Wise figure showing a lot of courage in the end retreating (7)
I believe the answer is:
minerva
'wise figure' is the definition.
(Roman goddess of wisdom)
'lot of courage in the end retreating' is the wordplay.
'lot of' means to remove the last letter (I've seen 'lots of' mean this (the majority of the word)).
'courage' becomes 'nerve' (nerve is a kind of courage).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'the end' becomes 'aim' (both can mean a purpose or goal).
'retreating' is a reversal indicator.
'aim' back-to-front is 'mia'.
'nerve' with its final letter taken off is 'nerv'.
'nerv' placed inside 'mia' is 'MINERVA'.
'showing a' is the link.
I am not very happy about this link. Some or all of it may belong to another bit of the clue.
(Other definitions for minerva that I've seen before include "Roman goddess of crafts and wisdom - a vermin (anag)" , "female of great wisdom" , "embodiment of wisdom" , "Divine female" , "Roman goddess of learning" .)