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2024 has been a big year for Marvel variant covers, featuring epic designs starring Godzilla and Venom Horse. For decades, single issue variant covers have been a unique way to boost interest in comics. Marvel has taken pride in its variant covers for years thanks to the Stormbreakers program, but 2024 has seen a tremendous rise in variants from numerous artists.
Anything is possible with a variant cover, and Marvel took full advantage of artists’ imaginations throughout the year. There have been a number of collaborations announced that saw some incredible artwork crossing over Marvel’s heroes with other franchises. Additionally, there have been tie-ins to some of Marvel’s movies and even bizarre concepts that highlight a certain character in the Marvel Universe. 2024 was truly rife with incredible variants, and fans will be discovering new favorites from this past year well into 2025.
10
Giant Man and Captain America Battle Over Coca-Cola
Avengers #17 Variant Cover by Cory Smith
In one of Marvel’s sillier collaborations in 2024, this variant comes from a line of covers that spotlighted the now-iconic Coca-Cola commercial featuring Marvel’s heroes. Many heroes were used for this collaboration, but the one that stood out the most is Cory Smith’s depiction of Sam Wilson’s Captain America and Giant Man. The cover is wonderfully amusing as Cap flies away with a Coca-Cola bottle, all while Giant Man attempts to grab it from him, clearly wanting the soda for himself.
The idea of mini superheroes getting tangled with Coca-Cola is an incredibly fun idea. In fact, it was enough to make the original commercial a hit with fans when it first debuted. However, Smith’s artwork ups the fun of the concept by making a funny idea become more epic based on the determination on Giant Man’s face to get the Coca-Cola for himself. Plus, with Iron Man in the background readying his weapon to try and intercept, the scene makes fans want to see it played out in its own mini-adventure.
9
Ms. Marvel Betrays Her New X-Men Family as a Vampire
X-Men #33 Variant Cover by Lee Garbett
Every year, Marvel Comics has at least one major event that shakes things up in its main timeline. In this case, the vampire side of Marvel attacked fan-favorite heroes in the massive summer event, Blood Hunt. However, to prepare readers for what was to come, Marvel called upon its many artists to recreate famous vampire covers featuring various heroes. The best, by far, focused on Ms. Marvel as she stands triumphant over the X-Men, holding one of her teammates in her arms with a fanged smile.
This artwork by Lee Garbett is a play on an issue of X-Men Annual from 1982 where Storm is shown in the same pose. However, what makes this take on it even more interesting is how Ms. Marvel plays into the tone of the piece. She recently joined the X-Men in a major change to her character after finally becoming a mutant following her controversial death in The Amazing Spider-Man. Seeing her betraying her new team is incredibly disheartening to see, especially given how much she’s loved being part of the X-Men.
Alien: Paradiso #1 Variant Cover by J. Gonzo
While not nearly as flashy as some of Marvel’s other variant covers from the past year, the Alien franchise shared a simplistic yet incredible design that perfectly matched the series’ new storyline. Alien: Paradiso is an exciting departure from the franchise that sees Xenomorphs overtake a resort in a huge bloodbath that takes the fun out of guests’ vacation. To highlight this wild plot, artist J. Gonzo created a playing card that features the Xenomorph Queen bearing its signature grin on a Queen playing card.
It may be a simple design concept, but given the story’s premise, this variant artwork is a brilliant pairing of design and plot. There are a ton of fun details that go along with the artwork, such as the Ace card laid under the Queen to form an abbreviated version of “Alien Queen”: “A.Q.” Plus, the tiny Ovomorph eggs on her back are a fun nod to her role in the Xenomorph life cycle. It’s a cleverly designed piece of artwork that feels right at home with the comic it literally covers, and above all, it makes fans want a full deck of cards featuring more artwork from Gonzo.
7
The Thing Gains Black Panther’s Powers
The Avengers #20 Variant Cover by Paco Medina
Out of all the Marvel heroes and villains throughout the year, the Thing got the most love from variant cover artists with a whole line-up of covers featuring the iconic Fantastic Four hero. Some of these covers included him taking on the role of Captain America and challenging Spider-Man’s webbing. However, the most notable is a cover by Paco Medina, which sees Ben taking over as Black Panther. The variant features the Thing wearing the beloved costume worn by T’Challa with a couple of panthers in tow.
However, the coolest detail is the purple energy emerging from the cracks of the Thing’s rocky skin. The powers make his most defining feature pop out, unlike any of his designs from the past. Medina’s cover is a huge accomplishment that makes a classic Marvel character look cooler than ever. Plus, given how strong the Thing is, it would be interesting to see how much of the kinetic energy baked into his suit would increase the power of his punch. This character crossover is absolutely one of Marvel’s most unexpected, but it works because of how much it brings to the Thing’s design.
6
Ghost Rider ’44 Bursts on the Scene
Hellhunters #1 Variant Cover by Taurin Clarke
There have been many Ghost Riders throughout Marvel’s history. While Johnny Blaze is by far the most well-known version of the character, some of the other versions of Ghost Rider include Danny Ketch, Robbie Reyes, Kushala, and even Frank Castle. However, Hellhunters introduced Sal Romero as one of the coolest riders yet: a WWII sergeant who gained the abilities of the Rider in an awesome new take on the character.
To mark this momentous occasion, cover artist superstar Taurin Clarke created a variant cover highlighting the new Ghost Rider in an epic shot as he chases down a vile soul. This artwork depicts Sal jumping over a ramp with an explosion behind him. The skeletal grin on his face mixed with the hellfire wheels on his motorcycle make it one of the most epic depictions of the character yet. It’s an incredible piece of artwork that puts all the focus on the new Rider, and it works because of how much it accentuates how cool he is as a character.
5
The Thing and Thor Team Up for an Epic Battle of the Gods
Immortal Thor #17 Variant Cover by Stefano Caselli
In an homage to classic Marvel Two-in-One stories, the Thing returned in 2024 for another round of various variant cover features. The artwork for these covers showcased him either teaming up or taking on various heroes and antiheroes in the Marvel Universe. However, only one was so epic that it ultimately transcended what a Thing team-up could be. Stefano Caselli’s variant cover for Immortal Thor #17 takes the iconic Fantastic Four member on a journey he’ll never forget as he prepares for a massive fight with Thor by his side.
The spectacle of this cover is what really makes it go above and beyond. The mix of dark colors with the flash of lightning adds a tremendous amount of scale that emphasizes how major a team-up between the Thing and Thor would be. Plus, with Odin’s face in the background staring them both down, it’s a perfect display of the Thing entering the world of one of Marvel’s most powerful gods. It’s also enough to make fans of both characters want to see a story like this play out, making it a brilliant concept piece on top of being an amazing variant cover.
4
Deadpool Kills Scarlet Witch Before She Can Say “No More Mutants”
Scarlet Witch #2 Variant Cover by Corin Howell
2025 is looking to be a big year for Deadpool as his most famous series, Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe, is set to return for its final chapter, which has been deemed by its creator to be “the most epic Deadpool story of all time.” To prepare for this much-anticipated storyline, Marvel released a series of variants that featured Deadpool killing various Marvel characters in hilarious different ways. However, the one that stood out among the pack features Deadpool taking out one of the Marvel Universe’s most powerful witches in a perfect homage.
Designed by Corin Howell, this cover shows Deadpool destroying Scarlet Witch by taking her apart piece-by-piece like a jigsaw puzzle.Scarlet Witch herself is shown in her iconic pose from the acclaimed storyline “House of M,” in which she uttered her now infamous line “no more mutants.” As funny as it is incredible, this cover is a great collectible for fans of the Merc with a Mouth and Scarlet Witch because of how much it keeps in line with Deadpool’s sense of humor while honoring a classic Marvel story.
3
Venom Horse Finds Its Way to Marvel Comics
All-New Venom #1 Variant Cover by SKAN
While Deadpool & Wolverine proved to be the most successful comic book film of 2024, Venom: The Last Dance managed to find some hype online with the introduction of the Venom Horse. The epic design of this creature made fans so excited about the film that Marvel responded by introducing it to Marvel Comics canon that same summer. Venom Horse’s first appearance is in a story about running amok through the city during the Venom War event. However, the most epic use of Venom Horse this year comes in the form of a variant cover by SKAN.
Created for the first issue of All-New Venom, SKAN gave Venom Horse and Venom a chance to shine with art inspired by films like Heavy Metal. The sheer detail on display is absolutely incredible, as Venom brandishes a weapon while riding the Venom Horse under a blood-red moon. It’s a perfect depiction of how much Venom Horse broke the internet when he first appeared in Venom: The Last Dance‘s trailer. The cover has a great design, and it only invites more demand for Venom Horse to continue appearing in comics going forward.
2
Princess Leia Joins Her Father on the Dark Side
Star Wars: Darth Vader #50 Variant Cover by Derrick Chew
Marvel and Greg Pak’s landmark Star Wars: Darth Vader series officially came to an end in 2024 to make way for a new era in Star Wars storytelling, and there’s no denying that the series went out with a bang. This final issue featured a storyline that showed Vader deciding whether he should pursue convincing Leia to join him on the Dark Side of the Force. For such an interesting idea, Derrick Chew visualized the concept in an incredible variant cover that shows Darth Vader towering over Leia as she wears a new outfit modeled after her father’s suit.
It’s not necessarily new for Star Wars to explore characters from the Rebellion joining the Dark Side. However, Chew’s artwork for Darth Leia is a cut above the rest. The decision to have her retain her white clothing is genius, as it makes her stand out from other Sith and dark side users that came before her. Plus, there’s something so eerie about seeing Leia’s iconic look from A New Hope twisted to mirror her father. It’s a remarkable variant cover that rates among Star Wars‘ very best.
1
Venomzilla Rises, Causing Demand for a Much-Needed Spin-Off Series
Venom #37 Variant Cover by Dave Wachter
The best Marvel variant cover from 2024 is no contest: it’s Venomzilla. Created by Dave Wachter as part of a line-up featuring Godzilla stomping through the Marvel Universe, this cover for Venom #37 presents a What If…? scenario where the Venom symbiote and Godzilla merge. The design for Venomzilla is both incredible and terrifying as he towers over both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, causing unfathomable destruction in his wake.
This cover was so well-received by Marvel fans that it spurred conversation about what an actual comic featuring this concept would be like. The untold power that Venom would have in this form completely shakes up the symbiote’s story, setting him up for a deadly tale that could lead to the destruction of New York. Since the cover’s release, Marvel has confirmed that a crossover between Marvel’s heroes and Godzilla is coming, so maybe fans will finally see Venomzilla in action. Until then, though, Marvel went all out on this crossover between Venom and Godzilla, making it easily the best variant cover of 2024.
“}]] 2024 was a great year for Marvel variant covers! Read More