Variant Covers

A variant cover (also referred to as a variant edition) refers to a comic book issue with multiple different covers produced. Sometimes these are just a different artists version of the cover or contain a different art style. For a full collection of currently added variant covers go here. Below is a list of the themed variant covers.
==One Time Themes==
	Theme: Sunburst
Number of Covers: 
Date: January, 1998 - January 1999
One of the early incentive variants which were made during the post Heroes Reborn relaunch of the major titles. Each cover featured the character or team logo illuminated as though it was shining like the sun.
	Theme: Decade
Number of Covers: 11
Date: June-July, 2009
As part of Marvel Comics' 70th anniversary, each of these variants celebrated the coolest and most controversial fashion, music and cultural quirks from the previous seven decades.
	Theme: Iron Man by Design 
Number of Covers: 26
Date: April, 2010
A series of covers reimagining Iron Man in many different art styles and historical periods, released a month before Iron Man 2. Styles homaged included Futurism, the Roman Empire, Art Nouveau and Steampunk.
	Theme: Vampire 
Number of Covers: 10
Date: October, 2010
The Vampire theme was an offering of the some of Marvel's heroes as vampires for the month of October. It coincided with the Curse of the Mutants X-Men storyline. Some variants dobuled as homages to classic Marvel covers, including and .
	Theme: Tron
Number of Covers: 10
Date: November-December, 2010
Variants penciled by Mark Brooks and Brandon Peterson to celebrate the release of Walt Disney Pictures' Tron: Legacy film, outfitting characters from each title in costumes evoking the 'light suits' from the movie.
	Theme: Thor Goes Hollywood
Number of Covers: 20
Date: April, 2011
The Thor Goes Hollywood variants were published in April 2011 to coincide with the release of Thor. Each cover is a homage to a big blockbuster movie or the movie's poster. The covers were released either 1:15 or 1:20 ratio.
	Theme: X-Men Evolutions
Number of Covers: 14
Date: May, 2011
In anticipation of the movie X-Men: First Class, these wraparound covers showcase the evolution of the design of some of the most popular X-Men characters.
	Theme: Venom
Number of Covers: 
Date: February, 2012
	Theme: Avengers Art Appreciation
Number of Covers: 20
Date: April, 2012
A wave of variant covers featuring the Avengers which homages classic art styles and paintings. The series was released in 2012 to coincide with the release of Marvel's The Avengers.
	Theme: Many Armors of Iron Man
Number of Covers: 20
Date: April, 2013
A series of covers depicting the different suits worn by Iron Man through the years. They were released on April, in advance to the premiere of Iron Man 3.
	Theme: Animal
Number of Covers:
Date: December, 2013 - April, 2014
A gallery of covers depicting characters of the Marvel Universe as animals. They were released during the line-wide revamp All-New Marvel NOW!, encompassing most of the titles under said banner.
	Theme: Anti-Bullying
Number of Covers: 7
Date: October, 2014
Released during National Bullying Prevention Month, this wave of variant covers partnered Marvel with the organization STOMP Out Bullying to help rise money and awareness, depicting Marvel heroes supporting and defending kids victims of bullying.
	Theme: Hasbro
Number of Covers: 
Date: October, 2014
A series of covers having classic covers but with all the characters replaced with the Hasbro action figures.
	Theme: Rocket Raccoon and Groot
Number of Covers: 20
Date: November, 2014
A wave of variant covers homaging many of Marvel's most iconic covers, with Rocket Raccoon and Groot in the place of the characters in the original version. The variants were released following their rise to popularity through the Guardians of the Galaxy film.
	Theme: IN
Number of Covers: 8
Date: January, 2015
A series of variants released to promote ESPN’s first ever College Football Playoff. Each cover depicts a different heroes declaring themselves "IN" with each being in the style of a campaign poster.
	Theme: Cosmically Enhanced
Number of Covers: 13
Date: February-April, 2015
A variant theme limited to books that tied into the Guardians of the Galaxy & X-Men: Black Vortex crossover event. Drawn by Andrea Sorrentino, they depicted the title character of each book as empowered by the Black Vortex.
	Theme: What the Duck?!
Number of Covers: 
Date: April, 2015
	Theme: Ant-Sized
Number of Covers: 15
Date: June-July, 2015
A series of wraparound variants with an illustration in a miniature size, or rather, "ant-sized", with the same image presented in regular size on the back. They were released in anticipation of Ant-Man.
	Theme: Gwen
Number of Covers: 18
Date: June-July, 2015
A wave of variants reimagining Gwen Stacy as different characters from the Marvel Universe, in a similar fashion to the then-recently introduced Spider-Gwen. The most popular of these mash-ups occurred in the variant for , merging Gwen with Deadpool into Gwenpool. The concept spawned its own series, Unbelievable Gwenpool.
	Theme: Kirby Monster
Number of Covers: 28
Date: October-November, 2015
Covers featuring renditions of many of the monsters created by Jack Kirby.
	Theme: Secret Comic
Number of Covers: 
Date: November, 2015 -
	Theme: Civil War
Number of Covers: 20
Date: April, 2016
A wave of variants homaging the cover design used for tie-ins of the Civil War event from 2006-2007. It essentially imagined each participant book as if it had tied into that event.
	Theme: Age of Apocalypse
Number of Covers: 22
Date: May, 2016
With the intention to promote the Apocalypse Wars event, this series of variants reimagine the protagonist(s) of each title as a Horseman of Apocalypse.
	Theme: Civil War Reenactment
Number of Covers: 11
Date: June, 2016
Celebrating the original Civil War, each of cover of this series of variants had the protagonist(s) of the comic series reenact an iconic moment from that storyline.
	Theme: Death of X
Number of Covers: 20
Date: July-August, 2016
In preparation for the mini-series Death of X, the artist of each of these covers imagine what would the ultimate fate of certain X-Men characters be.
	Theme: Defenders
Number of Covers: 20
Date: September-October, 2016
Announced with the purpose to shine the spotlight on Marvel's street-level heroes, this series of covers featured the comic counterparts of characters from Netflix's array of Marvel-based series: Marvel's Daredevil, Marvel's Jessica Jones, Marvel's Luke Cage, and the then-upcoming Marvel's Iron Fist.
	Theme: Champions
Number of Covers: 20
Date: October, 2016
In order to promote the release of the new Champions comic series, these variants paired members of the new team with those of the original Champions of Los Angeles.
	Theme: Divided We Stand
Number of Covers: 20
Date: November, 2016
A series of variant covers which promoted Marvel NOW! (2016). Divided We Stand was the promotion of the MU in the aftermath of Civil War II. Each cover depicts a group or pair of allies opposing each other.
	Theme: STEAM
Number of Covers: 
Date: November, 2016
A series of variant Covers depicting some of the MUs younger heroes excelling in STEAM fields to help promote STEAM subjects.
	Theme: Best Bendis Moments
Number of Covers: 5
Date: December, 2016 - April, 2017
In anticipation for writer Brian Michael Bendis' departure from Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 4), each of the final five issues of his run had a variant depicting some of his best moments of writing the book.
	Theme: Inhumans
Number of Covers: 
Date: December, 2016 - March, 2017
	Theme: Inhumans Covers X-Men
Number of Covers: 
Date: December, 2016
A series of variant covers homaging famous X-Men covers but replacing them with Inhumans instead.
	Theme: X-Men
Number of Covers: 
Date: December, 2016 - March, 2017
	Theme: X-Men Covers Inhumans
Number of Covers: 
Date: December, 2016
A series of variant covers homaging famous Inhumans covers but replacing them with X-Men instead.
	Theme: 50's Movie Poster
Number of Covers: 5
Date: January-March, 2017
A wave of variant covers made specifically for the main Monsters Unleashed mini-series, depicting classic comic book monsters in the style of movie posters of the same era.
	Theme: Classic Monster vs. Marvel Hero
Number of Covers: 5
Date: January-March, 2017
Another set of variants exclusive to Monsters Unleashed, pitching heroes from the Avengers and the Champions against classic monsters.
	Theme: Marvel Future Fight Variants
Number of Covers: 5
Date: January-March, 2017
Another set of variants exclusive to Monsters Unleashed, these covers depict the heroes of the MU armored up. They were used to help promote Marvel Future Fight.
	Theme: New Monster
Number of Covers: 4
Date: January-April, 2017
With the introduction of a handful of new monsters in Monsters Unleashed, each was given a wraparound cover showcasing their design.
	Theme: State
Number of Covers: 54
Date: January, 2017
A series of covers exclusive to . Each cover features an Avenger assigned to one of the 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. When combined, the 50 states form the American Flag.
	Theme: Gwensters Unleashed
Number of Covers: 8
Date: February-March, 2017
As part of Monsters Unleashed, each of the special .MU tie-in one-shots was given a variant that combined Gwen Stacy with a classic Marvel monster.
	Theme: IVX
Number of Covers: 
Date: February-March, 2017
	Theme: Poster
Number of Covers: 6
Date: March-April, 2017
	Theme: Past Lives
Number of Covers: 4
Date: April-May, 2017
	Theme: ResurrXion
Number of Covers: 
Date: April, 2017
	Theme: Hydra Hero
Number of Covers: 9
Date: May-August, 2017
	Theme: Mary Jane
Number of Covers: 
Date: June, 2017
	Theme: X-Men Trading Card
Number of Covers: 
Date: July, 2017
	Theme: Marvel vs. Capcom
Number of Covers: 20
Date: August, 2017
	Theme: Rock-N-Roll
Number of Covers: 
Date: September, 2017
	Theme: 1965 T-Shirt
Number of Covers: 
Date: October, 2017
	Theme: How To Draw
Number of Covers: 
Date: October, 2017
	Theme: Legacy Headshot
Number of Covers: 
Date: October, 2017
	Theme: Lenticular Homage
Number of Covers: 
Date: October, 2017
	Theme: Galactic Icons
Number of Covers: 36
Date: December, 2017 - 2018
	Theme: Phoenix
Number of Covers: 
Date: December, 2017
	Theme: Avengers
Number of Covers: 
Date: January, 2018
	Theme: Character Holds Infinity
Number of Covers: 6
Date: February-July, 2018
	Theme: Hulk
Number of Covers: 
Date: February, 2018
	Theme: Mighty Thor
Number of Covers: 
Date: March, 2018
	Theme: New Mutants
Number of Covers: 10
Date: March, 2018
	Theme: RPG
Number of Covers: 5
Date: May, 2018
	Theme: Where's Wolverine
Number of Covers: 4
Date: May, 2018
	Theme: Hammer
Number of Covers: 5
Date: June-September, 2018
	Theme: Return of the Fantastic Four
Number of Covers: 20
Date: August, 2018
	Theme: Cosmic Ghost Rider Vs.
Number of Covers: 20
Date: September, 2018
	Theme: Marvel's Spider-Man Video Game
Number of Covers: 5
Date: September, 2018
	Theme: Marvel Battle Lines
Number of Covers: 
Date: October, 2018
	Theme: Uncanny X-Men
Number of Covers: 
Date: November, 2018
	Theme: Fantastic Four Villains
Number of Covers: 22
Date: December, 2018
	Theme: Heroic Age
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Hip-Hop
Number of Covers: 
Date: October, 2015-February, 2016
	Theme: I Am Captain America
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: LEGO
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Manga
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Marvel '92
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Marvel Tsum Tsum Takeover
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Mighty Men of Marvel
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: One Minute Later
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Run the Jewels
Number of Covers: 
Date:2015
	Theme: Story Thus Far
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Super Hero Squad
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Thor Battle
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Welcome Home
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Wolverine Art Appreciation
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Wolverine Through the Ages
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Women of Power
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Marvel's Agents of SHIELD 
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Landscape
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: NYC
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Captain America Team-Up
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Guardians of the Galaxy
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Prostate Awareness Month
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Secret Skrull
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Wanted Poster
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Other: Evolve or Die
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Monkey
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Marvel Architects
Number of Covers: 
Date: 2011
	Theme: Avengers Covers X-Men
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: X-Men Covers Avengers
Number of Covers: 
Date:
==Anniversary==
	Theme: 70th Anniversary
Number of Covers: X
Date: 2009
	Theme: 70th Anniversary Frame
Number of Covers: 38
Date: 2009
	Theme: Captain America 70th Anniversary
Number of Covers: 10
Date: 2011
	Theme: 50 Years of Fantastic Four
Number of Covers: 
Date: 2011
	Theme: 50 Years of Spider-Man
Number of Covers: 
Date: 2012
	Theme: Amazing Spider-Man in Motion
Number of Covers: 20
Date: June, 2012
A wave of interconnecting covers each representing in chronological order an era or specific moment of Spider-Man's history, in order to celebrate the character's 50th anniversary.
	Theme: 50 Years of Avengers
Number of Covers: 10
Date: 2013
	Theme: Deadpool 75th Anniversary
Number of Covers: 
Date: 2014
	Theme: 50 Years of Inhumans
Number of Covers: 10
Date: 2015
	Theme: Black Panther 50th Anniversary
Number of Covers: 13
Date: 2016
	Theme: Captain America 75th Anniversary
Number of Covers: 
Date: 2016
	Theme: Kirby 100th Anniversary
Number of Covers: 
Date: 2017
	Theme: Star Wars 40th Anniversary
Number of Covers: 48
Date: 2017
	Theme: Venom 30th Anniversary
Number of Covers: 20
Date: April, 2018
	Theme: Carol Danvers 50th Anniversary
Number of Covers: 5
Date: July, 2018
	Theme: Marvel Comics 50th Anniversary
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Marvel Comics 75th Anniversary
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: X-Men 50th Anniversary
Number of Covers: 
Date:
==Recurring Themes==
 	Theme: Action Figure 
Number of Covers: 
Date:
 	Theme: Beyond Amazing Spider-Man
Number of Covers:
 Date:
 	Theme: Baby/Young
Number of Covers: 
Date:
 	Theme: Blank
Number of Covers: 
Date: 2007-
 	Theme: Character
Number of Covers: 
Date: May, 2016 - ongoing
Originally introduced for Civil War II, each Character Variant showcases one specific character of a given book that takes part in this theme. Deadpool & the Mercs for Money and Astonishing X-Men also had Character Variants.
 	Theme: Classic
Number of Covers: 
Date: October, 2016 - June, 2017
A series of covers depicting the protagonist(s) of each book in either their classic costumes or in a classic art style.
 	Theme: Connecting
Number of Covers: 
Date:
 	Theme: Corner Box
Number of Covers: 20 (first wave); 8 (second wave)
Date: February and May-June, 2017
Two different waves of variants were released under the banner of Corner Box Variants. The first, launched on February, featured cover-sized recreations of some of Marvel's classic corner box artworks by Joe Jusko. Three months later, new Corner Box Variants were made, but instead shone the spotlight on the new corner box artwork used on the X-Men line of books following the ResurrXion revamp.
 	Theme: Cosplay
Number of Covers: 
Years: 2015, 2016
 	Theme: Deadpool
Number of Covers: 
Date:
 	Theme: Design
Number of Covers:
Date: 2016
 	Theme: Embossed
Number of Covers: 
Date:
 	Theme: End of an Era
Number of Covers: 
Date:
 	Theme: Headshot
Number of Covers: 
Date:
thumb	Theme: Hidden Gem
Number of Covers: 
Date: 2018-present
This variant theme repurposes old, obscure, or rare art from a variety of sources, such as house ads, posters, or artist portfolios.
 	Theme: Kabam Contest of Champions Game
Number of Covers: 
Date:
 	Theme: Movie
Number of Covers: 
Date:
 	Theme: Party
Number of Covers: 
Date:
 	Theme: Predator
Number of Covers:
Date:
 	Theme: Promo
Number of Covers: 
Date:
 	Theme: Remastered
Number of Covers: 
Date:
 	Theme: Sketch
Number of Covers: 
Date:
 	Theme: Second Printing
Number of Covers: 
Date:
 	Theme: Teaser
Number of Covers: 
Date: 20xx
 	Theme: Third Printing
Number of Covers: 
Date:
 	Theme: Through the Ages
Number of Covers: 
Date: 
Through the Ages Variants (Unofficial name, also known as Decades variants) are a collection of covers for a different hero or team with each cover depicting how that character looked during a particular decade.
 	Theme: Venomized
Number of Covers: 
Date: March, 2017 (first wave); September, 2017 (second wave)
Two different waves of variants were released under the banner of Venomized Variants. The first, launched on March, depicts the heroes of the MU as they would be if they were combined with the Venom Symbiote. The second, entitled "Venomized Villains", is set to be released on September.
 	Theme: Villain
Number of Covers: 10 (Second Wave)
Date: May-August, 2017 (Second Wave)
 	Theme: Virgin
Number of Covers: 
Date:
 	Theme: Women of Marvel
Number of Covers: 
Date: 20xx
 	Theme: Young Guns
Number of Covers: 
Date:
 	Theme: Zombie
Number of Covers: 
Date:
==Retailer Exclusives==
	Theme: Hastings/Labbit
Number of Covers: 6
Date: 2016
A series of covers made by Marvel in collaboration with Hastings and the collectible company Kidrobot, featuring artwork from Kidrobot's line of Labbit vinyl toys based around Marvel characters.
	Theme: 7 Ate 9 Comics
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Books-A-Million
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: ComiXology
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Decomixado
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Expo Exclusive
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Forbidden Planet
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Frankie's Comics
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Fried Pie
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Hastings
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Local Comic Shop Day
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Marvel Unlimited
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Midtown Comics
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Mile High Comics
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Phantom
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Sad Lemon Comics
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Wonderworld Comics
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: GameStop
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Cargo Hold
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Comic Con Box
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: The Comic Bug
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Dynamic Forces
Number of Covers: 
Date:
	Theme: Diamond Retailer Summit
Number of Covers: 
Date:
Category:Variant Covers