Carbon Costume

Massimo Marcovaldo is a character in the Disney Pixar movie, Luca. He is a fisherman who sells fish door to door in Portorosso. In spite of his intimidating stature and skill with a knife, he is a caring man. His soft heart particularly extends to his daughter, Giulia. He takes Luca and Alberto into his home and shows them similar affection for befriending his child. The Marcovaldo family cat on his shoulder is named Machiavelli.

David Harbour may be best known as Jim Hopper but his time in the MCU may replace his Stranger Things role as his most iconic. Alexei – better known as the Red Guardian – serves as a father to Natasha and Yelena when they’re undercover in America. Once back in Russia, however, he finds himself on the wrong side of Dreykov and locked up in a super max prison where his only hope of freedom are the girls he returned to the Red Room decades ago.

The Red Guardian has gone through many iterations in the comics, but in the MCU he has only one look. A pre-made suit provides all of the straps and pouches Alexei has on his suit while a helmet, fake beard, and white suit round out the look.

Kirk (portrayed by Will Brittain) is a minor antagonist in the horror film The Forever Purge. Kirk is a cowboy who works on Caleb Tucker’s ranch.  Kirk’s costume is primarily black.  He wears a black cowboy hat, shirt, and pants, with some small pops of color from the makeup around his eyes, his holster, and the plethora of blood spattered over his person.

As a young girl, Lisa Sherwood was kidnapped by a village of cannibals. After being chained to a wall and slowly eaten for weeks, she broke free and ate her former captors alive. As the Hag, she sacrifices survivors to the Entity in the game Dead by Daylight, though she also occasionally eats them. The Hag’s costume is simple, but some patience will be required in order to apply the body paint necessary to achieve the finished look.

Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) returns for 2021’s The Suicide Squad, directed by James Gunn. A former psychiatrist turned crazed vigilante, Harley survives the attack on the original squad and finds herself joining a new team. In contrast to the first iteration, Harley is no longer romantically involved with the Joker. As oppose to previous films, Harley sticks to her classic red and black color palette, with inspirations from the Batman: Arkham City video game. Her second outfit is shown her, featuring a ruffled dress to match her playful, feminine aesthetic.

Armond (played by Murray Bartlett) is the manager of the titular luxury resort on HBO’s The White Lotus Armond is five years sober at the beginning of the series, though having to deal with many of the Lotus’ high-maintenance guests, including Shane Patton and Tanya McQuoid test his resolve.  Armond wears many colorful outfits, often layering blazers over floral-printed shirts that mesh well with the exotic locale, making for a fun and customizable costume.

Sarah Brightman is best known for her music but she’s also taken a turn as an actress, most notably as Blind Mag in “Repo! The Genetic Opera”. An opera singer under a lifelong contract for the use of her bionic eyes.

The film has a very specific aesthetic and Mag’s costume is an excellent example of it. Large fake lashes, black lipstick, face paint, and white body paint copy her ghostly coloring while black thigh high boots, black fishnets, a black choker, and black wig make up the details of her look.

A little DIY is needed for the main portion of Mag’s outfit. Red and black feathers can be glued around the top and bottom of a black corset using Fabric Fusion glue. And though she doesn’t technically wear one in the film, a short black athletic skirt worn underneath the bottom feathers gives you more space to attach the feathers too and offers more coverage. Finally, a gauzy black shawl mimics the last of her costume.

Florence Pugh is new to the MCU but she hit with a bang as Yelena Belova. Equal parts sassy spy and the younger sister left adrift after her family dissolved, Yelena is another heartbreaking reminder of the effects the Red Room can have.

She wears several looks throughout “Black Widow” but the most iconic – and meaningful – is the white suit and green vest she wears during the film’s climax. Black fingerless gloves, black boots, and a costume pistol round out the look while a blonde wig can be styled into her rounded braid using YouTube tutorials. Of all the pieces to this costume, however, the vest is the most meaningful. It appears again later in the MCU, as a final link to the sister she lost.

Nobody knows who is behind the mask of Pentagón Jr. The man is his own legend with a long and storied wrestling career spanning a variety of names, costumes, and even wrestling organizations. From face to heel and back, he’s done it all without once losing his mask.

Naturally, if you’re going to cosplay as Pentagón Jr, you need his mask and face pain. The rest of his costume is as unique as his face paint which means you’ll also have to dabble in some DIY. It’s not easy to find a chest plate like his but the one listed here comes close without breaking the bank. Spray paint it glossy black and then add gold details. Black leggings, black wrestling boots, black wrist wraps, and a gold lame belt complete one of his many looks.

It’s never good when one person is judge and jury. Even worse when they’re the executioner too. But Joe Owens (played by Lee Tergesen) doesn’t see it that way. Not during The Purge.

The Purge isn’t real but Joe Owens still makes for a fearsome cosplay.  Black combat boots, black tactical pants, and a black canvas jacket under a black paintball vest are great pieces that can easily transition into other costumes. Even the prop shotgun can be used again and again. His mask, however, is a DIY project all itself. There aren’t any listed pre-made but one can be fashioned using EVA foam.