There was a time not long ago when cosplayers were the uber-nerds of our universe. Fans who attended movie previews or conventions dressed as their favorite characters were often laughed at and ridiculed. Those who wished to outwardly show their love for their favorite franchises were ostracized and considered less than human.
Luckily for us, these days cosplay is often considered an art form, one to be admired and shared with others. The hard work and love that cosplayers put into their outfits are much more widely appreciated, and those of us without the knowledge or skill to put together some of these amazing outfits gape in awe at the fantastic creations of others.
Here now, we present The 15 Craziest Cosplay Costumes You've Ever Seen. Enjoy the glorious bounty of awesome on which your eyes are about to feast, and appreciate the pure heart and dedication poured into each and every one of the wondrous creations.
15. The Best Diablo Cosplay You’ve Ever Seen
If you’re going to take on the visage of a demon from Hell, you might as well strut your stuff around town as THE demon from Hell. You might recognize this terrifying creature as the titular character from the video game franchise Diablo, or more specifically, this version is from the most recent game in the series, Diablo III.
Joshua Smith spent all of his free time, and surprisingly little money, to create the monstrosity you see before you. According to his Cosplay page, the upper-body alone took 8 days to construct, spending 4 hours or more each day. It took about $145 to complete the upper-body portion of the costume, with most of the materials coming from good ol’ Walmart.
Using common materials such as glue sticks, poster board, and aluminum foil, Joshua was able to bring the dark demon to life - to the terror of his neighbors we’re sure.
So there you have it, the craziest cosplay you’ll ever see. We can’t possibly top that one.
Oh, wait... there's a few more...
14. The Combat-Practical Batman Costume
We can already read your mind. “That’s an okay Batman costume,” you say inside your head, “but I’ve seen better”. Here, dear reader, the old adage “Never judge a book by its cover” applies. You see, this isn’t just any Batman costume, this is a fully functional Batman costume designed to be practical in the protection of the wearer while he or she patrols the mean streets of Gotham.
Behold, as Armatus Designs’ Gordon Jackson allows another human being to punch, kick, slice, and even freaking stab him.
That kid has got some real confidence in the suit he’s built, and he may be just a tad insane, but hey, it makes for a great video. With two months of work, Gordon took Kevlar, Kydex plating, and impact resistant foam, and turned it into an impressive costume Batman himself would be happy to use.
While the video above, which shows off the finished product, is quite impressive, it’s the earlier videos of the suit as a work-in-progress that makes the reality of what this suit can do really hit home. There’s something about seeing Gordon simply standing in his room while another guy tries to stab him in the heart that really drives the point that this suit is 100% practical is protecting the wearer from vicious assaults from bad guys.
And here’s one more of Gordon letting another guy straight up hit him with a freaking lead pipe.
That’s pretty much the definition of crazy cosplay. You can check out more over at the Armatus Designs website.
13. I Am Groot
Once upon a time, only the nerdiest of the nerds truly knew about Guardians of the Galaxy, and now it’s one of the most widely loved and successful franchises Marvel has produced. Ask anyone who saw the film who their favorite character is, and odds are their reply will be one name: Groot.
From the loveable giant voiced by Vin Diesel to the ridiculously adorable dancing baby Groot seen at the end of the film, the giant tree has taken root in the hearts of superhero fans everywhere. One such fan is sculptor Lee Hurley, who decided the world was not complete without an amazing Groot cosplay - one that he showed off as he walked the halls of Dragon Con in Atlanta. Take a look at this amazing costume in action.
And just so you can see the amount of effort and detail that went into this costume, here’s a closeup of just the head, complete with moving mouth and enough tree-like detail to make the movie CGI version of Groot feel jealous.
Lee obviously has more talent in his pinky toe than we have in our entire bodies, but at least we can all share in his love of Groot. While we’re on the topic of awesomely crazy Marvel cosplays, let’s take a look at our next entry.
12. Insane Working Iron Man Costume
We go from “I am Groot” to “I am Iron Man”, and we may have just stumbled upon the most badass cosplay in the entire universe. Anthony Le decided to see all other cosplays in known existence, and then harvest their tears of envy when he unleashed this creation upon the world.
Did you hear that guy recording the video? “That’s not fair,” he exclaims more than once, and he’s right. That’s not fair. Every Iron Man fan should have one of these stored away in their closets, and it’s not fair that we don’t all have our very own Iron Man costume with retracting faceplate, ambient lighting, and functional flight flaps. I’m pretty sure the local Halloween Express store isn’t going to have these available anytime soon.
Not only is this costume phenomenal, it’s also eco-friendly. It took Anthony about two weeks to craft and is made from recycled plastic. It looks like Iron Man really is a good guy. #TeamIronMan!
How one would go about topping this incredible Iron Man suit we may never know. Or, we may find out right now.
11. Iron Man vs. War Machine
Not content with simply creating an epic Iron Man costume, Anthony Le took it to the next level by also bringing us War Machine - then he had the two of them square off in an epic confrontation for the ages!
Okay, okay, we know. He cheated a bit. There’s obviously a bit of special effects added in post-production, but not only did this guy step up his game by creating a War Machine suit to do battle with his Iron Man suit, but he also cast a dude that looks a whole lot like Tony Stark to wear the Iron Man armor. I’m sure RDJ would have been proud to wear that suit himself, but we're guessing he was just a tad bit busy, you know, with a little movie that just came out this month. You may have heard of it. It’s called Captain America: Civil War, or something. I’m sure a couple of folks might go see it.
So there you have it, the craziest, most awesome cospla… sorry, one sec.
It seems the editors at Screen Rant want BIGGER, CRAZIER, and MORE AWESOME. We just saw a working freaking Iron Man suit, how the heck do we get bigger, crazier, and more awesome than that?
10. Say Hello To The Hulkbuster
This bad boy seems more like the preliminary stages of Skynet than a cosplay, but at 9.5 ft. tall and 95 lbs., the impressiveness of this monstrosity cannot be doubted. Ladies and Gentlemen, for your viewing pleasure we now present a sight which you have never before seen the likes of. We give you - a full-sized, walking, talking, Hulkbuster!
That behemoth represents 1600 man hours of loving labor. It was created and worn by Thomas Depetrillo, who needs a helper and 20 minutes to suit up.
If you want to learn more about the man underneath the nearly 100 lbs of Iron Man Hulkbuster awesomeness, you can also check out this video, which gives a look at the man inside the machine as well as a bit of behind-the-scenes of the Hulkbuster’s creation.
So yeah, that’s pretty cool, but who are we kidding, the Hulkbuster is so last year. It’s time to look toward the future, and in the MCU that can only mean one name…
9. The Mad Titan, Thanos
Marvel has been teasing us with the ultimate big bad in the last few years, and when Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters in a couple of years, Thanos is sure to be the name on the tip of every movie-goer’s tongue.
As we get closer to Thanos’ arrival in the MCU there are sure to be many a cosplay dedicated to the Mad Titan, but there’s one Thanos cosplay out there which has already lived up to the stature of a being who wishes to court death and control the universe.
It’s one thing to walk around in a costume intended to look like a giant walking robot, it’s another for your massive cosplay to represent a living being more powerful than those peons allowed to be within his presence. Prizmatec Cosplay definitely managed to capture the ominous presence of Thanos is this phenomenal cosplay.
You can almost feel the power radiating from Thanos as he walks the halls, looking down (literally) upon the rabble. If the MCU’s Thanos is half as impressive, then those puny Avengers have their work cut out for them.
Avengers: Infinity War might be quite a ways off, but there’s another awesome comic villain who is going to make his big screen debut a lot sooner, and this cosplay makes the movie version look pretty sad.
8. The Apocalypse We Wish We Were Getting In X-Men: Age of Apocalypse
We’ve all heard the jokes, maybe even rolled our eyes when we see the images FOX has given us. One unflattering image even garnered comparisons to Ivan Ooze, a moniker the on-screen version of Apocalypse has had a hard time shaking as we come upon the release of X-Men: Age of Apocalypse.
While there have been subtle variations by different comic book artists over the years, most fans would recognize the iconic look of Apocalypse instantly, a look that FOX studios decided to throw in the trash.
Now take a look at what one cosplayer was able to pull off with only a percent of a percent of that film’s budget, and dream of the Apocalypse we could have been looking forward to seeing on screen later this year.
Now that’s the Apocalypse we’ve all come to know over the years, and not a drop of CGI to be found. It’s pretty amazing what can be accomplished with a lot of passion. We bet that this Apocalypse doesn’t get mistaken as a knock-off Power Rangers villain.
And now for something a little more humorous.
7. The Pabstrooper
Jared Blake Lazar is the creative mind behind the Pabstrooper, and he’s either a certified genius, or absolutely mad. The jury is still out.
We’ve seen some crazy cosplays so far on this list, but this is taking it to a whole new level. I mean, look at this thing. It’s a freaking Star Wars Stormtrooper, made out of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer boxes. And just to show off a bit, there’s even some neon lights incorporated into the helmet.
This cosplay makes us think two things: 1.) We here at Screen Rant may have seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens a dozen or so times, but we could probably stand another viewing, and 2.) We could really use a beer right now.
6. Bumblebee Transforms And Rolls Out
Admit it; we’ve all got a soft spot for those little kids in their adorable little cardboard Transformers costumes. One minute they're crouched on the floor looking like a tiny vehicle ready to hit the road, and the next their standing up, transforming into a robot in disguise.
The first time this author saw one of those cardboard Transformer costumes was on stage at a costume contest at Dragon Con. The kid walked on stage as a Transformer robot, which was pretty cool, but when he hunkered down and changed into his vehicle form, the crowd lost its collective mind. The place went nuts, and the kid, of course, took home first prize that year.
Now imagine that, except it’s a grown man hunkered down looking like a mid-life crisis waiting to happen, and the materials have been upgraded from just an old refrigerator box.
That piece of magic was brought to you by Robot Costumes USA, and as you might imagine, they sort of specialize in making robot costumes.
And what do you know, a Transformer can be cool without ridiculous amounts of explosions, a pieced together plot that makes no sense, or destroying our childhoods. Take that Michael Bay.
5. A Transformer, All Grown Up
We now move from a Power Wheels Transformer, to one a little bigger. This one comes to us via YouTuber derepentignymarc, and it’s an example of what happens when baby Transformers grow up to be big, adult Transformers.
As you can see, this one doesn’t actually transform into anything, but it’s impressive enough that we can let that little detail slide. With several moving parts and impressive detail, this Autobot looks like he could kick some serious Decepticon butt without the need of a vehicle form. The lit up, moving eyes really stand out as a feature that helps set this Transformer apart. It also comes complete with jet boosters that light up and shoot smoke, creating the illusion that this talk hunk of sexy metal could take off into the stratosphere at any moment.
It’s a true testament to the fandom of its creator, and one that we're sure he’s very proud of.
For our next entry, we’re going to cheat just a little bit and bring you some magic from a group of folks you would expect no less from.
4. Universal Orlando Brings The Transformers To Life
When you think Universal Studios theme parks, you think of movie magic brought to life before your very eyes, and that’s exactly what they made happen when they held the grand opening for the Transformers 3D ride in Orlando.
The moment was a spectacle for those in attendance, and through the power of the internet we can relive that moment, and witness the spectacular Transformer costumes that patrolled the area that day.
While those Transformers aren’t quite built to a 1:1 scale with their movie counterparts, the amount of detail that went into these costumes is mind blowing, but of course this is Universal Studios we’re talking about, so you knew it was going to be good.
Optimus Prime will forever hold a special place in our hearts, and Bumblebee was being his usual entertaining self, but it might be the Megatron who stole the show that day, with a battle-worn look that tells tale of many battles against the Autobots. Battles it looks like ol’ Megatron was on the losing end of.
3. Last Giant Robot, I Promise
Our final giant robot entry comes to us via the Stan Winston School and Legacy Effects, who made a big splash at Comic Con 2013. Screen Rant was there for the unveiling, and it was quite the impressive site.
As you can tell, these guys are professionals. These two teams were responsible for the creation of the armor used in Iron Man, as well as the giant Silver Samurai featured in The Wolverine. This 9’8” tall, 160 lbs behemoth is a prime example of just how good those two studios are.
Multiple arms, each wielding formidable weaponry, make this guy an intimidating site. You should check out the full gallery of images, including a behind-the-scenes peek at what it takes to get into this massive costume, right here on Screen Rant.
Alright, we’ve seen a plethora of superheroes, one crazy Stormtrooper, and a whole bunch of giant robots, so let’s get to our final entries. Number 1 is really going to blow your mind, but first, let’s do something a little different. You’re going to like this next one, unless of course you are a heartless alien invader bent on the destruction of the human race.
2. The Cutest Predator EVER
Get ready to hear yourself say “d’awww”, because you’re about to be smacked upside the head with a great big dose of cuteness overload. If you need to protect your image as a big, bad hardass, don’t click on this link, because what you’re about to see will bring out the big softie in you for all the world to see.
That. Is. Totally. Adorable!
You’ve got to love the way this kid absolutely OWNS IT in that Predator costume. The dreads, the claw, it all works in a way you never thought a tiny little Predator kid would. It’s already the cutest thing ever in the history of ever, but when the mask comes off… well, you can hear the reaction from the folks standing around, and you probably had that same reaction the moment that ridiculously adorable little face came out from behind that menacing mask. Don’t lie, we heard your “d’awww”. It’s okay, it happens to all of us when we see that.
With no shame in our hearts, and a little more happiness in our souls, we now move on to the grand finale. The best of the best. The moment you’ve all been waiting for…
1. Grommash Hellscream Brought To Life
If you’re not familiar with the characters of Warcraft lore, fret not. A month from now, you are going to be introduced to some of the most important figures in the extensive lore of that universe when Warcraft hits theaters on June 10th.
For now all you need to know is that this is not some random orc. This is Grommash Hellscream, and he is not only one of the most iconic figures in the history of the orcs, but also an important player in the events that shaped the world of Azeroth.
This Grommash cosplay comes from a Korean cosplay collective known as Spiral Cats, and these images were posted on the Korean Battle.net site. This incredible costume made its debut at the premiere of the MMORPG World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor expansion last year, and remains one of the best cosplays we've ever laid our eyes on.
The level of craftsmanship and attention to detail on this costume is unparalleled, and if the Warcraft movie’s CGI orcs look half this good, it would be a feat unto itself. Every single image of this costume makes you believe that there are living, breathing orcs walking around somewhere in our world, and going to battle against a beast such as this would be the last “hold my beer” moment one would ever have.
Conclusion
All of these fantastic cosplays show the true passion these cosplayers have for their craft, and there are sure to be many more crazy good cosplays to be had in the future as these artists continue to hone their craft and push the limits of what it means to be a cosplayer.
Which of these costumes were your favorite, or have you seen something even more eye-popping in the cosplay world? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to check out more great cosplay content here on Screen Rant!