Wonder Con 2023 will be one of the earliest comic conventions of the year, so Marvel Comics fans are already getting their cosplays together for the March event. However, some characters are actually far easier to dress as than others. In fact, con attendees might be aware that there are a few popular costume choices that are seen often.
Reddit has thus come together to deem which characters are difficult to cosplay as, which is why they are so rarely seen at any of these events. Most of them are based on their scale, although the intricacies of various suits can be incredibly complicated to adapt in real life using the materials available and on a budget.
Ego
Ego the Living Planet is exactly that: a planet. That's a strange concept to fully understand and the MCU version of the character is probably quite an easy one to adapt. But as alienlifeufo7 says when discussing complex Marvel cosplays, the "hardest would be Ego's true form."
The vibrancy of Ego as a planet has been stunningly depicted by many artists, but the craftsmanship needed to create a walking globe-shape to then paint on would perhaps only come from someone who has spent years in the business. There would have to be an imaginative fix to this particular cosmic problem.
Thanos
There are plenty of subtle details fans could miss with Thanos, that eventually force a cosplay of the character to look a little goofy. The Marvel Cinematic Universe approached the design with CGI to replicate the comics. Reddit user fastzander noted that it would be "outright impossible to cosplay" Thanos.
The chin is naturally a major concern as there is no normal way that this could be achieved and have the face still look convincing. The costume of Thanos is tricky and on top of that, the scale and size of the Mad Titan would also have to be believably addressed.
Daredevil
When cosplayers attempt to decide what costumes they want to build, they usually look to the best comic runs; in this case it would be the fantastic graphic novels of Daredevil. However, recent imagery has also been influenced by the MCU iteration of the character, with certain elements hard to get practically perfect.
Redditor kelzs02 built a Daredevil cosplay and showed it off, commenting on how this featured some especially tricky choices. They said of cosplaying as the blind superhero, "The mask was difficult because I wanted it to look accurate to the show but still be able to see in it." Sometimes a difficult cosplay is based on how it can be crafted so that it continues to function for the needs of the user.
Apocalypse
Fans were not especially thrilled at how the look of Apocalypse ended up evolving for his big-screen debut. While the live-action iteration might have left a lot to be desired, the general process spoke to a deeper theme that the character's size and odd design was simply not easy to fashion.
One amazing cosplay from UncreativeTeam managed to achieve the impossible and produce a comic-accurate Apocalypse. However, amanzarak still spoke about some of the flaws saying "While it definitely looks closer to the comics ... this version also looks like a sad blue clown. I think we are kind of underestimating how hard it is to translate Apocalypse to a live action movie."
Cull Obsidian
While there are plenty of MCU TikTok cosplayers to follow, very few will be attempting to adapt Cull Obsidian for a comic con. Redditor NubOnReddit suggested both "Rocket or Cull Obsidian" as some of the most difficult characters to cosplay as from the Marvel Universe.
There are a few issues to overcome with the design. Not only is the character a monstrous alien, which would require the next level of prosthetics, but there isn't any live-action inspiration, considering Cull Obsidian on screen was CGI. What's more, the size of the beast would be hard to match without a full rig.
Khonshu
Khonshu is a godly being that is essentially beyond human comprehension. For the Marvel Cinematic Universe Moon Knight turned to CGI to create the floating head of the deity. As cosplays go it seems unattainable, but BoiledSweetPotato successfully created a realistic variation.
Even when there are examples out there, Khonshu will still be one of the toughest challenges for Marvel cosplay fans. Sometimes a cosplay also depends on the person wearing it, for example, Whitedudebrohug said, "That’s awesome, probably wouldn’t work for me being too tall," adding yet another challenge and pointing out why it's such an imposing cosplay to attempt.
Dormammu
Reddit user JayGarrick_ said, "Dormammu would be pretty hard" when talking about the cosplay topic. That analysis could essentially apply to both the Dormammu presented on Earth-616 and the incarnation that the titular superhero fought in Doctor Strange.
Either way, how to represent cosmic abilities on this scale is a baffling conundrum that few could solve. Even if the antagonist was to be sized down for cosplay purposes, how Dormammu's flames would be produced for instance, is just one such area that designers would have to invent.
Rocket & Baby Groot
In regard to size, it's not just the larger-scale characters that are tricky to get right in person and still feel authentic. Redditor tomandshell realized this and contributed to the discussion saying, "Rocket and Baby Groot would be pretty much impossible because of their size."
Animatronic Groots have been very effective for those that can afford them, but there is nothing like that on the market for Rocket. Perhaps Rocket is a great cosplay for younger fans, but even then, to get a realistic look would result in a lot of fur being applied.
Black Panther
Black Panther, whether it's in the form of T'Challa, Shuri, or anyone else who was worthy of wearing the suit, is a very special design that has been beautifully placed on screen and gorgeously painted again and again on the page. As a cosplay, so many factors make Black Panther a surprisingly ambitious costume to try.
One Reddit user made this point saying, "It really depends on budget and time. Like anyone one can do Black Panther but it’s hard to do a GOOD Black Panther." The details required to actually capture the essence of the character require skills that very few have the time, budget, resources, and the budget to utilize in this setting.
Magik
There are multiple costumes that cosplayers could adapt from the comic books if they wished to portray Magik in one of her incarnations. The big screen debut of the character in New Mutants didn't lean into any of the more complex, Limbo-inspired imagery of the character.
Reddit user Cecilosaurus has shown off their incredible Magik cosplay in a Reddit thread, with many people astounded by how difficult the spiky design would have been to forge. Redditor 3thirtysix6 touched on the intricacy of trying to bring this to life saying, "Honestly I'm amazed you were able to get the headpiece to look good," considering that is just one of many impossible areas.