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It’s Good To Be Bad: Evil Cosplaying

Everyone loves a hero. Everyone wants to be a hero, at least in some small way. We all watched the “Star Wars Kid” video and laughed, but let us admit that most of us have probably done EXACTLY the same thing at some point in our lives. 
The only difference being that we didn’t make cripplingly embarrassing recordings of ourselves clumsily twirling and prancing that later went viral, ruining our pathetic lives. 
Or at least, I hope that never happened to you. 
I think it’s safe to say however, that just like Star Wars Kid, a lot of us idolised our heroes growing up and wanted to be just like them. 
The heroes to villains ratio in the cosplay world is often very unbalanced due to this romantic ideal, which is a shame because villains make a great costume.  As cute as Yoda is, I’d always prefer to look more like Darth Vader. 
Villains just nail ‘bad ass’ every time when it comes to their get-ups.
Classy and commanding.

Darth Vader is a favourite villain for a lot of folks, cosplayers the world over have recreated his ‘armor’ in a variety of different ways.

It’s such a versatile piece to cosplay and can be interpreted in any way you like, this is partially due to it being routed in old Sith traditions of making yourself look scary and intimidating. So if you can nail those characteristics somehow, make it black and consider adding his iconic shiny ‘hood-shaped’ helmet; you’re probably on to a winner. It’s such a classic and has already appeared in so many forms that it’s recognisable no matter how you choose to wear it.
His and Hers: E-3778Q-1

Playing someone with such a grand and threatening stature can make anyone act like they’re two feet taller, and you may find yourself taking on Vader’s mannerisms without even trying. The Vader-esque angle of the head when they turn to look at people is something I have noticed other cosplayers do, they always ace it! That look of superiority must just come naturally with this particular costume. 
But if you quiz them about it, they’re are often embarrassed and claim that it’s because of the way their helmet sits on their shoulders or restricts their sight. 
Whatever guys – for just a minute there, “you were the chosen one!” And you loved it.
This is just one of those costumes that as soon as you put it on, you notice yourself stand a little straighter and your walk becomes a more of a strut. If you opt for an outfit with a full helmet, you may find that you’re suddenly blessed with a new level of confidence anyway.  It’s easier to feel more comfortable recreating poses from your favourite scenes when you know people can’t see your happy little nerdgasm face under that thing. Just don’t be seduced by the dark side of the force, we all know how that ends.
Maybe Luke would have reacted differently if this was what was under that mask…
It is funny how a costume can make you move differently sometimes. Not necessarily in the stiff-necked Michael Keaton’s Batman kind of way (although the complete Vader suit might be restrictive for some) but in the way it can totally make you FEEL like someone else and how your body responds accordingly. 
For example, anything you might wear across your shoulders that makes you appear broader, tends to make some people stand straighter and throw out their chests a little. That’s fine, it probably works great with the character you’re trying to play! It also makes the costume look like an extension of your body, which is entirely the point. 
You occasionally hear people whine about how lame it is when others dress “outside their body type.” But when you boil cosplay down to its bare bones, that’s a big part of what it’s all about. Your costume should be able to make you look like a different character, with a different body.  
I, for example, usually stand at a puny 5’2.” But with a pair of heels, a helmet and shoulder pads; I could pass for a giant – if only in the cosplay sense of the word.
Love your body, love your costume.

Disney villains are another popular category;  there is usually at least one in every movie, but everyone tends to remember the princess, the anti-Semitism, the protagonist’s cute furry sidekick, or just how great a job Pixar can do with animation and landscapes these days. 
But herein lies another great source of villains to cosplay.
One of my personal favourite villains, whom I think epitomises the ‘Disney bad-guy’ is Sleeping Beauty’s Maleficent. She’s the only Disney character I think I have ever been scared of, and legitimately so – that scene with the green orb floating up the stairway is still chilling, even now.
Unlike a lot of other classic Disney undesirables, Maleficent barely has a reason for any of her nefarious actions – she’s just plain evil. She doesn’t need a reason to sit alone in her creepy, isolated castle ‘lair’; brooding and torturing her minions. That’s just who she is. And I think that’s why I love her so much.

You could argue that she was upset about not being invited to Princess Aurora’s naming ceremony, but that’s a pretty weak excuse for putting a girl and her family to sleep for 100 years and breathing fire at her boyfriend. She has a truly menacing screen presence, which is something I don’t think Disney have managed to recreate since. The feeling she creates while on screen, can largely be put down to her outfit. Her crazy dragon horn headwear is probably the most distinguishable feature, and sweeping black robes add to the grandeur created by surrounding herself with her scrawny monster-cronies.

 
I’m sure selecting a bunch of extremely short creatures as hired goons makes a person feel tall and important, but realistically – how intimidating would they be for the opposition if you had to go into battle?

Someone didn’t think this through.

There have been many instances of Maleficent and her ‘look’ being recreated. A whole movie is being made about her this year, which confirms how awesome a character she was in the classic – it’s a shame people (excluding all of those who played Kingdom Hearts) have only just realised.

Outfits clearly inspired by this evil dragon-witch lady, have appeared a lot in the last couple of years in both fashion and cosplay realms. I’m not sure what the reason for this is, maybe it’s the same reason Robert Stromberg (Pirates of the Caribbean and The Hunger Games) decided to make a movie about her. But whatever the reason, I’m glad that people are getting on board with the Maleficent look and maybe eventually it’ll be acceptable for me to dress like her every day.

Miss Erised as Maleficent in accessories by Lovechild Boudoir
and Devine Delinquents, shot by Salleh Sparrow

My personal favourite cosplay example of this character also happens to be in my favourite medium, latex.

Latex can be a tricky one, as it can sexualise a characterisation in times it may not be appropriate. When cosplaying as a villain however, you can get away with it about 90% of the time. Another reason it’s fun to dress like a bad guy, is because they’re usually a lot sexier than the hero. Why sexiness is something attributed to villains in movies, games and comic books, I’ll never really know.

Sex shouldn’t be something we only associate with evil people. But latex and bad guys is a great combination for cosplay, and unsurprisingly Maleficent is no exception.

Sarah Jemimah wearing Maleficent by
English Voodoo Designs, shot by TwistedPix
Often, the best characters to cosplay are ones that have been reimagined in a variety of media by a huge pool of artists, directors and writers.

Using all of these creative perspectives, there’s plenty of scope for crossovers and themed variations. An excellent example of this, and one of the most recreated villains is The Joker.  His image, as well as his character has changed vividly in every one of his appearances. There was a time where he was considered to be just a ‘prankster’ bad guy and a thief, and this may be how the character has spent most of its career. The bright colours he wore were a great reflection of that, the madness within was there but it had something fun and jovial to it.

But I guess all Batman themes and characters were like that for a time (see Adam West.)

Cesar Romero of 1966’s Batman: The Movie and the world’s favourite
Joker cosplayer, Anthony Misiano also known as “Harley’s Joker”
However in more recent incarnations he has made a return to form, and has become the out of control sociopath that murders people purely for fun. Initially, this is what The Joker was supposed to be like when he was first introduced in 1940, but later in that same decade something changed and we lost that darkness that made him special.
Both Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger brought new and interesting perspectives to the character, neither were the same but both were more closely linked with the first encounter with The Joker than we had seen before. Their costumes complimented this switch back to the dark side, without deviating too much from the image the fans were accustomed to. Jack Nicholson’s outfit stuck with the classic colour scheme, but had a 1920’s twist to add a taste of familiar prohibition mobsters from history.
Christopher Nolan’s Joker, as portrayed shockingly well by Ledger, also stayed true to the original palette. The colours of this costume however were slightly muted, which gave it a much more realistic edge; which can probably be said for everything about this version of the character.

Even the Joker’s makeup was given a gritty, real-life psychopath aspect. It looked though it had been applied by his own unskilled hands and let it rurubbed off in places. This is great for cosplayers who aren’t familiar with makeup or body paint techniques, as the entire look hangs on its imperfections and getting it wrong means you’re probably doing it right.

So similar and yet so different, both are my favourite Jokers for different reasons

Harry Potter cosplays are very popular these days, and there is a wide range of villains to choose from that all have their own unique nastiness.

Bellatrix LeStrange is a popular costume with the ladies and the other death eaters are a great source for costume inspiration. The masks created for the last few films were very interesting, and each one had such a bold look that they could be quite easily recreated at home using craft materials and paint.

The Malfoys too are great characters to play, each has their own striking look that is made clear in both the books and the movies.

They’re also a great ‘family cosplay’ option, right up there with The Addams Family, The Incredibles, The Simpsons, The Robinson Family from Lost in Space, et cetera.

Me, applying Rule 63 to spoiled brat and pureblood, Draco Malfoy. Wearing Moll by Geisha
Wigs and a Slytherin uniform/Quidditch kit by Lady Allura’s Latex, shot by TwistedPix
Voldemort however is another matter.

When reading the series, before his body was brought back into existence I found it hard to picture what he would have looked like as a “man.” In the first few books he was an insubstantial, shadowy spirit with no real form, only appearing as a face in the back of another man’s head or as a solidified memory of his childhood self. I wondered how they would dress him later in the books and how it would be represented in the films.

I think creating a set of robes from some kind of magical smoke and letting him walk barefoot to make him more like a monster or animal than another human, was exactly the right thing to do. But for someone making a costume and looking to stay as true to the character as possible – this could be a tough one. Unless you’re going to be cosplaying at the beach with some dry ice.

The trickiest part about Voldemort though is his nose, or lack thereof. Making a fake nose is one thing, but trying to make yourself look like you don’t have one at all could be a problem. It was for this reason that Ralf Fiennes refused to wear a prosthetic at all and insisted the nose be removed in post-production. After watching all of the movies, I think the right decision was made. It would have been tragic if Voldemort had ended up looking like this:

There are always two sides to every coin, and for every hero you ever wanted to be when you were a kid, there is a darker counterpart which could be just as fun if not way, way more.

Cosplay is all about escapism and being someone else, so it’s ok to be a bad guy for a day providing you’re a good guy the rest of the time. Villains are also great for those times when you can’t think of a good costume. Ask your friends what they will be wearing and maybe go as the supervillain to their superhero!

There is a whole other world of characters to choose from if you accept the dark side.

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