Celebrating Four Years of Variants - Part II: Catalog Picks

In celebration of Snap's anniversary, Ambedo has scoured the entire catalog of variants to bring you a four-part retrospective. Check back each Saturday of the month for a brand-new themed installment! Today's dedicated to the best picks from Marvel's catalog!

Missed the first installment? Click here.

Welcome to the second installment of my four-part retrospective! 

If you are a collector, you're probably already aware that some of the most striking variants in Marvel Snap are repurposed illustrations plucked directly from Marvel's comic catalog. Out of the game's 400+ listed illustrators, more than 60% have never been commissioned to create original pieces for Second Dinner. Instead, the studio curates their work straight from existing comics, mostly cover art. Overall, roughly 1 in 5 variants is repurposed material with little to no edits.

Below is a selection of my personal favorite catalog picks! As with the first installment, we'll see if my preferences align with those of the community.

Before diving in, here's a few things you should know:

• Alphabetical Order: Pieces are listed alphabetically by character name.
• Rarity & Popularity (# of owners and % of owners having the variant as favorite): Sourced directly from SnapComplete, this data acts as a quantitative metric for the community's favorite variants. Keep in mind that a variant's scarcity is tied to its type and acquisition method (whether it was a free event reward, purchased with game currency, or bought with real money). The same goes for the age of the variant itself.

I. Apocalypse

X-Men, vol. 5, issues 13 and 14's connecting variant cover art published in 2020
Art by Kael Ngu [ variants | official website ]
Medium: Medium: traditional ink, graphite, alcohol-based markers, and digital coloring
Webshop milestone variant released in March 2025
Rarity: 1st | Popularity: 9th out of 12 variants

When kinetic energy meets Kael Ngu's signature chiseled volumes! This dramatic artwork perfectly suits the X of Swords storyline, where mutants from sister islands duel with prophecy-bonded, mythical swords – such as the Muramasa Shard! – they had to retrieve across the cosmos. Stark contrasts allow this brimming, explosive artwork to feel fluid and rewarding.

Is the community fond of Ngu's work?

Yes. His podium rate is a decent 36%. As a point of comparison, the average is roughly 51% for the artists showcased in the first installment. His Cable and M'Baku claim 1st place, while his Colossus, Kang, Mantis, and Sentinel rank 2nd. His epic Cassandra Nova and dunking Venom close out their respective card podiums.

Lore

This is actually an incomplete family portrait! On the left is Apocalypse's wife Genesis wearing the Helm of Annihilation. Behind the couple are two of their children, War (left) and Death (right). Famine and Pestilence are missing. (Yes, their names were eventually used as epithets for Apocalypse's different breeds of Horsemen.)

II. Black Cat

Black Cat, issue 1 variant cover published in 2019
Art by Stanley Lau (Artgerm) [ variants | official website ]
Medium: digital ink and digital painting
Repurposed as a Super Rare variant released in May 2022
Rarity: 15th | Popularity: 1st* out of 21 variants

Artgerm is certainly not an audacious illustrator, but his artistic chops and consistency are second to none. I selected my favorite variant for this retrospective, but I could have opted for almost any other piece – except for his disappointingly bland Doctor Doom, his ridiculously jacked Killmonger, and "Flaring Nostrils" Human Torch!

Is the community fond of Artgerm's work?

Fond is an understatement! 82% (27 out of 33) of his variants secure a podium spot. Out of those 27, almost half rank 1st (12), nine rank 2nd, and six rank 3rd. And out of the three variants I like a lot less, only Killmonger closes out the card's top 3.

* Mike Mayhew's repurposed Knullified cover art variant ranks 2nd and Derrick Chew's (repurposed cover art) 3rd.

III. Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange Damnation, issue 1 variant cover published in 2018
Art by Javier Garrón [ variants | official website ]
Medium: traditional ink, graphite, and digital coloring
Repurposed as Super Rare variant released in May 2022
Rarity: 11th | Popularity: 13th out of 19 variants

&

Doctor Strange, vol. 6, issue 13 variant cover published 2024
Art by Nicoletta Baldari [ variants | Instagram ]
Medium: traditional ink and digital coloring
Repurposed as a Sanctum Showdown variant released in February 2025
Rarity: 5th | Popularity: 5th out of 19 variants

I just couldn't decide between those two! Both are so colorful, complex and unique. Two different styles, to original expressions of Strange's magical potential. (Strange's wife Clea is the woman in the bottom right corner of Baldardi's artwork, by the way!)

Is the community fond of those artists' work?

With Garrón having only two variants in the game, it is impossible to provide a definitive answer. As for Baldari, none of her repurposed art has managed to win the community's favor, let alone a podium. The community is missing out on a celebrated Marvel cover artist – she has done more than 50 for the publishing giant* – and one who brings a unique, whimsical twist to Snap's characters.

* See the conclusion below for points of comparison.

IV. Grandmaster

Avengers, vol. 7, issue 18 cover art published in 2018
Art by Mark Brooks [ variants | Instagram ]
Medium: traditional graphite, ink, and digital painting
Repurposed as a Spotlight variant released in January 2024
Rarity: 1st | Popularity: 1st* out of 6 variants

Thanks to Jeff Goldblum, the MCU offered us a memorable Grandmaster… who has little to do with the source material, whether in appearance or stature. This slick cover art captures both his true design and obsession.

Is the community fond of Brooks' work?

Between 2023 and 2025, Second Dinner only picked six illustrations from the artist's portfolio of over 250 Marvel works. They probably stopped because the variants they made out of them struggle to win over the community's heart. His Grandmaster is an anomaly, alongside his Sebastian Shaw, which managed to reach the 3rd step of the card's podium.

Who is the Grandmaster?

En Dwi Gast is an ancient, godlike cosmic entity, a member of the Elders of the Universe, and the Collector's brother. Like all Elders, he maintains his immortality through an obsessive focus on a single hobby; in his case, playing games. He has spent billions of years traveling the cosmos to study, master, and collect games from thousands of alien civilizations. When bored, he wields his reality-warping powers to manipulate matter, teleport across galaxies, and use heroes from all over as living pawns in fighting tournaments.

* Alberto Dal Lago's variant ranks 2nd and Nikola Čižmešija 3rd.

V. Variants from the Knullified variant cover art series*

Above, Iron Man, vol. 6, issue 4 variant cover published in 2020
& Captain America, vol 10, issue 26, published in 2021

Snap's Knullified series hits the hardest among all "metamorphosis" variants (Carnageized, Demonized, Venomized, and Zombie). Much like the Carnageized and Demonized lines, they are crafted from repurposed comic book cover art. Yet, despite its larger lineup (15 variants), the Knullified series maintains a higher level of visual consistency. Only three variants miss the mark: Skan Srisuwan's Black Widow and Iban Coello's Storm – both bogged down by busy compositions lacking contrast – and Paulo Siqueira's grotesque, carnivalesque Spider-Man. 

This Iron Man, on the other hand, deserves a spot in the series' top three alongside Galactus and Shang-Chi. Knullified variants where the character remains clearly recognizable are more rewarding, simply because they strike a balance between the source material and the "metamorphosis" alterations.

Is the community fond of Knullified variants?

With seven out of 15 variants climbing onto their cards' podiums, the answer is a resounding yes! Galactus, Miles Morales, The Thing, and Thor rank 1st; that ludicrous Spider-Man and Black Cat rank 2nd; and that deliciously evil Captain America is in 3rd place. (Black Widow surprises me with a 5th position out of 17 variants, but Storm ranks 19th out of 27 as expected.)

* Only one variant tagged Knullified doesn't come from the program: Ken Lashley’s highly-praised Galactus was commissioned by Snap.

VI. Jean Grey

Phoenix Resurrection, issue 4 variant cover published in 2018
Art by Mukesh Singh [ variants | ArtStation profile ]
Medium: digital ink and digital painting
Repurposed as a Spotlight variant released in September 2023
Rarity: 8th | Popularity: 13th out of 20 variants

Jean Grey has many great-looking variants to her name, but this stunning piece takes the cake. Singh does things differently to great effect. This image is a lavish, luxurious, and completely original piece of cover art. The colorwork is amazing, and there is a profound sense of serenity emanating from the work – a feat when the Phoenix Force is concerned!

What are Jean Grey's top 3 variants?

While the fairly recent Ultimate variant – repurposed from a Rose Besch cover art – grabs the gold, the 2nd and 3rd positions are held by two much older catalog picks: Artgerm's "Phoenix" and "Vintage". The latter features Grey as she looked in the '60s comics. Both are the oldest variants for the cards alongside Philip Tan's, which is also a repurposed cover art, this one depicting the Phoenix in its dark form. (The costume's green turns red when that happens.)

Lore

The Phoenix Force is an ancient, immortal, and abstract cosmic entity. The "Dark Phoenix" is its corrupted, malevolent manifestation, born when the entity becomes completely overwhelmed by the dark human emotions of its host.

While a few other characters show a connection to the entity in some of their variants (such as Echo, Mister Sinister, Mother Askani, as well as the Phoenix Force and Phoenix Five series), Jean Grey's variant pool suggests a much deeper connection: nine out of her 20 variants evoke the Phoenix Force. Indeed, Grey is considered its ultimate host because of her telepathic skills, genetic compatibility, and deep emotional capacity.

VII. Jessica Jones

Jessica Jones, issue 1 variant cover published in 2016
Art by Alex Maleev [ variants | official website ]
Medium: traditional oil paint, charcoal, ink, and digital textures
Repurposed as a Rare variant available when the game was released
Rarity: 10th | Popularity: 3rd* out of 10 variants

Alex Maleev delivers a top-notch gritty, noir-inspired design that suits Jessica Jones and her dedicated comic series perfectly. (However, the standard comic trade dress heavily restricts the piece. Check Snap's digital asset here to appreciate the true scope of his work.) Maleev uses an intentional, stylized atmospheric blur, yet the piece retains incredible impact and spatial depth thanks to the chosen perspective and the tossed business card.

Is the community fond of Maleev's work?

Inferring from his dedicated album, it wouldn't be wrong to think that an artist receives such an honor after only two releases because they are praised by the community. However, there could be some confusion about exactly which community. Indeed, Maleev is held in high esteem… in the Marvel comic community. He has illustrated more than 250 comic covers since 2001! That high regard, however, doesn't carry over to SnapComplete's community: only two of his 14 variants have stepped onto their respective cards' podiums, both landing in third place: his Jessica Jones, and the gritty – yet clownesque? – Typhoid Mary.

* David Mack's variant ranks 1st and Creative House Pocket's 2nd.

VIII. Mister Sinister

Immortal X-Men, issue 1 variant cover published in 2022
Art by Oscar Vega [ variants | ArtStation profile ]
Medium: digital ink and digital painting
Repurposed as a Rare variant released in April 2024
Rarity: 7th | Popularity: 1st* | out of 10 variants

Did you ever notice that Vega's Mister Sinister and Mystique variants share a similar look? Both seem to pay homage to Alexandre Cabanel's classic Fallen Angel painting, which is a pretty cool Easter egg. The art itself, a super sleek image mostly made of red, deep black and discrete greenish accents, perfectly showcases the character's cold, evil personality. There's something… vampiric about this interpretation and I love it.

Is the community fond of Vega's work?

A mere three variants – with widely different rankings – make answering the question impossible.

Who is Mister Sinister?

Dr. Nathaniel Essex was born in England in the 1830s. Obsessed with Charles Darwin's theories, he dedicated his adult life to grotesque human experimentation that progressively isolated him from society. Shortly after the death of his wife, he crossed paths with Apocalypse, who used advanced Celestial technology to transform the grieving scientist into an immortal superhuman. He has absolute control over his physical form down to the cellular level, allowing him to shift appearance, liquefy, and instantly bring himself back together from catastrophic injuries. His high-tier mental faculties also allow him to mind-control targets, create illusions, and fire devastating physical blasts.

* Luca Claretti's variant ranks 2nd and Volmi Studio's 3rd.

IX. Mockingbird

Mockingbird, issue 7 cover published in 2018
Art by Joelle Jones [ variants | Instagram ]
Medium: traditional ink, graphite, and digital coloring
Repurposed as a Super Rare variant released in March 2024
Rarity: 8th | Popularity: 4th out of 10 variants

All of Jones' variants are for Mockingbird, which is to be expected since she illustrated the covers for the entire eight-issue run. Among them, this piece is by far the most original and memorable. Beyond its aesthetic originality, the artwork directly reflects the narrative framework of the story it teases: a murder investigation aboard a cruise liner entering the Bermuda Triangle – bold, yet completely accessible.

Is the community fond of Jones' work?

Only two variants make answering the question impossible. No podiums, however.

Who is Mockingbird?

Dr. Barbara "Bobbi" Morse is a brilliant scientist, master spy, and elite superhero who was famously married to Hawkeye. Her incredible athletic ability and intelligence caught the eye of Nick Fury while she was working at S.H.I.E.L.D. as a biologist. He brought her out of the lab and trained her into a lethal field asset, codenamed Agent 19.

X. Mystique

Inferno, issue 1 variant cover published in 2021
Art by Peach Momoko [ variants | Instagram ]
Medium: traditional watercolor, ink, and graphite
Repurposed as a bundle variant released in March 2023
Rarity: 14th | Popularity: 3rd* out of 20 variants

Momoko's best pieces are her most daring ones, and this one takes the cake! It is a brilliant, creative showcase of Mystique's shape-shifting nature. What I appreciate most about Momoko's repurposed art in the game, however, is how it consistently brings a healthy, warranted dose of vulnerability and peacefulness to Marvel's musclefest. Keep 'em coming, Second Dinner! 

Is the community fond of Momoko's variants?

When dealing with the artist with the most repurposed material in the game, a strong podium rate is to be expected. That is not the case here: just under a third (38%) of her variants make it to their respective cards' podiums. Out of 31 top-ranking cards, nine claim gold, 18 rank 2nd, and seven rank 3rd. And despite featuring mostly audacious metamorphoses, the pieces from the Nightmare variant cover series (of which 19 items have been repurposed in the game*) fare quite well: Doctor Strange ranks 1st; Moon Knight and Silver Surfer** rank 2nd; and Ghost Spider and Invisible Woman take 3rd.

** Online databases' count is 14, but that is due to a labeling mistake by Second Dinner. The five pieces from the Horror series should in fact be tagged as Nightmare. 

* Artgerm's Ultimate variant ranks 1st and In-Hyuk Lee's Beach-Verse 2nd.

XI. Red Hulk

Picture from a page in Venom, vol. 2, issue 13.4 issue published in 2019
Art by Lan Medina [ variants | Instagram ]
Medium: traditional ink, graphite, and digital coloring
Rarity: 5th | Popularity: 4th out of 9 variants
Repurposed as a Super Rare variant released in April 2024

This variant is a great catalog pick because it captures a ridiculously awesome meta character : that's what the fusion of Red Hulk, Agent Venom, and the Ghost Rider looks like. Deliciously outrageous!

Lore

How did that happen anyways? In the "Circle of Four" storyline, Blackheart (Mephisto's son) attempts to bring Hell to Earth by opening a portal right in the middle of Las Vegas. Four characters happen to be in the city at that time: Red Hulk, Agent Venom, Ghost Rider, and X-23. They eventually team up to fight the demonic invasion, yet Blackheart proves too powerful, stripping Ghost Rider of the Spirit of Vengeance and trapping it in a mystic chamber. He then kills the entire team. 

After Mephisto grants the heroes a second chance at life to stop his son, Red Hulk and Agent Venom manage to free the Spirit. Realizing they need raw physical power amplified by supernatural forces to deal with Blackheart, Agent Venom temporarily passes his symbiote to Red Hulk, while the newly freed Spirit of Vengeance bonds with them simultaneously. This all-powerful entity crushes Blackheart and closes the portal.

XII. Scorn

Absolute Carnage, Lethal Protectors, issue 1 variant cover published in 2019
Art by Yasmine Putri [ variants | Instagram ]
Medium: digital ink and digital painting
Repurposed as a Super Rare variant released in October 2024
Rarity: 8th | Popularity: 6th out of 10 variants

What a rambunctious  image! The artificial glitches in the back pair perfectly with the deconstructing half-mechanized symbiote. The ensemble is gorgeously messy. It oozes with chaos. An audacious fronting piece for sure!

Is the community fond of Putri's variants?

Two variants with quite different rankings make answering the question impossible. No podiums, though.

Who is Scorn?

Scorn is the original cyborg symbiote – and her story is pretty cool. After Carnage was ripped apart in space, a company called Hall Industries recovered its remains to develop cutting-edge, biomechanical prosthetic limbs. One of its employees, Dr. Tanis Nieves, was given one of these experimental prosthetics following the loss of her arm while on duty. The lingering Carnage cells inside the robotic arm reactivated and bonded with her. Before Carnage vacated her body, it left a newborn alien offspring behind, incubated inside the machinery of her prosthesis. Tanis eventually bonded with this offspring completely, taking on a distinct purple and silver metallic form known as Scorn!

* Grafit Studio's variant ranks first and Viktor Farro's second.

XIII. Thena

Eternals, vol. 5, issue 1 variant cover published in 2021
Art by Dan Panosian [ variants | Instagram ]
Medium: traditional ink, graphite, and digital coloring
Repurposed as a webshop milestone reward released in April 2025
Rarity: 7th | Popularity: 7th out of 14 variants

This is exactly what a Fantasy variant should look like! Panosian's solemn illustration feels less like standard comic art and more like a piece of regal propaganda. By avoiding typical action-comic tension and dynamism, and relying on a strictly limited color palette, Panosian has created something fascinating. Your gaze is immediately captured by the exquisite detailing – both in the armor and the ornate background – and the overall majesty of the ensemble. 

Who are the Celestials, the Eternals, and Thena specifically?

The Celestials are an ancient race of giant, godlike cosmic entities – hello, Arishem! – dedicated to maintaining a dynamic, changing multiverse where life can evolve. Often called the Space Gods, they travel the cosmos conducting genetic experiments on various planets. The Eternals – of which Thena is a member – are an immortal evolutionary offshoot of humanity created by the Celestials to protect Earth. There are exactly 100 Eternals, but Marvel focused on 10 of them, the same ones featured in the MCU movie, and Thena's one of them. As an elite warrior and scholar, her signature skill is channeling cosmic energy to instantly forge pure light weaponry, most notably her iconic golden spear and crossbow. She possesses Class 25* superhuman strength, near-instant cellular regeneration, light-speed reflexes, and immortality.

* Class 25 indicates a character can lift up to 25 tons. While impressive, it is one of the lowest superhuman brackets on Marvel's official strength scale. The highest bracket is "100+/incalculable"!

XIV. White Widow

White Widow, issue 4 variant cover published in February 2024
Art by Rose Besch [ variants | official website ]
Medium: digital ink and digital painting
Repurposed as an album completion variant released in January 2025
Rarity: 2nd | Popularity: 7th out of 10 variants

Another very original piece! The soft, grey floral elements in the back contrast beautifully with the crisp Widows' logo (which is wisely toned down in the variant). Yelena Belova, drawn in a classic urban fashion pose, slides into the midground between the two mosaics. This layering generates a great depth effect which feels like a 3D piece. Besch's signature hair design comes in as the cherry on top.

Is the community fond of Besch's work?

Besch's podium rate sits just below Momoko's at 37% – but the number of variants from her Marvel work injected into the game appears more in line with such a performance, standing at 19 pieces. Her Ultimate Jean Grey, presented earlier, is one of two variants to claim gold Her majestic White Queen and Kitty Pryde rank 2nd, while her Carnage, Nightcrawler, and Spider-Woman rank 3rd.

Who are the Widows?

Members of the Black Widow Ops Program, the Widows are an elite group of deep-cover Soviet sleeper agents, master spies, and lethal assassins trained at the Red Room Academy. The institution is itself under the authority of Department X, a clandestine, ultra-secret Soviet intelligence agency that originated during the Cold War to specialize in developing cybernetic and biochemical super-soldiers to match Western powers like Captain America. The program takes in young orphan girls, subjects them to extreme physical conditioning, brainwashes them, and biochemically enhances them to create the perfect faceless weapons.

XV. Xorn

Uncanny X-Men, vol. 4, issue 10 variant cover published in 2016
Art by Christian Ward [ variants | Official website ]
Medium: mixed digital painting, ink, graphite and watercolors
Repurposed as a Super Rare variant released in August 2025
Rarity: 3rd | Popularity: 1st out of 3 variants

To fully appreciate this piece, one must understand Kuan-Yin Xorn’s unique anatomy: he is a mutant powered by a miniature star localized within his skull. Christian Ward brilliantly translates this cosmic physiology into the visual structure of the cover. Playing with conventions, Ward utilizes a reverse atmospheric perspective, rendering the foreground elements in muted, desaturated tones while flooding the background with a high-contrast palette.

Is the community fond of Ward's work?

It is hard to tell, as he only has three variants in the game. Two podiums, though! It bodes well for Ward.

Who is Xorn?

Kuan-Yin Xorn is a powerful, enigmatic mutant and the identical twin of Shen Xorn. He is instantly recognizable by the heavy iron, skull-like mask he wears to contain his volatile abilities. Xorn's powers manifested during puberty when a literal star ignited inside his head, destroying his home village. He subsequently spent 50 years imprisoned by the Chinese government before being liberated by the X-Men. Because his head is home to a miniature sun, Xorn can collapse the star into a fully operational black hole, granting him gravity manipulation and the ability to warp space-time. By altering these localized cosmic energy fields, he can also sense death and manipulate biology to heal others.

Conclusion

Compared to the previous installment's 51% Podium Rate (PR), the artists featured here – none of whom have created original work specifically for the game – hold a considerably lower average PR of 34%. This drop is expected, given that repurposed art variants make up a far smaller share of the overall pool (roughly 20% vs. 80%). What is more fascinating, however, is how extensively Second Dinner has mined these artists' portfolios. To track this, I calculated a Repurposing Rate (RR) for each creator by dividing their total in-game variants by their lifetime Marvel cover art catalog. 

Mapping this RR against their PR reveals three distinct categories:

• Light Grey: For artists sitting at a 0% PR, don't expect many future variants regardless of their RR. While creators with lower overall cover counts could theoretically defy the odds, they are off to a slow start despite their comics community popularity. Note: Rose Besch is the structural exception here; Second Dinner has already repurposed 95% of her catalog and is simply running out of original material.
• Medium Grey: Despite relatively low Podium Rates, heavyweights like Alex Maleev and Mark Brooks could see further testing from the developers due to their massive popularity among comic fans. It's entirely possible that Second Dinner simply repurposed the "wrong" source artworks for their initial offerings.
• Dark Grey: We are highly likely to see more variants sourced from these artists' back-catalogs. While our confidence level should remain lower for Oscar Vega and Christian Ward due to their small variant count and limited Marvel portfolios, a high baseline PR remains a strong leading indicator of future success.

Although some may appear imposing, the above Marvel cover numbers reflect an important change from Marvel's classic eras – specifically the Silver and Bronze Ages – when a single lead artist would draw the covers for most of Marvel's monthly output. Because of this, they could amass as many as 800+ cover illustrations over their career. The absolute record is held by the titan Jack Kirby, who has more than 1,150 unique illustrations to his name!

That is all for now! Come back next week for a third installment dedicated to promising illustrators with too few variants in the game!

And that wraps up the first installment of the retrospective! Be sure to check back next week when we dive back into the game's best variants—this time focusing solely on artwork repurposed straight from Marvel's iconic comic catalog!

Special thanks to SnapComplete, who provide blue-border art to Fourth Location.