Marvel Debuts Full Line-Up Of Pride Variant Covers

by Tony Thornley

This June, Marvel Comics continues their tradition of featuring their LGBTQ characters on a series of variant covers. This year, they give it a new spin by teaming them with their mightiest heroes in what they’re calling “Pride Ally” variants.

Across eight covers drawn by rising stars Betsy Cola and Davi Go, Marvel’s greatest heroes will team up with some of the publisher’s brightest LGBTQ stars. The publisher states this is to show that allyship is important to go with representation.

The characters featured this year includes:

· America Chavez, who delivered justice…like lightning! during Devil’s Reign in Thunderbolts.

· Angela, who returns later this month in Immortal Thor #11 where she’ll team up with her siblings to rescue another child of Odin!

· Black Cat, whose team-up series with Mary Jane Watson, Jackpot & Black Cat, is on sale now.

· Hercules, soon rejoining Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the upcoming Blood Hunt tie-in issues of Avengers.

· Hulkling, the “King of Space” who’s made recent appearances throughout the Marvel Universe in Captain Marvel, Loki, and more.

· Lightning, the most electrifying member of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes who played a pivotal role in 2018’s “No Surrender” event. He’ll be rejoining the team later this year in a yet-to-be announced new Avengers title in a welcome little news tidbit.

· Loki, currently sowing chaos and reigniting an eons-old sibling rivalry in Immortal Thor.

· Northstar, the groundbreaking first openly gay character in Marvel Comics. Fans recently saw Northstar lead a new iteration of Canada’s premier super-team during the Fall of X limited series, Alpha Flight.

· Rachel Summers, currently playing a pivotal role in Krakoa’s final battle in Rise of the Powers of X. She will star alongside her girlfriend, Betsy Braddock, in the upcoming new run of X-Force.

· Rūna, a legendary Valkyrie who first appeared in 2021’s King in Black crossover before making appearances in the pages of Thor, Avengers Unlimited, and more.