Onslaught is one of the most iconic X-Men villains of the 1990s - the twistes psychic powers of Professor X run amok - and yet a cosplay of the psionic entity confirms he's just as terrifying as ever.
First hinted at in Scott Lobdell and Tom Grummett’s Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 #322, the reveal of who and what Onslaught was took years to come to fruition. Eventually, Onslaught was revealed as a malevolent inhuman figure in bulky armor resembling Magneto. Ultimately, Onslaught is revealed to be a psionic entity created during one of Xavier’s darkest moments. After Xavier wiped Magneto's mind, his own anger and guilt at past failures fused with similar parts of Magneto’s psyche. Eventually, this gestalt of negative emotions gained sentience, and began to attack the X-Men, beginning a battle that seemingly cost the lives of the Avengers and Fantastic Four.
Now, Professor X’s darkest form has been immortalized in an amazing cosplay from nerd_alert_cosplay. Jason Aulicino has created an incredible version of Onslaught, armored and awe-inspiring. Like in the comics, Jason’s version of Onslaught sports the modified Magneto armor, a hint at one of the psyches involved in its creation. In the Instagram posts, Jason goes into a little depth about the creation of the costume, showing the versatility of foam for bulkier builds. With the incredible metallic paint finish, it’s impossible to see this as anything other than Onslaught itself come to life.
Onslaught Returns in the Flesh
While often remembered as a ‘90s character, Onslaught’s recent reappearance in X-Men comics also reinvented the villain to terrifying effect. In Si Spurrier and Robert Quinn’s Way of X and X-Men: The Onslaught Revelation #1, Onslaught returns, threatening all of Krakoa. In Way of X, Onslaught’s own origin becomes part of his powerset, as his very presence in the minds of Krakoans begins to affect the mood of the island, pushing its citizens to be more callous and self-destructive. This is all a plot by anti-mutant supergroup Orchis, who attempt to destroy Krakoa from within, accelerating negative aspects of Krakoan culture to their extreme via Onslaught’s powers. In order to successfully smuggle Onslaught onto the island, they hide it in something which can’t be detected via a simple physical scan or mindread - the emotion of hate.
Onslaught was birthed into existence by the most powerful psychic to ever grace the planet, taking all Professor X's power and turning it into something horrific. It's unlikely the world will ever be truly rid of Onslaught - Xavier's powers are too extreme, and hate too plentiful for Onslaught to ever run out of boltholes. For that reason, X-Men fans can expect to see Onslaught return again and again, showing that within even the most saintly of heroes is the potential for unfathomable destruction.
Source: nerd_alert_cosplay