Marvel Celebrates Star Wars Rebels’ 10th Anniversary With New Variant Covers
Beginning early next year, certain Star Wars comics published by Marvel will ship with special variant covers celebrating the 10th anniversary of the animated series Star Wars Rebels.
At this time, Marvel Comics has revealed eight “Rebels 10th Anniversary Variant Covers,” all of which come from artist Caspar Wijngaard. Four of these covers are for Marvel’s main Star Wars title, while the other four will accompany issues of Star Wars: Darth Vader. Things kick off in January 2024 with Wijngaard’s variants for Star Wars #42 and Star Wars: Darth Vader #42 — which feature the Grand Inquisitor and Ahsoka Tano, respectively.
Then, in February, Kanan Jarrus and Zeb Orrelios star on Wijngaard’s variant cover for Star Wars #43, while Ezra Bridger and Chopper appear on his variant for Darth Vader #43. The Rebels 10th Anniversary Variant cover for March’s Star Wars #44 features Hera Syndulla, while the one for that same month’s Darth Vader #44 stars Sabine Wren. Finally, April sees the release of Star Wars #45 and Darth Vader #45. Wijngaard’s variants for those issues feature Grand Admiral Thrawn and Agent Kallus, respectively.
Check out all of Caspar Wijngaard’s Rebels 10th Anniversary Variant Covers below:
“It was such an honor to be involved in the 10th anniversary for Rebels,” Wijngaard told StarWars.com. “Having recently revisited the adventures of the Spectres in preparation for Ahsoka, this opportunity was perfect timing … We’ve been absolutely spoiled with Rebels content these last few weeks and I’m glad I could be a part of it in some way.”
The legacy of Star Wars Rebels
Star Wars Rebels premiered on Disney XD in 2014 as a follow-up to Cartoon Network’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The show ran for a total of four seasons through 2018. It takes place before the events of the original Star Wars film from 1977, and chronicles the formative days of the Rebel Alliance.
As Wijngaard alluded to, Rebels’ contributions to Star Wars canon have continued to reverberate throughout the franchise. Perhaps the most notable example so far is the ongoing live-action Disney+ series Ahsoka. In addition to being a spin-off of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka effectively serves as a sequel to Star Wars Rebels by revisiting some of the animated series’ key characters and hanging plot threads. In addition to Ahsoka herself, the show prominently features familiar faces like Sabine Wren, Ezra Bridger, Hera Syndulla, and Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Rebels characters have also popped up elsewhere in the years since the Disney XD show ended. For example, the Grand Inquisitor appeared prominently in the 2022 live-action Disney+ limited series Obi-Wan Kenobi. More recently, Zeb Orrelios cameoed in the third season of Disney+’s The Mandalorian.