Some of Marvel’s greatest heroes – including the Hulk – become villains in a stunning new set of variant covers revealed by Marvel Comics this week. The publisher showed off eight new Villain’s Reign variants which were created as a spinoff from the upcoming Devil’s Reign event, which will see the Kingpin attempt to rule the Marvel Universe. The fun new covers show what would happen if heroes took the roles of some of the most iconic villains.
The covers, which will be variants for eight different titles, feature the likes of Captain Marvel, Hulk, She-Hulk, and Black Panther trading in their heroic looks for something much more sinister. Villains featured in the covers include altered versions of Kingpin, Sabretooth, Nightmare, and Death. Marvel assembled a series of incredible artists to design the hero-turned-villains, which will all release during December, coinciding with the release of Devil’s Reign.
The first variant cover from Pete Woods features the Hulk as the Kingpin, as he oversees Hell’s Kitchen in his iconic white suit. The Hulk’s massive stature fits the character perfectly. The variant on Hulk #2 will release on December 1st.
Next up, one of Marvel’s most lovable heroes becomes the living embodiment of Death, as the Thing trades in his rock-like skin for something much darker. The cover from Dan Panosian on The Thing #2 will arrive in comic shops on December 1st.
One of the coolest covers comes from Kael Ngu, who combined Black Panther and Sabretooth to create the menacing combo villain. The cover will debut on Black Panther #2 on December 8th.
Mary Jane Watson graces the cover of The Amazing Spider-Man #82, becoming a version of Nightmare in this cover from Joshua “Sway” Swaby. The variant is out on December 15th.
She-Hulk becomes Kraven the Hunter in a stunning new cover from Woods, which will appear on Avengers #51 on December 15th.
On the cover of Captain America/Iron Man #2, Steve Rogers becomes Princess Python with an epic shield that bites back. The cover from Leinil Francis Yu will be available on December 22nd.
The much-anticipated The Death of Doctor Strange‘s fourth issue will feature the Sorcerer Supreme becoming The Ringmaster in a cover from Annie Wu. The variant is set to be released on December 22nd.
Lastly, On Captain Marvel #35, Carol Danvers becomes the iconic Fantastic Four villain Mole Man in a brand new cover from Todd Nauck. Captain Marvel will sport the iconic look when the comic arrives in shops on December 29th.
The series of unexpected mashups are a welcome sight, as Marvel letting artist have fun with combo characters is a great idea. It’s unfortunate readers won’t get to see Kingpin Hulk or other heroes get their own stories – but who knows, maybe one day they’ll pull a Gwenpool and go from a cool comic cover to a main character in the Marvel Universe.
