Zero Two is probably one of the most recognizable characters in anime, so it takes a true cosplay guru to pull her off. And this girl? She could get paid millions to play Zero Two in the live-action remake. So the only question left is when is the release date for the real thing?
Zero Two is from the anime DARLING in the FRANXX, and not only is she a feature character, she's the main heroine! She's described as a hybrid human who fights on the front lines for the APE, described by Fandom.com as a "political organization that consists of scientists and politicians who govern all of known humanity." That being said, only the coolest girls can pull of this cosplay.
Do you know what we have here? Darth Maul. If Star Wars ever wants to return to the OG Maul character design, they can use this cosplayer over the super expensive deep-fake technology they're trying out. The fact that he mastered Maul's menacing look sends it over the top. All he needs now is to learn to kick butt like the original! A real double-side saber would be nice, too.
Among Star Wars nerds, Darth Maul is the biggest and the baddest villain, even over Darth Vader! The moment his iconic saber lit up in theaters during the Phantom Menace release, fans were obsessed and cosplayers were already ordering materials to recreate his look. What makes him so memorable is more than his look, however. Fans connect with his backstory more than other villains, making him a go-to choice for costuming.
We give serious props to anyone that carries around a prop all day, especially if it's big and heavy like Jinx's weapon. Plus, if it's handmade, that's even more impressive. The gun with the devious look makes her the best Jinx out there. Those red contacts and tattoos are just the cherry on the sundae.
Jinx is a key member of the online MMO video game League of Legends. Bright and super strong, female cosplayers everywhere love to recreate her spunky outfit for conventions, costume parties, and Halloween get-togethers around the world. Over 115 million people played League of Legends in 2020, so it's no surprise that the best cosplayers out there are tackling these characters.
Who decides to cosplay as Mugatu? If you didn't know, Mugatu is the primary villain of the film Zoolander before turning ally in the second film. So it makes sense why Mugatu would be fun to cosplay, but Hansel or -- I don't know -- the title character, Derek Zoolander?
Either way, this guy honestly looks better than the real thing. The dude is all laid out like Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park -– that’s the ideal Mugatu pose. It would take some real touch convincing to believe that this person is indeed not Will Ferrell. Just look at him! The haircut, the sunglasses, the outfit, the faux facial hair! Someone should file an impersonation report...
Why can’t we have a Gwen Stacy movie or TV show? There are a million other Spider-Man shows and movies. Heck, they've refilmed Peter Parker's origin story about three times at this point. Time to bring in Spider-Woman AKA Spider-Gwen! Gwen, who's usually cast as a supporting character to Peter in live-action films, is actually a hero in her own right. At least Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse gave her some screen-time, even if was animated. But a key difference between the comics and the film is Gwen's choice of shoe: ballet shoe versus black sneaker (or, in this case, combat boots).
Spider-Gwen co-creator Jason Latour told Marvel.com explained: “Are ballet slippers what I would have done? Probably not. But what I like about it is that by making Gwen a ballet dancer, it gives the opportunity to make her move differently than the other Spider heroes. More gracefully and controlled. You get just enough information to set up her character just from how she moves – plus I like the juxtaposition with her ballet dancing and the punk band. It instantly conjures up a story that exists around the corner, and lives in the imagination." In that case, the ballet shoes are a conscious decision, but we'd argue that boots make a little more sense, too.
Spaceballs is one of the best space opera movies out there. Yes, it's a parody, but that doesn't detract from its greatness. If anything, Mel Brooks knows how to produce a good comedy film. Plus, this Dark Helmet cosplay looks so realistic we’d think it’s Rick Moranis (if Moranis wasn’t over 60 years old).
Spaceballs is primarily a parody of Star Wars, but the film includes many other references to other cult classics, including Star Trek, Alien, The Wizard of Oz, Planet of the Apes, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. No wonder the characters are so popular in the cosplay community -- it covers all the major bases!
Thanks to the god-awful Street Fighter movie, we saw a live-action version of Chun Li. It was not what we deserved, but it was... something. Thank goodness, actress Cindy Starfall gives us the Chun Li we deserve with her game-accurate costume. Not only does she have the perfect outfit, but her body type is Chun Li to a T.
Street Fighter is the late '80s fighting game first released as an arcade machine by Japanese company Capcom. In 1991, Chun Li appeared in the historic Street Fighter II: The World Warrior. This iteration not only revolutionized the one-on-one fighting game genre, but Chun Li was the first female character introduced. She's described on Fandom.com as "an expert martial artist and Interpol officer who relentlessly seeks revenge for the death of her father at the hands of M. Bison." Sounds pretty hardcore to us!
We get this is a touchy subject – Chadwick Boseman was the best Black Panther in existence. Sadly, he’s gone... but we can’t let the hero go! Now cosplayers have the opportunity to honor his memory with phenomenal costume making. This cosplayer looks perfect to play the part! Black Panther is one of the best Marvel heroes out there, so let's get it back up and going.
The New York Times describes costume designer Ruth E. Carter's creations for Black Panther as "Afrofuturistic" and "extraordinarily detailed." Yeah, we can tell! Apparently, Carter "studied the garments of the Maasai and other African tribes" during the creative process, which also included a 3-D printer! Carter further explained that Black Panther gave her a chance to explore Afrofuturism: "'It is the reason why we have a sense of pride as African-Americans...' the movie 'connects everything that I’ve done about slavery and about how Africans came to this country, and what happened to their culture."'
We already have Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, but hear us out – FemPool? On the surface, it sounds like the cosplayers is merely taking liberties with the character. Genderbending is a real thing in the cosplay community, but -- believe it or not -- FemPool exits. She’s a real character and would only add to the franchise.
This girl almost looks as good as the comic book version, if we do say so ourselves. Fempool is usually referred to as Lady Deadpool or her secret identity Wanda Wilson. According to Fandom.com, Lady Deadpool is literally the female Deadpool "from the alternate reality Earth-3010, named Wanda Wilson. Out of a need to belong and feel wanted, she joined the side of a group of rebels fighting against loyalists in the United States." Essentially, she's Deadpool with a blonde ponytail.
Ack ack, ack ack ack. Ack ack! Ack. Ack ack ack ack ack? Ack ack ack, ack ack ack ack ack ack ack ack ack ack ack ack ack ack ack ack ack ack. Ack.
All jokes aside, Ack Ack from mid-'90s sci-fi-comedy film Mars Attacks is a comedy classic, despite the initial release being a major flop.
Who knew an Ack Ack costume could look so good? If for some reason you missed out on the cringy joy of Tim Burton's Mars Attacks!, Ack Ack is a nickname for the lead Martian and primary antagonist of the film. IMDb reports that in pre-production, "the writers weren't sure what the Martians should sound like, so the script had "ack, ack, ack, ack" for all of their lines of dialogue." Thus, Ack Ack was born.
Everyone and their mom can grab a Harley Quinn costume from their local Spirit Halloween, but this one looks properly homemade (in the best way). There's a reason why handmade costumes are so valuable... who knows how long it took her to replicate the comics down to the (presumably) fake tattoos on her legs!
But before you attack the designer for switching up the color palette, remember that one of the tenets of costume-making is creativity. The dark is also a lot more Harley than the bright red and blue, in our opinion. That isn't to say the OG colors are lame, but the monochrome palette is a super unique take on the character!
Most DC and casual fans hated Cara Delevingne as Enchantress because the only thing she brought to the character was believing Dr. Moon would be stupid enough to open a cursed tomb (and whatever that hip action was). While we blame everyone from the writers to the director for the shabby performance, the costume department his it out of the park with Enchantress's design.
Any DC fan would love to recreate this intricate costume, and this cosplayer did just that. Paired with the posing and photography, she looks ten times better than the live-action depiction of the antagonist. Sometimes portrayed as a supervillain through and through, Fandom.com reports that the character originated in the 1966 Strange Adventures #187 as an "unknown magical being" that "empowered June Moone to fight evil," changing her appearance from "blond-haired June to black-haired Enchantress" after repeating a secret magic word.
Johnny Depp is obviously the superior Captain Jack Sparrow –- sorry, erm, Cosplay Jack Sparrow. However, this guy comes is closing in on Depp as the best captain of the Caribbean. No, he couldn’t act as great as the real thing, but he’s what you’d call “the next best thing.” That wig looks pretty legit. Heck, the whole outfit is legit!
To be honest, cosplay is just an excuse for people to act silly and pretend to be a their favorite characters. While not every cosplayer decides to dress up as a character for these reasons, many do. And what would be more fun than getting to act ditzy and drunk without Boomers shooting you dirty looks? No promises they won't, but you get the gist.
It isn’t hard to cosplay as Katniss Everdeen. A quick glance through the Halloween archives will show thousands of lackluster Katniss costumes back in 2012. But this cosplayer has something most Halloween chums don't -- she looks just like Jennifer Lawrence! Actually, she looks even better than the real thing. We’re loving the screen-accurate all-black arena outfit, including the eerily authentic-looking bow and arrows. We probably don't have to spell out The Hunger Games for you, but what you might not realize is how influential Katniss Everdeen is for female fans, especially members of the cosplay community.
Real fans told MTV.com how much Katniss influenced them while they were at their lowest. One fan said, "I was bullied a lot in 6th grade for the way I looked. I was a fat kid. Katniss taught me to not care [about] what others thought about me. She... taught me how to be an independent woman. Now, as a 17-year-old senior in high school, I live by what Katniss taught me... Katniss inspires me to be myself. I hope to get the 'I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun' quote tattooed one day."
What makes this Juliet Starling so much better than other cosplayers is the setting. Posing in front of a blood bank couldn't be more accurate for her character. In reality, cosplayers simply switched to donating blood in lieu of the canceled 2020 Comic Con, but to us, it was the perfect zombie setting.
For some context, Starling is the main protagonist of the 2012 hack-and-slash video game Lollipop Chainsaw. The premise of the game is pretty bizarre, on the verge of completely ridiculous. This 18-year-old schoolgirl shows up to school one morning only to be met with a horde of hungry zombies. For whatever reason, she's prepared with a chainsaw to take them down and save the school. That's what we call a fun time!
Surprise, surprise. Another Star Wars cosplay. There aren't enough words in the English language to thoroughly emphasize how popular this franchise is in the cosplay community. If these impressive outfits prove nothing to you, just look at the box office numbers. Yeah, there's going to be a Chewy or two walking around.
Nothing beats the original Chewbacca because Chewy is amazing. Out of all the cosplayers we’ve seen, this one is actually pretty dang good. That fur is probably super-hot. And because this picture was taken in Paris, we can only hope that it’s cold there for the designer's sake.
Next to Darth maul, Stormtroopers are one of the top Star War costumes to recreate. Sure, we’ve seen a million stormtroopers since the release of A New Hope of a million different variations (including stormtroopers marching alongside Darth Vader!). What makes this guy special? The gun.
It has a laser pointer! Only Star Wars fans realize why that's impressive. Not only is it screen-accurate, it also brings the costume to life in ways that other iterations fail to accomplish. And with this targeting mechanism, maybe he’ll finally hit his shots. Even so, he's already become the best trooper in the bunch.
Ciri, also known as Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon from the Witcher video game series is the daughter of an Emperor, trained in combat and in sorcery, is the heiress of an entire kingdom and one of the most powerful characters in the game. The video game series is based on a series of Polish novels featuring Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter.
This cosplay of Ciri is from the third entry in the Witcher video game series , The Witcher III: Wild Hunt. This real-life cosplay looks just like the game but in the flesh, looking like something more from out of a movie than from out of a game. The sword she’s holding is ready to take down any monster, big and small – even the human kind.
Dressed as Domino from Deadpool 2, this cosplayer is even hotter than the original character depicted in the movie and looks ready to take on the big bads. Even that gun seems a lot more menacing. All she’s missing in this photo is a little Deadpool by her side.
Domino is a character from the X-Men comics, who is a former mercenary who has a unique power: she can make her own luck, by actually manipulating it. Essentially, her superpower is that she is lucky, which makes her particularly dangerous with a weapon and gets her out of tight situations.
Deadpool is another character from the X-Men comics that first appeared in The New Mutants #98. Known for his sarcastic, witty and reckless behavior, Deadpool is a wise-cracking mercenary who is an incredibly brave anti-hero. He’s also the only character in the X-Men universe who is aware that he’s in a comic, which makes for some very entertaining meta humor.
This costume depicts the film version of the character as played by Ryan Reynolds. The colors on this suit really pop and it looks just as good if not better than the original in the movie. Even Deadpool would probably like it too. But hopefully, this cosplayer watches his mouth around the kiddos.
Geralt of Rivia is the protagonist in the Witcher series of books, video games and the new hit television series which is now in it’s second season. Geralt, a monster hunter, helps save the world from actual monsters and the people kind that prey on the innocent. This cosplayer, MaulCosplay, has one of the best Witcher costumes in the business.
The tough and rough character of Geralt has a heart of gold that basically makes him look and act like Clint Eastwood with a sword. The cosplay featured in this photo, accurately and realistically depicts one of the costumes in the game and the guy in the costume looks like a total boss too.
If there’s one Marvel character pretty much everyone loves, it’s got to be Spider-Man. Spider-Man is a funny, smart and genuinely good guy who tries to do the right thing. And like Batman, everyone can identify Spider-Man, even if they know nothing about him. You don’t have to have seen the MCU Spider-Man movies to know this cosplay.
And this cosplay happens to look even more realistic than the film version. Probably because the Spider-Man suit in the MCU movies has been enhanced with CGI enough that doesn’t even look like a real suit. Nevertheless, this suit does and it appears to look completely accurate to the design in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Merida from the animated Pixar film Brave is a determined, defiant and free-spirited archer that wants nothing more than to use her bow and sword to become a warrior like her father. But alas, her mother has other plans for her as a princess, wanting her to wed a prince and rule a kingdom in the future.
However, after a series of misadventures and unintentionally turning her mother into a bear, Merida and her parents learn to compromise. This Merida cosplay really brings the animated character to life and the cosplayer featured in the photo really does those red curls justice. Just saying.
There’s just about millions of different Joker cosplays out there and most of them look pretty much the same. It’s always nice to see something that looks a little different and hopefully a little scary. This cosplay has got all that going on. Representing both the animated and film versions of the Joker, this cosplay is absolutely lit.
The smile on this cosplayer is incredibly creepy and the makeup is creepy too. Or maybe it’s a combination of both? Either way, from the colors in the cosplay, to that perfect bowtie, cosplayer Mark Dasinger Jr really rocks this look, and succeeds where many Jokers fail – originality.
Maitland Ward is one of the most notable cosplayers in the nerd scene. Here she really rocks this Jessica Rabbit cosplay, bringing the sexy cartoon character to the real world, only this time as an actual human in the flesh. Hopefully, she’s not married to an actual rabbit like in the movie.
That movie being, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, of course was one of the first movies to bring the Looney Tunes into a real-world setting. It also brought Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny together on screen. Groundbreaking for its time, everyone knows Jessica Rabbit when they see her and this cosplay really nails it.
Poison Ivy is one of Batman’s biggest nemeses but unlike Catwoman, she’s no anti-hero – she’s just a straight-up villain, which makes her more unique than other ones in the series as well as one of the few who has a relationship with Bruce Wayne. She’s never quite been done well on film before, so this cosplay is a real treat.
Maitland Ward once again hits it out of the park with this amazing Poison Ivy cosplay. Combining sexy with a comic-accurate look, she’s a cosplayer who knows what she’s doing. And let’s face it, she really is turns heads with that red hair. It’s too bad she’s evil though.
The MCU Scarlett Witch has been around for numerous films already since the second Avengers film, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and she was the first MCU character to have her own TV show, Wandavision. By now, she’s a household name and one of the best characters in the MCU.
This cosplayer, really does the character justice with this top-notch costume that looks even better than the one seen on the show, because at least the hair looks more real. This cosplayer was seen at the San Diego Comic-Con Special Edition on November 27, 2021. Sure, Scarlett Witch doesn’t wear glasses or a face mask usually, but hey, the Scarlett Witch can create her own reality.
Boba Fett has had quite a few different looks over the course of the Star Wars films with alterations to his suit in both the films and television series he is depicted in. Most recently he was seen in the second season of the Mandalorian and had a fresh new look.
Given the other iterations of Boba Fett, this one looks like Boba Fett at his most complete. He doesn’t look like he could be just any Mandalorian, he looks like Boba Fett. The costume is incredibly detailed and honestly looks better than any version we’ve seen to date. Even the work on his blaster blows it out of the water.
This outstanding Hela costume is a step up from the one featured in the Thor: Ragnarök movie. The colors are more on point and there are no CGI enhancements. Clearly, this cosplayer has a lot of skill and it shows with this cosplay. Can she act as well as Cate Blanchett – probably not – but she still looks pretty good.
Hela in the MCU film is the daughter of Odin, his first-born that ultimately becomes evil. She is the Goddess of Death and an executioner of Asgard. After being imprisoned in Hel for thousands of years, she is released upon the death of Odin. Thor and Loki join forces to stop their malevolent sister.
This Spock cosplay from Star Trek looks more like Spock than the real Spock! In fact, it’s a little scary, frankly. This man is Paul Forest, however, and not Leonard Nimoy from the Star Trek movies. But if there ever was proof that the doppelganger was a reality, this cosplayer makes for a pretty compelling argument.
Of course, the real Spock played by Leonard Nimoy is now deceased. And nobody can replace that Spock. If you are not familiar with his character, Spock belongs to an alien race called Vulcan. As half-human and half Vulcan, he possesses both human and Vulcan qualities. He serves aboard the USS Enterprise as a science officer and first officer, as the crew explores the unknown regions of space.
This Squid Game cosplay really brings the horror of that series to the real world, as these cosplayers roam the Joy City shopping mall in the Yantai, Shandong Province of China. These guards have the circle, triangle and square symbols on the masks, but the outfits are a more intimidating red color compared to the pink ones on the show.
If you aren’t familiar with Squid Game, the purpose of the guards is to enforce the rules of the games. Those competing in the Squid Games are competing in a series of deadly games that ultimately result in their death if they lose. Disobeying the rules of the game results in one of the guards murdering the contestants. Good times.
Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise is played by Johnny Depp who looks a bit ridiculous with his bleached hair and mustache. This cosplayer rocks the Grindelwald look a lot better and appears a lot more menacing than the lovable Johnny Depp. Overall, it just looks less like a costume here.
Grindelwald is a character who appears briefly but is mostly mentioned in the Harry Potter series. He is the former lover of Albus Dumbledore who turns evil. His goal becomes to unite the wizarding world under his rule and control the muggles for the sake of “the greater good.”
This Predator cosplay is out of this world. It really brings the creature to life and looks leagues better than the version from the ’80s. The detail in this cosplay is incredible and it’s truly scary. If you saw this on the street, we’re pretty you’d walk on the other side and check it out from a safe distance.
The Predator was first seen in the 1987 film of the same name. It starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as the leader of a rescue team assigned a mission to save hostages in a Central American territory. While they are on the hunt for these hostages, little do they know something is hunting them. The original film spawned numerous sequels.
Here’s another cosplayer that looks spookily like the real thing, and practically more like Hawkeye than Hawkeye does. But make no mistake, this is not Jeremy Renner who plays Hawkeye in the MCU. This is Cosplayer Trevor Newton as seen at the Fandom Invasion at California Center for the Arts in Escondido.
Hawkeye is arguably the best Avenger in the MCU. Why may you ask? Because he’s the only Avenger who doesn’t have any superpower, he just has natural skills with a bow. He doesn’t have a suit to protect him like Iron Man nor superhuman powers like Captain America. He’s just a guy who wants to help and he’s more grounded than any of them.
Behold a live-action Bumblebee, because let’s face it, the Transformers movies are basically cartoons. Almost every shot in those films has CGI and the main characters are CGI robots. Sure you got Shia LeBeouf and Mark Wahlberg in those movies, but they are just there as supporting characters for the robot characters people only really care about.
Bumblebee is one of the most beloved of all the Transformers characters, which is probably why he’s the only one who got his own movie. In that film Bumblebee is tasked with setting up a base on Earth. Bumblebee befriends people of Earth and watches over Earth, doing his best to protect it.
The Mad Hatter has been depicted in numerous adaptations of Alice in Wonderland. This cosplay combines the best of them all. It really brings the madness of the Mad Hatter. The hat is from the ‘60s cartoon, while the hair comes straight out of the version from Tim Burton, played by Johnny Depp.
The Mad Hatter in Lewis Carroll’s story is found by Alice having tea with the March Hare and the Dormouse. He frequently asks unanswerable riddles, recites nonsensical poetry and switches places at the table without a moment's notice. But he is perpetually having a tea party since escaping decapitation by the Queen of Hearts.
