Alex Ross paints 28 portraits of Marvel heroes for new office mural - and "Timeless" variant covers

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

A second wave of 'Timeless' variant covers by painter Alex Ross for upcoming Marvel books have been released. The 14 new pieces revealed just now add to those previously announced for a total of 28 variants planned by the publisher, which are also being used for a mural in Marvel's new offices they moved into earlier this year.

"Nobody else embodies the term Timeless quite as well as Alex does," Marvel's executive editor Tom Brevoort said previously. "His work makes people relate to these fantastical characters in an entirely new way - they become plausible and real without giving up their larger-than-life qualities in the process. He's also just about the hardest-working guy in the business - his output, given its quality, is truly staggering."

Here's the 14 new variants revealed today, all planned for release in October:

  • Amazing Spider-man #50 (Spider-Man)
  • Daredevil #23 (Daredevil)
  • Excalibur #13 (Nightcrawler)
  • Fantastic Four #25 (Black Bolt)
  • Fantastic Four: Antithesis #3 (Medusa)
  • Hellions #5 (Phoenix)
  • Marauders #13 (Iceman)
  • New Mutants #13 (Colossus)
  • Shang-Chi #2 (Shang-Chi)
  • Spider-Woman #5 (Spider-Woman)
  • Thor #8 (Thor)
  • Wolverine #6 (Wolverine)
  • X-Force #13 (Beast)
  • X-Men #13 (Cyclops)

"These gorgeous covers feature Marvel's greatest heroes brought to life by the iconic art of legendary artist Alex Ross," reads Marvel's press release. "Behold Marvel heroes like Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Jean Grey in painted portraits, depicted in their most classic and beloved costumes."

They join the 14 variants previously announced to arrive in Septembers books. They are:

  • X-Factor #4 (Angel)
  • Iron Man #1 (Iron Man)
  • Empyre Fallout: Fantastic Four #1 (Namor) 
  • Immortal She-Hulk #1 (She-Hulk)
  • Fantastic Four: Antithesis #2 (Silver Surfer)
  • Immortal Hulk #37 (Hulk) 
  • Giant-Size X-Men: Storm #1 (Storm) 
  • Strange Academy #3 (Scarlet Witch)
  • Captain America #23 (Captain America) 
  • Fantastic Four #24 (Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Mr. Fantastic, The Thing)
  • Avengers #36 (Ghost Rider)

Look for Marvel's full October 2020 solicitations and covers later this week on Newsarama.

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)

Latest in Comics
New Champions #4
Meet Gold Tiger, the young Wakandan hero whose origin will be revealed in New Champions #4
Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
DC June 2025 solicitations: 10 must-have comics to pre-order this month
Batman and the Jason Todd Robin leap into action.
Sweet Tooth creator Jeff Lemire revisits the early days of Batman's second Robin, Jason Todd
Marvel Rivals: Ignite #1
Marvel Rivals goes manga in a new comic from Peach Momoko and three other Japanese artists that reveals several new in-game costumes
Fantastic Four #30
Thanks to Doctor Doom, Ben Grimm is no longer the Thing and his kids don't even recognize him in Fantastic Four #30
Witcher comics Geralt
"Something for true collectors": CD Projekt CEO shares his nostalgia for the "super retro" Witcher comics that are coming out in English for the first time
Latest in News
Crash Bandicoot PS1
Former Sony exec Shuhei Yoshida says the PlayStation marketing team had to completely redesign Crash Bandicoot in PS1 commercials because he was too ugly for the Japanese market
Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom
The Russo Brothers say Robert Downey Jr. "tried to talk us into" doing another Avengers movie but they "said no" until they heard the pitch for Doomsday: "That story has to be told"
American Truck Simulator
3,348 days later, American Truck Simulator is finally delivering the DLC I've been waiting for longer than Hollow Knight fans have been anticipating Silksong
A screenshot from the Balatro: Friends of Jimbo reveal trailer, showing a card with The Witcher's Geralt on the front.
Baldur's Gate 3 director Swen Vincke says indie poker roguelike Balatro was his 2024 GOTY, beating out Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Astro Bot, and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
The Invisible Woman in Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals devs know exactly how popular Invisible Woman is, and say that "body shape or silhouette" add to a character's popularity in a way far more innocent than the internet deserves
Terraria art showing a short-haired blond man sitting atop a grassy field in metal armor, colorful slimes on either side of him
Ahead of Terraria's sixth final update, one dedicated fan has led the creation of the sandbox survival game's ultimate (and first) modpack