Marvel Comicsjust announced a “True Believers Blind Bag” initiative, a refreshing new way for collectors to engage with the many variant covers the publisher produces. The program, whichstarts this December withUltimate Endgame#1, will include exclusive covers alongside variants available for wide release, and is intended as a way to motivate fan engagement with local comic retailers.
Marvel just announced the Blind Bag program, calling it a “first-ever” for the company.Ultimate Endgame#1’s variant covers will ship in sealed bags, making it a surprise for readers which one they get.
Marvel also promised “secret covers that will remain unrevealed until a lucky fan finds them,” adding to the excitement of the move.
Marvel’s “True Believer Blind Bag” Program Promises To Raise The Stakes, And The Excitement, Of Comic Collecting
Ultimate Endgame#1 Variant Cover By Derrick Chew
Here is how Marvel described the Blind Bag program in its press release:
TRUE BELIEVERS BLIND BAGS give fans a chance to purchase ULTIMATE ENDGAME #1 in special sealed bags, featuring art by Rod Reis, that contain one of the issue’s many covers, including variant covers only available in TRUE BELIEVERS BLIND BAGS. The covers exclusive to the TRUE BELIEVERS BLIND BAGS also include secret covers that will remain unrevealed until a lucky fan finds them, creating an exciting opportunity for collectors and a new way for local comic shops to engage with their customer base!
This system adds an element of excitement back into comic book collecting, or at least that is Marvel’s intention. Most notable, of course, is the prospect of true mystery covers, which are not revealed in advance of the issue’s release, which has become standard for most variants.
The fear, of course, is that these covers will leak, and spoil the fun. Spoilers already play a role in thediscourse surrounding variant covers, given that the early release of variants for upcoming issues has, at times,spoiled character returns, plot points, and more. Yet if Marvel manages to keep these surprise covers a secret, it could revolutionize contemporary comic collecting.
That is,Marvel could be more judicious about which variantsit provides an early look at. Of course, a glimpse of upcoming covers can be an incentive to go out and hunt down particularly noteworthy covers, but if Marvel can make the element of surprise even more enticing, that would be a win for both the publisher and fans.
Marvel’s Ambitious New “Blind Bag” Publishing Initiative Is An Innovative And Refreshing Approach To Variant Covers
Ultimate Endgame#1 Variant Cover By CAFU
Marvel also released a full list of the variant covers forUltimate Endgame#1, save for the mystery covers it teased. The issue will ship with the following covers:
So, over a dozen covers will also be available outside the “Blind Bag,” but three announced variants will only be available to readers who take a leap of faith and become a “True Believer.”
Ultimate Endgame#1 was already an ambitious way forMarvel Comicsto close out 2025 and start 2026, and now it has doubled down by starting this new publishing gambit, which will hopefully stimulate comic collecting and local comic shop visits, as well as giving readers the thrill of the hunt.
