Marvel Comics announces a visual redesign for the X-Men in X-Men: The Hellfire Murder #1. Artist Luciano Vecchio has reinterpreted the characters as tarot cards: Wolverine is the Wolf, Gambit the Fool, Storm the Queen, and Angel takes on the role of the Devil. The story, a murder mystery during the Hellfire Gala written by Gail Simone and Saladin Ahmed, follows Wolverine and Jubilee investigating a crime that puts Krakoa at risk.
Conceptual Design as a Narrative Engine 🃏
The decision to base the designs on tarot is not merely aesthetic. It functions as a role system that defines each character's function in the mystery plot. Each assigned arcana, like the Devil for Angel or the Fool for Gambit, suggests a psychological archetype and a possible motivation within the investigation. This structural framework offers the writers a template to distribute clues and sow doubt among the suspects, using the known symbolism of tarot to enrich the reading.
Who Invited the Devil to the Party? 😈
Angel, the mutant who used to worry about his halo and feathered wings, now debuts as the incarnation of the Devil. One would expect that at a black-tie gala, at the very least, he would try to hide the horns. Between canapés and suspicions, his new look will surely make more than one guest check their drink. At least, if someone is missing from dinner, Logan already knows who to interrogate first: the guy with hooves standing by the punch bowl.