diff --git a/core/global_constants.cpp b/core/global_constants.cpp
index 6281e563950a..25a3cd1ac70e 100644
--- a/core/global_constants.cpp
+++ b/core/global_constants.cpp
@@ -552,6 +552,7 @@ void register_global_constants() {
 	BIND_GLOBAL_ENUM_CONSTANT(PROPERTY_USAGE_NO_INSTANCE_STATE);
 	BIND_GLOBAL_ENUM_CONSTANT(PROPERTY_USAGE_RESTART_IF_CHANGED);
 	BIND_GLOBAL_ENUM_CONSTANT(PROPERTY_USAGE_SCRIPT_VARIABLE);
+	BIND_GLOBAL_ENUM_CONSTANT(PROPERTY_USAGE_NIL_IS_VARIANT);
 
 	BIND_GLOBAL_ENUM_CONSTANT(PROPERTY_USAGE_DEFAULT);
 	BIND_GLOBAL_ENUM_CONSTANT(PROPERTY_USAGE_DEFAULT_INTL);
diff --git a/core/script_language.cpp b/core/script_language.cpp
index 38a970f3c63b..e1a9536d79c5 100644
--- a/core/script_language.cpp
+++ b/core/script_language.cpp
@@ -469,7 +469,7 @@ void PlaceHolderScriptInstance::update(const List<PropertyInfo> &p_properties, c
 		StringName n = E->get().name;
 		new_values.insert(n);
 
-		if (!values.has(n) || values[n].get_type() != E->get().type) {
+		if (!values.has(n) || (values[n].get_type() != E->get().type && !(E->get().usage & PROPERTY_USAGE_NIL_IS_VARIANT))) {
 			if (p_values.has(n)) {
 				values[n] = p_values[n];
 			}
diff --git a/doc/classes/@GlobalScope.xml b/doc/classes/@GlobalScope.xml
index 9a28a0d08527..66c549b28b00 100644
--- a/doc/classes/@GlobalScope.xml
+++ b/doc/classes/@GlobalScope.xml
@@ -1411,6 +1411,9 @@
 		<constant name="PROPERTY_USAGE_SCRIPT_VARIABLE" value="8192" enum="PropertyUsageFlags">
 			The property is a script variable which should be serialized and saved in the scene file.
 		</constant>
+		<constant name="PROPERTY_USAGE_NIL_IS_VARIANT" value="524288" enum="PropertyUsageFlags">
+			The property stores a variable of type [Variant]. Used with type flag [code]TYPE_NIL[/code].
+		</constant>
 		<constant name="PROPERTY_USAGE_DEFAULT" value="7" enum="PropertyUsageFlags">
 			Default usage (storage, editor and network).
 		</constant>
diff --git a/editor/editor_properties.cpp b/editor/editor_properties.cpp
index eee610e9a8f5..adbdeea35f37 100644
--- a/editor/editor_properties.cpp
+++ b/editor/editor_properties.cpp
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 
 #include "editor_properties.h"
 
+#include "core/io/marshalls.h"
 #include "editor/editor_resource_preview.h"
 #include "editor/filesystem_dock.h"
 #include "editor_node.h"
@@ -48,6 +49,101 @@ EditorPropertyNil::EditorPropertyNil() {
 	add_child(label);
 }
 
+///////////////////// GENERIC /////////////////////////
+
+void EditorPropertyGeneric::update_property() {
+	Object *object = get_edited_object();
+	StringName edited_prop = get_edited_property();
+	Variant value = object->get(edited_prop);
+	Variant::Type value_type = value.get_type();
+
+	// remove previous controls
+	while (hbox->get_child_count() > 0) {
+		Node *child = hbox->get_child(0);
+		child->queue_delete();
+		hbox->remove_child(child);
+	}
+
+	EditorProperty *prop = nullptr;
+	if (value_type == Variant::NIL) {
+		prop = memnew(EditorPropertyNil);
+	} else if (value_type == Variant::OBJECT && Object::cast_to<EncodedObjectAsID>(value)) {
+		EditorPropertyObjectID *editor = memnew(EditorPropertyObjectID);
+		editor->setup("Object");
+		prop = editor;
+	} else {
+		prop = EditorInspector::instantiate_property_editor(nullptr, value_type, "", PROPERTY_HINT_NONE, "", 0);
+	}
+
+	prop->set_object_and_property(object, edited_prop);
+	prop->set_name_split_ratio(0.0);
+	prop->set_selectable(false);
+	prop->connect("property_changed", callable_mp(this, &EditorPropertyGeneric::_property_changed));
+	prop->connect("object_id_selected", callable_mp(this, &EditorPropertyGeneric::_object_id_selected));
+	prop->set_h_size_flags(SIZE_EXPAND_FILL);
+
+	hbox->add_child(prop);
+
+	Button *edit_button = memnew(Button);
+	edit_button->set_icon(get_theme_icon("Edit", "EditorIcons"));
+	edit_button->connect("pressed", callable_mp(this, &EditorPropertyGeneric::_change_type), varray(edit_button));
+	hbox->add_child(edit_button);
+
+	prop->update_property();
+}
+
+void EditorPropertyGeneric::_property_changed(const String &p_prop, Variant p_value, const String &p_name, bool changing) {
+	emit_changed(get_edited_property(), p_value, p_name, changing);
+}
+
+void EditorPropertyGeneric::_object_id_selected(const String &p_property, ObjectID p_id) {
+	emit_signal("object_id_selected", p_property, p_id);
+}
+
+void EditorPropertyGeneric::_change_type(Object *p_button) {
+	Button *button = Object::cast_to<Button>(p_button);
+	Rect2 rect = button->get_global_rect();
+	change_type->set_as_minsize();
+	change_type->set_position(rect.position + rect.size - Vector2(change_type->get_contents_minimum_size().x, 0));
+	change_type->popup();
+}
+
+void EditorPropertyGeneric::_change_type_menu(int p_index) {
+	Object *object = get_edited_object();
+	StringName edited_prop = get_edited_property();
+	Variant value = object->get(edited_prop);
+	Variant::Type value_type = value.get_type();
+
+	Variant::Type new_value_type = Variant::Type(p_index);
+	if (new_value_type == value_type) {
+		return;
+	}
+
+	Callable::CallError ce;
+	Variant new_value = Variant::construct(new_value_type, nullptr, 0, ce);
+
+	emit_changed(edited_prop, new_value, "", true);
+	update_property();
+}
+
+EditorPropertyGeneric::EditorPropertyGeneric() {
+	hbox = memnew(HBoxContainer);
+	hbox->set_h_size_flags(SIZE_EXPAND_FILL);
+	add_child(hbox);
+
+	change_type = memnew(PopupMenu);
+	add_child(change_type);
+	change_type->connect("id_pressed", callable_mp(this, &EditorPropertyGeneric::_change_type_menu));
+
+	for (int i = 0; i < Variant::VARIANT_MAX; i++) {
+		String type = Variant::get_type_name(Variant::Type(i));
+		change_type->add_item(type, i);
+	}
+}
+
+void EditorPropertyGeneric::_bind_methods() {
+}
+
 ///////////////////// TEXT /////////////////////////
 
 void EditorPropertyText::_text_entered(const String &p_string) {
@@ -3121,8 +3217,13 @@ bool EditorInspectorDefaultPlugin::parse_property(Object *p_object, Variant::Typ
 	switch (p_type) {
 		// atomic types
 		case Variant::NIL: {
-			EditorPropertyNil *editor = memnew(EditorPropertyNil);
-			add_property_editor(p_path, editor);
+			if (p_usage & PROPERTY_USAGE_NIL_IS_VARIANT) {
+				EditorPropertyGeneric *editor = memnew(EditorPropertyGeneric);
+				add_property_editor(p_path, editor);
+			} else {
+				EditorPropertyNil *editor = memnew(EditorPropertyNil);
+				add_property_editor(p_path, editor);
+			}
 		} break;
 		case Variant::BOOL: {
 			EditorPropertyCheck *editor = memnew(EditorPropertyCheck);
diff --git a/editor/editor_properties.h b/editor/editor_properties.h
index 35e6c10d901a..cf21208d3719 100644
--- a/editor/editor_properties.h
+++ b/editor/editor_properties.h
@@ -41,13 +41,30 @@
 
 class EditorPropertyNil : public EditorProperty {
 	GDCLASS(EditorPropertyNil, EditorProperty);
-	LineEdit *text;
 
 public:
 	virtual void update_property();
 	EditorPropertyNil();
 };
 
+class EditorPropertyGeneric : public EditorProperty {
+	GDCLASS(EditorPropertyGeneric, EditorProperty);
+	HBoxContainer *hbox;
+	PopupMenu *change_type;
+
+	void _property_changed(const String &p_prop, Variant p_value, const String &p_name = String(), bool changing = false);
+	void _object_id_selected(const String &p_property, ObjectID p_id);
+	void _change_type(Object *p_button);
+	void _change_type_menu(int p_index);
+
+protected:
+	static void _bind_methods();
+
+public:
+	virtual void update_property();
+	EditorPropertyGeneric();
+};
+
 class EditorPropertyText : public EditorProperty {
 	GDCLASS(EditorPropertyText, EditorProperty);
 	LineEdit *text;
diff --git a/modules/gdscript/gdscript.cpp b/modules/gdscript/gdscript.cpp
index 632407c61fe9..27edc8385417 100644
--- a/modules/gdscript/gdscript.cpp
+++ b/modules/gdscript/gdscript.cpp
@@ -434,7 +434,9 @@ bool GDScript::_update_exports(bool *r_err, bool p_recursive_call) {
 
 			for (int i = 0; i < c->variables.size(); i++) {
 				if (c->variables[i]._export.type == Variant::NIL) {
-					continue;
+					if (!(c->variables[i]._export.usage & PROPERTY_USAGE_NIL_IS_VARIANT)) {
+						continue;
+					}
 				}
 
 				members_cache.push_back(c->variables[i]._export);
diff --git a/modules/gdscript/gdscript_compiler.cpp b/modules/gdscript/gdscript_compiler.cpp
index 5bc9003c2921..32ace3ddc535 100644
--- a/modules/gdscript/gdscript_compiler.cpp
+++ b/modules/gdscript/gdscript_compiler.cpp
@@ -1942,7 +1942,7 @@ Error GDScriptCompiler::_parse_class_level(GDScript *p_script, const GDScriptPar
 		prop_info.name = name;
 		PropertyInfo export_info = p_class->variables[i]._export;
 
-		if (export_info.type != Variant::NIL) {
+		if (export_info.type != Variant::NIL || export_info.usage & PROPERTY_USAGE_NIL_IS_VARIANT) {
 			if (!minfo.data_type.has_type) {
 				prop_info.type = export_info.type;
 				prop_info.class_name = export_info.class_name;
diff --git a/modules/gdscript/gdscript_parser.cpp b/modules/gdscript/gdscript_parser.cpp
index ca452bf008cc..a21723629c2a 100644
--- a/modules/gdscript/gdscript_parser.cpp
+++ b/modules/gdscript/gdscript_parser.cpp
@@ -4604,7 +4604,11 @@ void GDScriptParser::_parse_class(ClassNode *p_class) {
 								} break;
 							}
 						}
-
+					} else if (tokenizer->get_token() == GDScriptTokenizer::TK_IDENTIFIER && tokenizer->get_token_identifier() == "Variant") {
+						current_export.type = Variant::Type::NIL;
+						current_export.usage |= PROPERTY_USAGE_SCRIPT_VARIABLE;
+						current_export.usage |= PROPERTY_USAGE_NIL_IS_VARIANT;
+						tokenizer->advance();
 					} else {
 						parenthesis++;
 						Node *subexpr = _parse_and_reduce_expression(p_class, true, true);
@@ -4832,7 +4836,7 @@ void GDScriptParser::_parse_class(ClassNode *p_class) {
 				ClassNode::Member member;
 
 				bool autoexport = tokenizer->get_token(-1) == GDScriptTokenizer::TK_PR_EXPORT;
-				if (current_export.type != Variant::NIL) {
+				if (current_export.type != Variant::NIL || current_export.usage & PROPERTY_USAGE_NIL_IS_VARIANT) {
 					member._export = current_export;
 					current_export = PropertyInfo();
 				}