WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Johnathan Hickman, Tini Howard, Pepe Larraz, and Clayton Cowles' X of Swords: Creation #1, on sale now.

The X-Men's latest crossover eventX of Swords, is heavily inspired by the use of Tarot cards that offer glimpses of the future. In the first issue, one text piece details a card reading done by the mutant Marie-Ange Colbert, the precognitive mutant known as Tarot

Tarot reveals that she drew the exact hand of Tarot cards that was drawn by a Saturnyne, a major player within the event. More ominously, Tarot drew these cards in continuous succession in the exact same order. Concerned about the greater implications of this reading, she reached out to her brother, who had also drawn the exact same hand, as had his landlady's wife, just to impress how this was not something pertaining to just Tarot and her family. But while Tarot's cameo appearance was merely to tease the future of the series, it also serves to remind fans of one of the Marvel Universe's most ambiguous characters.

RELATED: X of Swords: The X-Men's New Foes Have the Perfect Anti-Wolverine Weapon

Created by Chris Claremont and Sal Buscema, Tarot first appeared in 1984's New Mutants #16 as a member of the original Hellions, an group that served as antagonists to the title characters. Marie-Ange's history began well before her arrival on the scene as Tarot. Prior to her adoption of a codename, Marie-Ange was sent to a convent in France by her parents for unknown reasons. The only thing connecting her to her past was a deck of Tarot cards she never went anywhere without. Marie-Ange claims that they were given to her by her grandmother, who was also a gifted precog.

Herein lies the conundrum of Tarot: It is uncertain whether her gifts come from a mutant lineage or from a mystical power, and it could very well be both. Tarot was recruited by Emma Frost, then the White Queen of the Hellfire Club, to be a part of Emma's secret team of mutants, the Hellions. Emma had located Tarot through a device called Mutivac, similar to Charles Xavier's Cerebro device. By locating Marie-Ange through the use of Mutivac, Emma confirms that she is a mutant. This tracks with the logic that mutant powers can be inherited and even become stronger over generations, if characters like Cable are any indication.

But the mystical mystery of her powers lies in the cards and Tarot's reliance upon them. It may be that Tarot cards themselves are magical and that they give more clarity to her visions instead of just her relying solely on her own power for insight.

Regardless of the strange nature of her powers, Tarot was a force to be reckoned with while a member of the Hellions. But in contrast to her more meanspirited teammates, Tarot was quiet, shy, and introverted, and even chose not help the teammates who made her uncomfortable. Things came to a head though when the Hellions and Emma Frost were attacked by the time-traveling killer Trevor Fitzroy and several Sentinels under his control in 1991's Uncanny X-Men #281-282 by Whilce Portacio, Jim Lee and John Byrne. Tarot fought to protect her leader but was struck down with the rest of the Hellions.

RELATED: SWORD: Marvel Ties X of Swords to Empyre with a New Series

Tarot was later resurrected with a more confident personality and was part of the New Hellions, now lead by her lover, King Bedlam. But Tarot's kindness once again shown through as she aided X-Force in stopping King Bedlam's plans to blackmail the United States. Even though they offered her a place among them and protection from King Bedlam, she politely refused and returned to him, subtly implying that King Bedlam was the reason she was restored to life and is the only thing tethering her to the world of the living.

Tarot's association with death seemed to extend beyond the card in her deck however. Following the events of "M-Day" with King Bedlam rendered powerless, Tarot once again died. Eventually, Tarot was once again resurrected, alongside most of the original Hellions, by the External, Selene. She hasn't been heard from much since, but her cameo in X of Swords: Creation #1 may be a hint of her further involvement in the event.

KEEP READING: X of Swords: What You Need to Know Before Marvel's X-Men Crossover