Carbon Costume

At Joe Biden’s inauguration after defeating Donald Trump in the presidential election, Bernie Sanders, the firebrand from Vermont, was spotted in attendance. What made Bernie stand out was his choice of clothing for the formal occasion. Granted the Burton winter parka and wool mittens made from recycled plastic bottles were both practical for the chilly January weather and on brand for the conscientious politician. But the image of the seated Senator quickly went viral, right on the heels of his “I am once again asking” meme.

When it comes to Hollywood – and video games – there are two types of hackers. Straight-laced and serious … and hackers like Wrench. Voiced by Shawn Baichoo, Wrench is the fixer for his team. Fixer, engineer, hacker. He’s there when his team needs him. Usually with a smartass comment locked and loaded. Anyone who knows him, though, knows not to let the humor fool them. He’s not afraid to go down swinging if that’s what it takes.

There are three key parts to any Wrench costume. One is a punk style, detailed. Two are his tattoos which you can draw on with a temporary tattoo marker. And three, most important of all, is his mask.

Wrench’s mask is supposed to convey his emotion thanks to LED lights in the eyes of his mask. There is a mask with LED eyes available on Etsy but it’s almost $200. A more affordable version is listed above. If you find that Wrench is a costume you pull out regularly you can upgrade to a more accurate mask.

With his mask and tattoos settled, the rest of Wrench’s costume comes together pretty easily. Black jeans and black boots take care of the bottom half. A black “I am DedSec” hoodie creates the foundation for the top half. A leather vest finishes off the clothes once you add Wrench’s signature silver studs. Round it off with a studded red leather cuff and some black jelly bracelets and you’re ready to channel Wrench in all his chaotic grey hat glory.

Far out there in the multiverse exists Jay Garrick, a different incarnation of The Flash. On The CW’s The Flash show, John Wesley Shipp, an original Flash actor from the 1990s show, appears as both Barry Allen’s father and, later, the real Jay Garrick of his native timeline. (There was some confusion, initially, about who Jay Garrick really was. Long story.) Aside from the winged helmet, Jay Garrick’s Flash costume is extremely easy to source and assemble. A simple red crewneck shirt can be enhanced with the Flash’s signature lightning bolt printed over iron-on transfer paper.

Wonder Man – the alter-ego of Simon Williams – is a classic Marvel villain-turned-hero. After his family lost all its money to their biggest competitor, Stark Industries, he went after Tony Stark himself. Over time Williams learned the error of his ways and used the powers he had developed to aid the Avengers rather than fight them. Luckily you don’t have to go through such a difficult transformation to cosplay this classic comic character!

A black tank top and black running pants form the basis of this costume. You can also go for a black body suit if you have the sewing skills to remove the sleeves. Red athletic tape for the arms and wrists as well as red boots make up the costume’s accessories. And red gaffing tape can easily add the detailing of Wonder Man’s costume.

Sandy (voiced by Patrick Pedraza) is a legendary brawler in the mobile video game Brawl Stars.  Sandy uses his Super, a sandstorm, and his Gadget, the sleep stimulator, to help guide his team to victory.  Sandy’s Sugar Rush skin was introduced in September of 2020.  To recreate this particular look, you may need to employ some DIY skills.  Use a yellow paint to add details to the shirt and baseball cap, and you can either sew or glue the silicone coasters onto the hat to make the eyes.  If you’d like to go the extra mile, you can use an oil-based silicone paint to make the coasters blue.

Dale Biederbeck, known as ‘The Whale’ because of his size, is one of Monk’s longest-standing enemies. Biederbeck even harrassed Monk’s wife Trudy prior to her death after she wrote an unflattering article about him. Biederbeck ultimately ends up in prison. But not before making like very difficult for Monk!

Three actors played Biederbeck over the course of the show. Adam Arkin in season one, Tim Curry in season 2, and Ray Porter in season 6. All three actors wore fat suits for the role. But as fat suits are controversial, this write-up will not include one. The character’s clothes and accessories – in addition to his personality – are more than enough!

For this costume you’ll want a pair of red silk pajamas, red slippers, and a long ash blonde wig. You can also carry a matching red sheet as Biederbeck spends most of his time in bed. You can even use carboard and foam to make a backboard that looks like a bed! Taken altogether you’ll be unmistakable as Dale ‘The Whale’ Biederbeck!

Undertale is one of those games that, while not exactly a household name, has a dedicated fan base. So dedicated, in fact, that they have made up sprawling alternate universes filled with lore and characters all based off the original game by Toby Fox. One such alternate universe is Dreamtale created by Tumblr user Jokublog. A battle-ready villain, Nightmare is one of the most terrifying version of Sans – a skeleton in the original game – out there today.

Putting together a Nightmare Sans costume takes a fair bit of DIY. And, unfortunately, a tolerance for wearing a number of layers.

The largest chunk of the DIY will go toward making your tentacles. Buying premade costume tentacles is very expensive. However this tutorial walks you through making your own using pool noodles from the dollar store. They will take some time but will be more affordable than buying them premade.

The second bit of DIY comes into play when you prepare the body suit. Nightmare has a permanent and unsettling grin as well as one eye that is always battle-ready blue. Soft touch paint lets you apply both to the hood and mask of your body suit which will also give your head the bone-smooth appearance of a skeleton without a bald cap. It will be a little tricky to see through the body suit for long periods of time but it still makes for an excellent Sans.

Once the DIY is done all you will need is a black zip-up hoodie, a black t-shirt, black shorts and black shoes. You should also grab some black ankle socks. They won’t be visible when you’re wearing the costume but they will make walking in the body suit more comfortable.

(Art from this YouTube video)

Alex Mercer (voiced by Barry Pepper in Prototype and Darryl Kurylo in Prototype 2) was once a scientist. Right up until the day the people in his project started dying one by one. He tried to stay out of the fight but when he had no other choice he exposed himself the Blacklight Virus. The resulting mutations made him into something his enemies could never have seen coming.

Mercer can shapeshift which makes a full-range cosplay a little difficult unless you’re good at casting molds and don’t mind carrying around different accessories. Luckily Mercer has an iconic look even without his mutation. And that looks makes for an excellent cosplay!

The most important part of Mercer’s costume is his leather jacket. Under that you’ll need a brown zip-up hoody and a white button-down shirt. A pair of jeans and black shoes finish off his look. This look is great for closet cosplay and almost all of the pieces transition easily into other costumes. Like I said – an excellent cosplay!