diff --git a/aeneas/src/core/Eval.v3 b/aeneas/src/core/Eval.v3
index 0dee2be83..2dec72693 100644
--- a/aeneas/src/core/Eval.v3
+++ b/aeneas/src/core/Eval.v3
@@ -743,9 +743,6 @@ def evalOp(op: Operator, args: Arguments) -> Result {
 			var object = args.r(0);
 			return if(object != null, object.values[field.index]);
 		}
-		VariantReplaceNull => {
-			return args.vals[0];
-		}
 		VariantGetMethod(method) => {
 			var object = args.r(0);
 			var spec = getIrSpec(method, args);
diff --git a/aeneas/src/core/Opcode.v3 b/aeneas/src/core/Opcode.v3
index bfaf0f3ab..c77dd495c 100644
--- a/aeneas/src/core/Opcode.v3
+++ b/aeneas/src/core/Opcode.v3
@@ -104,7 +104,6 @@ type Opcode {
 	case VariantEq;
 	case VariantGetTag;
 	case VariantGetField(field: IrField);
-	case VariantReplaceNull;
 	case VariantGetMethod(method: IrMethod);
 	case VariantGetVirtual(method: IrMethod);
 	case VariantGetSelector(selector: IrSelector);
@@ -290,7 +289,6 @@ component Opcodes {
 		t[Opcode.VariantEq.tag] =		P  |C;
 		t[Opcode.VariantGetTag.tag] =		P|NNEG;
 		t[Opcode.VariantGetField.tag] = 	P;
-		t[Opcode.VariantReplaceNull.tag] = 	P|NZ;
 		t[Opcode.VariantGetMethod.tag] = 	NZ|P;
 		t[Opcode.VariantGetVirtual.tag] = 	NZ|P;
 		t[Opcode.VariantGetSelector.tag] = 	NZ|P;
diff --git a/aeneas/src/core/Operator.v3 b/aeneas/src/core/Operator.v3
index e253b0147..5e8a3a9ba 100644
--- a/aeneas/src/core/Operator.v3
+++ b/aeneas/src/core/Operator.v3
@@ -337,11 +337,6 @@ component V3Op {
 		return newOp0(Opcode.VariantGetSelector(selector), typeArgs, [methodRef.receiver],
 			methodRef.getFuncType());
 	}
-//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-	def newVariantReplaceNull(vtype: Type) -> Operator {
-		var tt = [vtype];
-		return newOp0(Opcode.VariantReplaceNull, tt, tt, vtype);
-	}
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 	def newNullCheck(rtype: Type) -> Operator {
 		var tt = [rtype];
diff --git a/aeneas/src/ir/SsaNormalizer.v3 b/aeneas/src/ir/SsaNormalizer.v3
index e618de2ba..fd92991f5 100644
--- a/aeneas/src/ir/SsaNormalizer.v3
+++ b/aeneas/src/ir/SsaNormalizer.v3
@@ -255,13 +255,6 @@ class SsaRaNormalizer extends SsaRebuilder {
 					if (rc.isUnboxed()) {
 						// flattened data type becomes component call and needs new receiver
 						ai_new = Arrays.prepend(newGraph.nullReceiver(), ai_new);
-					} else {
-						var obj = ai_new[0];
-						if (V3Op.needsNullCheck(i_old, obj)) {
-							// XXX: make CallVariantMethod operator for null replacement?
-							ai_new[0] = curBlock.add(V3Op.newVariantReplaceNull(m.receiver), [obj], Facts.NONE);
-							norm.newIr.getIrClass(m.receiver).facts |= Fact.C_HEAP;
-						}
 					}
 				}
 				normCall(i_old, funcNorm, newOp, ai_new);
@@ -315,13 +308,6 @@ class SsaRaNormalizer extends SsaRebuilder {
 					if (rc.isUnboxed()) {
 						// flattened data type becomes component call and needs new receiver
 						ai_new = Arrays.prepend(newGraph.nullReceiver(), ai_new);
-					} else {
-						// for variant calls, replace null receiver with record
-						var obj = normVariantGetTag(rc.variantNorm, ai_new);
-						if (!obj.facts.V_NON_ZERO) {
-							ai_new[0] = curBlock.add(V3Op.newVariantReplaceNull(m.receiver), [obj], Facts.NONE);
-							norm.newIr.makeIrClass(m.receiver).facts |= Fact.C_HEAP;
-						}
 					}
 					normCall(i_old, funcNorm, V3Op.newCallMethod(m), ai_new);
 				}
@@ -744,12 +730,6 @@ class SsaRaNormalizer extends SsaRebuilder {
 		if (t.1) {
 			newOp = V3Op.newCallVariantSelector(m);
 		} else {
-			var obj = x;
-			if (!obj.facts.V_NON_ZERO) {
-				// XXX: make CallVariantMethod operator for null replacement?
-				x = curBlock.add(V3Op.newVariantReplaceNull(m.receiver), [obj], Facts.NONE);
-				norm.newIr.getIrClass(m.receiver).facts |= Fact.C_HEAP;
-			}
 			newOp = V3Op.newCallMethod(m);
 			facts |= Fact.O_NO_NULL_CHECK;
 		}
diff --git a/aeneas/src/jvm/JvmRep.v3 b/aeneas/src/jvm/JvmRep.v3
index a624973cc..d5a40bc6f 100644
--- a/aeneas/src/jvm/JvmRep.v3
+++ b/aeneas/src/jvm/JvmRep.v3
@@ -234,26 +234,6 @@ class JvmTypeReps(jprog: JvmProgram) {
 		jprog.jheap.emitRecordValue(code, jclass.defaultRecord);
 	}
 	def emitInvokeVirtual(code: JvmCodeBuilder, spec: IrSpec, nonnull: bool) {
-		if (!nonnull && V3.isVariant(spec.receiver)) {
-			{
-				var ic = jprog.prog.ir.getIrClass(spec.receiver);
-				var m = spec.member;
-				while (ic.parent != null && ic.parent.methods.length > m.index) {
-					m = ic.parent.methods[m.index];
-					ic = ic.parent;
-				}
-				var classType = m.receiver;
-				if (classType != spec.receiver) spec = IrSpec.new(classType, Arrays.replace(spec.typeArgs, 0, classType), m);
-			}
-			var tag = V3.classDecl(spec.receiver).variantTag;
-			// Call the static dispatcher method that can deal with null
-			var jclass = jprog.jvmClass(spec.receiver);
-			var nsig = jprog.makeJvmSig(jclass, spec.getMethodType(), null);
-			var virtualName = V3.mangleIrMember(spec.member);
-			var staticName = Arrays.concat(virtualName, "$$dispatch");
-			code.invokestatic(jclass.name, staticName, nsig);
-			return;
-		}
 		var jclass = jprog.jvmClass(spec.receiver);
 		var nsig = jprog.jvmSig(spec.getMethodType());
 		var virtualName = V3.mangleIrMember(spec.member);
diff --git a/aeneas/src/jvm/SsaJvmGen.v3 b/aeneas/src/jvm/SsaJvmGen.v3
index 9a81445fb..32490b490 100644
--- a/aeneas/src/jvm/SsaJvmGen.v3
+++ b/aeneas/src/jvm/SsaJvmGen.v3
@@ -514,14 +514,6 @@ class SsaJvmGen(jprog: JvmProgram, context: SsaContext, jsig: JvmSig, code: JvmC
 				var dclass = jprog.newClosure(methodRef);
 				code.invokestatic(dclass.name, "$get", JvmSig.new([jclass], dclass));
 			}
-			VariantReplaceNull => {
-				var t = op.typeArgs[0];
-				code.dup();
-				var b = code.branch_fw(JvmBytecode.IFNONNULL);
-				code.pop();
-				code.builder.jprog.jrep.emitDefaultVariantRecord(t, code);
-				code.patchBranch(b);
-			}
 			Init =>			; // do nothing
 			ComponentGetField(field) =>	jprog.jrep.emitGetField(V3Op.extractIrSpec(op, field), code);
 			ComponentSetField(field) => {
diff --git a/aeneas/src/mach/MachLowering.v3 b/aeneas/src/mach/MachLowering.v3
index cfe5def8e..96f4c3a16 100644
--- a/aeneas/src/mach/MachLowering.v3
+++ b/aeneas/src/mach/MachLowering.v3
@@ -514,7 +514,6 @@ class MachLowering(mach: MachProgram, compiler: Compiler, config: MachLoweringCo
 			VariantGetField(field) => 	return genClassGetField(true, i_old, field);
 			VariantGetMethod(method) => 	i_new = genVariantGetMethod(i_old, method);
 			VariantGetSelector(selector) => i_new = genVariantGetSelector(i_old, selector);
-			VariantReplaceNull =>		i_new = genVariantReplaceNull(i_old);
 			ComponentGetField(field) => 	return genComponentGetField(i_old, field);
 			ComponentSetField(field) => 	return genComponentSetField(i_old, field);
 			TupleGetElem(index) => 		return genTupleGetElem(i_old, index);
@@ -1720,20 +1719,6 @@ class MachLowering(mach: MachProgram, compiler: Compiler, config: MachLoweringCo
 		var mtbl = context.graph.valConst(mach.data.ptrType, mach.methodTable(methodRef));
 		return ptrLoad(funcRep.machType, ptrAdd(mtbl, tid), 0);
 	}
-	def genVariantReplaceNull(i_old: SsaApplyOp) -> SsaInstr {
-		var vt = i_old.op.typeArgs[0];
-		var val = i_old.input0();
-		if (V3.getVariantTag(vt) == 0) return val; // tag == 0 should be prepared for null
-		var t = addIfNull(val);
-		var tblock = t.0, fblock = t.1, merge = t.2;
-		curBlock = fblock;
-		fblock.addGoto(merge.block);
-		tblock.addGoto(merge.block);
-		curBlock = merge;
-		var record = V3.makeDefaultVariantRecord(context.prog, vt);
-		var addr = mach.machVal(record);
-		return curBlock.addPhi(vt, [val, context.graph.valConst(mach.machType(vt), addr)]);
-	}
 	def genComponentGetField(i_old: SsaApplyOp, field: IrField) {
 		if (config.ObjectSystem) return void(normId(i_old));
 		var fieldRef = V3Op.extractIrSpec(i_old.op, field);
diff --git a/aeneas/src/main/Version.v3 b/aeneas/src/main/Version.v3
index cbb690eeb..f61e3afeb 100644
--- a/aeneas/src/main/Version.v3
+++ b/aeneas/src/main/Version.v3
@@ -3,6 +3,6 @@
 
 // Updated by VCS scripts. DO NOT EDIT.
 component Version {
-	def version: string = "III-7.1745";
+	def version: string = "III-7.1746";
 	var buildData: string;
 }