The past few decades have seen cosplay come into its own as a transformative fandom activity. Once a niche concern at Western sci-fi conventions, the practice has gained new life and a fresh lick of panache through a little hop, skip and a jump to Japan and back, becoming a subculture in the process. These days, cosplay in the West is very much about fandom, and very few fandoms inspire the obsessive in a cosplayer like superheroes. They're larger than life, aspirational creations: none more so than the Avengers. Specifically, the classic line-up represented by recent Marvel cinema - you've got a dashing genius in flying battle armour, the god of the storm, the tragedy of a man with a green demon living under his skin, a master assassin and his best mate the world's top spy, and the greatest soldier in history, a living legend: a man born to be inspirational and engineered to be more than human. Frankly, if you don't want to dress up as one or all of them then you're probably already a superhero. Add in the fact that in the 21st century, these characters are played by movie stars who already fulfill the criteria to be considered aspirational cultural touchstones (is Tony Stark Robert Downey, or is Robert Downey Tony Stark?) and the Marvel franchise that revolves around the Avengers is basically a swarming cosplay petri dish: where imagination and inspiration meet fandom. We've put together a selection of some of the best ever cosplay influenced by the Avengers. Enjoy...
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
