In a world of villains trying to squash the life out of gay inclusion, Marvel Comics has unveiled its Pride Variant Covers for 2025, featuring a collection of six portraits created by artist Meghan Hetrick. These covers are set to be released in June to coincide with Pride Month, celebrating LGBTQ+ representation within the Marvel Universe.

Meghan Hetrick was bubbling over with excitement for the project, saying, 'It was an honour to be asked to work on this year’s Pride Variant Covers. Celebrating these characters in vibrant, personal ways felt especially meaningful right now.' You said it sister!

The covers will feature prominent LGBTQ characters from the Marvel canon across several popular titles. Specifically, the artwork will grace the following issues: Deadpool #15, Exceptional X-Men #10, Immortal Thor #24, New Champions #6, Runaways #1, and X-Men #17.

The characters showcased include:

  • Kitty Pryde, a longstanding member of the X-Men, now serves as a mentor to a new generation of mutants in the acclaimed Exceptional X-Men series by Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero.

  • Kid Juggernaut, also known as Justin Jin, made his notable entry in Marvel’s Voices Infinity Comic, where his family's connection to the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak was revealed. He is portrayed as a champion of justice in Avengers Academy: Marvel’s Voices Infinity Comic, co-created by Anthony Oliveira.

  • Loki, the iconic God of Mischief, continues to evolve throughout Marvel’s narratives. Recently, Loki's journey has been explored in depth in the Immortal Thor series by Al Ewing and Jan Bazaldua, positioning them as a complex figure in the Marvel Universe.

  • Nico Minoru, known for her roles in Runaways and Midnight Suns, is set to return in a new limited series titled One World Under Doom. Hetrick’s cover art will accompany the debut issue of this series, which is penned by Rainbow Rowell and illustrated by Elena Casagrande.

  • Prodigy, or David Alleyne, hails from the X-Men Academy X generation and has garnered attention in titles like Young Avengers, X-Factor, and the latest NYX, written by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Francesco Mortarino.

  • Valentine Vuong, a character introduced in Alyssa Wong’s run of Deadpool, is an elite assassin who has recently made waves in the current storyline crafted by Cody Ziglar and Rogê Antônio.

The five issues featuring these covers will be on newstands (if such things still exist!) on various release dates, starting in early June. X-Men #17 and Immortal Thor #24 will be available on June 4, followed by New Champions #6, Runaways #1, and Exceptional X-Men #10 on June 11, and concluding with Deadpool #15 on June 25.

Source: Noah Wire Services