The Comic Book Tarot

As many of you reading this may know, I am a huge fan of comic books. Of late I have been considering comic book characters in terms of the Tarot archetypes (in a similar vein to what myself and Kim Huggens did in our article regarding a Harry Potter Tarot in Issue 4 of Offerings). Contained within this article is a brief outline of a deck using comic book characters, as an exercise in exploring the Tarot and having fun. I have stuck mainly to characters from titles published by Marvel as I am more familiar with them, and have left out characters from titles published by DC’s Vertigo imprint, as there is already in existence a Vertigo Tarot.

The Fool

Wolverine (Marvel/X-Men) or Elijah Snow (Wildstorm/Planetary)

A large part of Wolverine’s story throughout the X-Men comic books involves a journey of some kind – he is always traveling to new places, trying to find who he is, what he was, and what he can be. Wolverine also tends to rush in before thinking or listening to what others have to say, and his impetuous character often gets him into trouble.

Elijah Snow is also a perpetual wanderer, traveling the world in search of its secret history. He is a continual learner, always facing new experiences with an open mind, and he will never stop wandering.

The Magician

Magneto (Marvel/X-Men) or Dr Strange (Marvel/Dr Strange/Defenders) or The Doctor (Wildstorm/The Authority)

All these characters have one thing in common: their complete mastery of the forces under their control. Magneto can control every energy form along the electro-magnetic spectrum (basically, he has control of the world as it is), and there is very little he can’t do if he puts his mind to it. He is astoundingly clever and intelligent, using his brain to its full capacity. He understands how the world works and as such can manipulate it. Dr. Strange (the John Dee of the Marvel universe) is a sorcerer supreme who walks between the worlds protecting them all and allying to none. He can control the four elements and use them as his own resources, being able to fly, cast fireballs, see the truth, and astrally project. In other words, he’s the Swiss army knife superhero. Finally, The Doctor is a shaman protecting the world, with access to all the knowledge of his predecessors (including Jesus, Buddha, and powerful magicians.) All three characters know what their resources and powers are, and can use them to the fullest extent to achieve spectacular results.

The High Priestess

Storm (Marvel/X-Men)

As the female authority of the Xavier Institute, almost on equal footing with Professor Charles Xavier himself, Storm fits the role of female empowerment well. She often provides the compassion and empathy much needed in a situation (currently she is based in African, giving aid to African mutants in trouble). She was also taught her mother’s magical arts (she was a tribal priestess) and was worshipped as a Goddess by the villagers she lived with. The High Priestess card is often representative of a woman who signifies the Divine Feminine, as Storm does for so many people.

The Empress

Jean Grey (Marvel/X-Men)

Probably the most maternal woman on the X-men team, Jean Grey often assumes the mother-role towards the stray mutant children that find their way to the Xavier Institute. The students feel they can go to Jean with their troubles and that she will listen to them and care for them, paying attention to their needs and their fears. Jean Grey also acts as a mother towards the school itself, going to any lengths to protect it no matter what the risk to herself.

The Emperor

Cyclops (Marvel/X-Men)

The first ever X-man, Cyclops tries desperately to follow Professor Xavier’s example of be a leader for the new generation of mutants. His presence at the Xavier Institute and as a member of the team is an almost constant presence, making him a foundation for the team to be built upon.

The Hierophant

Professor Charles Xavier and his dream (Marvel/X-Men)

Professor Charles Xavier, in order to fulfill a dream, opened his home to mutants and turned it into a school where they could learn to harness, control, and use their powers, and find sanctuary from an unforgiving and judgmental world. He not only runs the school but also teaches there, being the male authority within it and acting as a role model for others to follow.

The Lovers

Jean Grey and the choice between Cyclops and Wolverine (Marvel/X-Men)

The Lovers is traditionally seen as a choice of the heart, often a choice between two possible relationships. Here, Jean is faced with the choice between sturdy, calm, and reliable Cyclops and dangerous, unreliable, rash Wolverine. There is no doubt that Jean loves them both, but the choice is still demanded of her. Throughout her many resurrections from death through The Phoenix, it becomes clear that Cyclops cannot cope with this whereas Wolverine can – therefore it seems inevitable that Jean will choose Wolverine, the one who can accept her fully and without questions. That is true love.

For those with an alternative sexuality, Apollo and the Midnighter (Wildstorm/Authority) are the first gay couple in American comic books – having undertaken a civil partnership and adopted a child together. (See The Star)

The Chariot

Magneto’s attack on Cape Citadel (Marvel/X-Men)

Magneto’s attack on Cape Citadel, a nuclear weapons base in Florida, was the first issue of X-men, and alerted the public in the comics to the presence of mutants (whereas up until that point it was a closely guarded government secret.) Not only does it represent a huge surge forward for Marvel comics, but also the fast movement towards conflict and eventual acceptance of mutants by other humans. This is the event that kick-starts everything.

Strength

Cable (Marvel/X-Men)

The son from Cyclops’ first marriage, and an extremely powerful telepath and telekinetic, Cable was seen as such a huge threat to Apocalypse (one of the first mutants) that Apocalypse infected him with a techno-organic virus. Every day Cable had to struggle to battle the virus within, which will take control of him if he uses his mutant powers. Like the traditional image of the frail maiden taming the huge lion, Cable had to tame his own powers and the virus from the young age of two.

The Hermit

Forge (Marvel/X-Men)

Forge, first and foremost, is a loner, somebody the X-men only go to when they need something specific such as a new invention. He often acts as a guide or aid in the darkest times of the X-men’s trials, providing them with the light they need to see their way. In the same way that the traditional Hermit shines his light from the top of a dark mountain for others to see, Forge acts as a beacon and lighthouse for stranded people.

The Wheel of Fortune

Gambit (Marvel/X-Men) or the Scarlet Witch (Marvel/X-Men/Avengers) or Ambrose Chase (Wildstorm/Planetary)

The Scarlet Witch and Ambrose Chase are both ‘probability manipulators’. Ambrose Chase can distort time and physics whilst the Scarlet Witch can manipulate reality and bend it to her will, making the world whatever she wants it to be. As such, they both represent the dichotomy between fate and freewill as seen in the Wheel of Fortune: round and round it goes, where it stops, nobody knows… but sometimes we can give it a little push ourselves.

Gambit is, plain and simple, a gambler at heart and by trade. He represents the improbable, and the risks associated with taking a chance. He also knows that one’s fortunes can change as easily as the wind, and that the Wheel of Fortune can spin both ways.

Justice

Swift (Wildstorm/Authority)

Swift is the conscience of the Authority, a radical superhero team. The Authority will do whatever it takes to try and do whatever they think is right (often killing or deposing governments in the process), and Swift is the pacifist of the group. As such, she represents the aspect of Justice that tries to bring about balance to a situation – when the other members of the Authority want to just fight their way to a solution Swift suggests the other (less violent) options.

The Hanged Man

Nightcrawler (Marvel/X-Men)

Nightcrawler, the blue-skinned teleporter of the X-men, with a deeply religious character (Catholic), represents the Hanged Man’s status of being in between worlds: he is Catholic and his adoptive mother a sorceress; his father was a demon and his mother a mutant; he spent time in the human world as an acrobat in the circus whilst he now spends more time with other mutants; and his mind is always half in this world and half in the Divine world. He is also deeply troubled by his faith, seeing killing and intolerance all around him, and cannot understand why God would let such evil happen. As such he continually spends his life, like the Hanged Man, uncertain and disturbed by his own doubts.

Death

Emma Frost (Marvel/X-Men)

The Death card is about change and transition – the death of an old way of life and the start of a new one. Emma Frost transitioned from being the ruthless White Queen of the Hellfire Club to being the headmistress of the Xavier Institute. This huge change reflects not only a change in lifestyle but also a change in her personality and values in life, although she won’t admit it! Emma is still manipulative, but her guilt about her past has caused her to shift from an uncaring opponent of the X-men to a reasonable and useful asset to the X-men team.

Temperance

Nightcrawler (Marvel/X-Men)

Nightcrawler is perhaps the embodiment of patience and mercy, since no matter how badly he is treated by others he still refuses to give in to anger. He is temperate by nature and can also be seen as the embodiment of Xavier’s dream – tolerance and acceptance for everyone, no matter whether their skin is black, white, or (in Nightcrawler’s case) blue, or whether they are mutant or human. Xavier’s dream is about the happy mixing of mutant and human, instead of a gulf of separation between them.

The Devil

Elias Bogan or The Shadow King (Marvel/X-Men)

Both these figures are powerful telepaths who enjoy manipulating people around them, to make them do whatever amuses them at the time. They are as powerful as Professor Xavier but have none of his morals. The Shadow King, for instance, finds it funny to make people kill each other in front of him, and both enjoy fostering hate and intolerance amongst others.

The Tower

Cassandra Nova and the destruction of Genosha (X-men/Marvel)

Genosha was an island nation which, whilst being successful, built its success on mutant slavery. Magneto started a civil war between the mutant slaves and humans on Genosha, and eventually took over. He ended the civil war, freed the mutant slaves, and mutants found a place in Genosha to live without fear of intolerance or persecution. However, Cassandra Nova (a woman bent on destroying everything Charles Xavier cares about) attacked Genosha with an army of sentinels and 16,000,000 mutants were killed. Just as Xavier’s dream was beginning to see light through Magneto’s rule of Genosha, it was quickly torn down by Cassandra Nova.

The Star

Jenny Quantum (Wildstorm/The Authority)

Jenny is the spirit of the 21^st century. In the Wildstorm comics there is a concept of “Century Babies” that are created by the world, with a purpose. They are the immune system for the planet, and each one represents the century they were created to aid. Jenny Quantum was born at 12:00am, January 1^st, 2000. She exists to ensure that the human race makes it through the 21^st century, so she, like the Star, represents hope for the future.

The Moon

Mystique (Marvel/X-Men)

The Moon is about shadows, deception, and illusion, so who better than the shapeshifter and mistress of illusion and deception, Mystique? She can change her shape and voice to imitate anybody at will, and she uses this power to create confusion among her enemies and infiltrate their ranks.

The Sun

The Xavier institute and its students (Marvel/X-Men)

The Sun is a card of truth, protection, growth, learning, and light. The Xavier Institute represents an opportunity for its mutant students to learn about the world around them as well as about their own powers, and it offers them truth if they wish to see it. For many, the Institute is a protective place where they can find a home and a family, and grow up in peace among people who understand them.

Judgment

Jean Grey as the Phoenix (Marvel/X-Men)

Since Judgment represents rebirth, return, and rising out of the ashes of one’s trials a better person, Jean Grey as the Phoenix was an obvious choice. Not only does she keep returning from the dead (her body taken over by the Phoenix) but she became the Phoenix through hard trials and suffering - it chose her because she was willing to sacrifice herself for her friends.

The World

Jenny Sparks (Wildstorm/The Authority)

Like Jenny Quantum, Jenny Sparks is a Century Baby, her purpose being to guard and protect mankind throughout the 20^th century. She spends most of the century trying to work out what her purpose is and how she is to fulfill that purpose, and she only truly works it out at the very end when she is due to complete her purpose. She fulfilled her duty and died minutes later with a sense of completion and contentment - she had finally worked out what she was meant to do. After her came Jenny Quantum, beginning the lifecycle of a “Century Baby” over again. This cycle will be repeated forever, as long as there are centuries and mankind.

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Although the four Aces, sixteen Court Cards, and the Minor Arcana would be too lengthy to link to comic book stories, we can associate the suits themselves with the four ways in which people gain power in comic book universes:

Money, prosperity, and financial influence – Suit of Coins

Mysticism and spirituality – Suit of Cups

Science and rational inquiry – Suit of Swords

Genetic mutation – Suit of Wands

In conclusion, I hope this has been an interesting look at comic book stories and characters from the perspective of the Tarot archetypes. All stories – particularly myths and folklore – can be applied to the Tarot, and thus give us more information about both. We can view comic books as the recently created myths and folklore of the 20^th and 21^st century, stories told to express issues that face mankind today, such as genetic mutation, space travel, racism, and corrupt government, for instance. As such, they fit perfectly onto the age-old archetypes of the Tarot.

Suggestions for Further Reading:

For Tarot:

78 Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack

Initiation into the Tarot by Naomi Ozaniec

Tarot Plain and Simple by Anthony Louis

For Comics:

Various volumes of Essential X-men for the classic X-men stories e.g. The Phoenix Saga and The Days of Future Past

New X-men by Grant Morrison, especially E for Extinction

Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon, especially Gifted

For The Authority see Volumes 1-4, especially Relentless, and Volumes 7 and 8

For Planetary see Volumes 1-3, especially Leaving the Twentieth Century and The Fourth Man