengers Academy and even stayed with them after the “Avengers Vs. X-Men” storyline. This likely explains why he has no problem working with S.W.O.R.D. instead of remaining on Krakoa, and he might be one of the most promising members of The Six.
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