Most of the fun of Halloween is seeing all the amazing costumes you and your friends put together. Whether store-bought or home-made, donning a costume to make yourself into someone else for a night is an exciting time.
Cosplayers take costuming to a different level. Some of them are actual professionals. Their costumes are so well done, they get paid to show up to conventions dressed as their most beloved characters. They can bring suits that look like they should be impossible without CGI to life on the convention floor.
Don’t let the “ease” of other non-superhero costumes fool you - it can be hard (or very expensive!) to find an exact replica of Nick Fury’s leather trench coat, so cosplayers will make it themselves. Here are ten of the best MCU cosplays to inspire your next Halloween costume. Some of these are intense - start now for Halloween 2020!
Phil Coulson - jwave001
Maybe it’s because he doesn’t have a strange suit or wings to really create a challenge, but few people cosplay Phil Coulson. It’s unfortunate, because Coulson is probably one of the best characters in the MCU, especially in terms of loyalty to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Jjwave001 nailed his Agent Coulson cosplay, replicating it perfectly down to the badge the agent has to carry everywhere. He’s got the perfect glasses and the right suit that screams “serious and discreet,” like any good S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Jwave001 has also done great cosplays as Green Arrow and Captain America before he got the serum. The costumes look simple but their perfect execution makes them impressive.
Lady Loki by Yinami
Loki is a popular character to dress up as; after all, everyone likes a trickster. Among the dozens, if not hundreds, of Loki cosplays out there, Yinami’s stands out from the crowd. Not because she changed the gender of the famous god, but because she actually did both a feminized and a traditional take on the famous god, showing everyone her wide range of costuming skills.
Considering Loki’s taste for the luxurious and the beautiful, we totally believe that the feminized take on the character would love the corset and skirt combination that Yinami put together. Those horns she adapted from the movie version’s longer and thinner ones are a perfectly in-character change.
Young Captain America - SpaceParked
A lot of people cosplay Captain America. The updated fighting suit! The metal shield! It’s all so fun and looks great on practically everyone.
SpaceParked went a different direction with the character and we’re in love with it. He cosplayed as 1941 Steve Rogers before he was given the Project Rebirth serum, when he was physically weak but morally strong. The World War II helmet and dirty shield show perfectly what’s to come for Steve. This is another cosplay that looks easy but takes a lot of work.
Nick Fury - Chris Davis
Nick Fury is probably one of the most mysterious characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He always appears at the right time, but never seems to explain anything. Fury’s natural combination of charisma and mystery make him a fun character to watch; however, like Coulson, he’s not cosplayed that often. Luckily, Chris Davis did a great job with the character.
Photographer Greg Larro shot these great photos of Chris at Dragon-Con 2014. They capture just the right combination of power and intelligence that often makes Nick Fury seem like the puppeteer behind the strings of the MCU. You can even see how perfectly Chris Davis got the scars on Fury’s face. An amazing job all around.
Black Widow - Clef
Black Widow is often over-sexualized on the cosplay circuits. Naturally, this started with the comic books, but it really comes to life in the spilled over cleavage and shiny leather jumpsuits that many people use to portray her. Clef did not go that route. Her matte black leather suit looks like it would be useful in fighting, not just the bedroom. The utility belt (and bracelets and leg holsters) are done absolutely perfectly. The Black Widow symbol and S.H.I.E.L.D. patches are excellent as well.
Clef is practically famous in the cosplaying community. She does amazing work with her cosplays of the new Sabrina, Harley Quinn, Tinkerbell, and a dozen other beloved characters. Unfortunately, Clef has had to more or less disappear from the convention circuit due to a late-stage Lyme disease diagnosis. She still cosplays when she can, and you can help support her cosplays (and her expensive medical treatments) right here.
Spider-Man - Vaxzone
Spider-Man is a fun cosplay because it has fewer difficult accessories to try to pull off. Web shooters out of the wrist and a well-fitted jumpsuit are really all you need, though getting the designs on the suit just right can be a challenge. But some cosplayers just do it better than others, and vaxzone is one of those.
Look at this photo! He isn’t just dressed as Spider-Man, he embodies that character’s energy. He’s totally believable as a high schooler who is just trying to watch out for his neighborhood. The suit is flawless too, almost as if Tony Stark made it himself. It’s hard to decide what vaxzone executed more perfectly: The eyes or the webbing on the torso. Spider-Man suits can be bought pretty easily, but why would you want to when you can have the pride of making something so cool?
Thor - captainjaze
These two photos are from different days and cons, which shows how cosplayers always keep innovating. Captainjaze didn’t stop once he made one great Thor cosplay, he kept going as Thor’s costumes changed during the movies.
We wouldn’t blame those who thought this was a photo of a lost Hemsworth brother at first glance. Captainjaze perfected the hair and scruff to match Thor’s earlier movies and appearances. One of the only things about Thor’s costume that doesn’t change is his red cape, so of course, captainjaze got that perfectly right as well. The jury is still out on whether he’ll pull off Thor’s new look while living in New Asgard at the start of Endgame.
Doctor Strange - That Jai Guy
Doctor Strange is yet another in the pantheon of difficult capes to pull off. With its own personality and knowledge, crafting the perfect Doctor Strange cape might just be impossible without the help of CGI. Nevertheless, That Jai Guy has done a pretty good job replicating the look of the article of clothing, even if he couldn’t make it help out our hero like an overeager puppy.
A scroll through his Instagram reveals That Jai Guy has been cosplaying as a lot of different characters from the MCU, as well as other great superheroes, for a long time now. This Doctor Strange look is one of his best, and the photo taken to look like he’s in Times Square just makes it perfect.
Thanos - Jerry Almond
Most people who cosplay within the MCU like to focus on the superheroes, for obvious reasons. However, Jerry Almond is not tethered by depictions of morality and decided to create a Thanos costume. He even created a Tony Stark head to carry around with him at cons. It’s gruesome but extremely well done. The Infinity Gauntlet also shines. Almond later sold it, as he does with some of his costumes.
Looking through Almond’s Instagram can be a lesson in how to cosplay. He often shows the full steps of making masks, wigs, and other parts of his costumes. If you’re interested in creating your own masks for future costumes, start there.
King Loki - TheldeaFix
In Norse mythology, Loki is a shapeshifter and can take many forms, including as a woman, which is what made the female Loki so perfect. We never see that move in the MCU, but when he tries to take over Asgard, Loki does disguise himself as his own father.
TheldeaFix takes that moment and makes an amazing Loki cosplay out of it. With her super well-done makeup, she even kind of looks like Tom Hiddleston in costume. It’s truly an amazing cosplay to behold. Head over to her DeviantArt to scroll through more photos of the same costume.
