Carbon Costume

Katy Chen (played by Awkwafina) is the best friend of Shang-Chi from the Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.  Katy does not know of Shang-Chi’s mystical past or martial arts training when the film begins, but when his past is revealed and Shang-Chi must undertake a perilous journey to save the world from a dark fate, Katy does not hesitate to join him and his sister Xialing on their quest. As a valet, Katy wears a white button-down and red vest with a black tie.  When she reaches the mystical village of Ta Lo, she receives a weapon and dress made of dragon scales.

Bow (voiced by Marcus Scribner) is one of the central characters in the cartoon series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.  As an ally to the Princess Alliance, Bow uses his skills as a master  archer and his technology prowess to help She-Ra, Glimmer, Frosta, Spinnerella, Netossa, and the rest of the Alliance as they work to free Etheria from the Horde.  Bow’s original costume includes purple pants, knee-high boots, and a cropped tank top, while his future uniform has grey pants and a cape.  If you want to add some details to Bow’s boots to make them look more like the original, don’t be afraid to get creative with some paints or colored tape.

Disney’s Robin Hood is one of its most enduring films. From its debut in 1973 to today, it’s a Disney classic that’s still delighting families everywhere. Its dashing hero (voiced by Brian Bedford) stole into audience’s hearts like only a fox can and he’s still there today! No matter how many times Robin’s tale is retold, Bedford’s rendition is among the most loved.

There are two ways to approach this costume. One uses body paint and a face paint kit to get a whole-body look like Robin’s. The other is to leave your face and arms alone, then rely on orange leggings, a fox tail, and fox ears to mimic Robin’s look. In both cases you’ll want medieval-style shoes, a green tunic, a broad leather belt, and a yellow Robin Hood hat. The hat’s color is key because in most versions with a similar hat it is green. The yellow sets this aside as Disney’s classic Robin as much as the fox tail does.

Finally you’ll want a bow and arrow as well as a quiver. As with all weapons, however, make sure the they’re allowed at the convention you plan to attend!

Shado is a controversial figure in the DC comics. In some iterations she is the mother of Oliver’s half-sister. In others she’s is the mother of Oliver’s son. Oliver was delirious when he and Shado slept together though Shado claimed not to know this at the time. It’s a long-standing point of tension on her character. In the CW show Arrow she is a straight-forward love interest at one point, which is only one of the many changes the show made to the character.

Cosplaying as Shado requires a few specific pieces. The most important is a bow with a quiver of arrows as Shado is a master archer. You will also need a black off-the-shoulder shirt and white wid-legged pants. Shado’s shirt has a long black panel in the front that extends past a belt but finding this exact style is difficult. A black scarf can be used to emulate the look while a white scarf can serve as she belt. Black martial arts shoes round out the look.

Shado also has a red dragon tattoo on her left arm which you can recreate with face paints. She is often seen with her hair in a long braid down her back but her style does vary from time to time so the braid is not a hard and fast costume piece though one is linked above.

Cosplaying as the comic book version of Shado is fairly straight-forward.

In Dragon Age: Inquisition, Sera (voiced by Robyn Addison) is an elven archer. She delights in humbling authority, and often acts out in impulsive and reactionary ways. She fights for innocents caught in the middle, and isn’t scared to put an arrow in a baddie.

In Arrow, Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) is Green Arrow, a billionaire playboy who dons a costume and fights crime. Sounds a lot like another guy we know. No surprise that his weapon of choice is the bow and arrow.

In Game of Thrones, Ygritte (Rose Leslie) is a wildling from the north with fiery red hair and an even more fiery personality. She never passes up an opportunity to needle Jon Snow, constantly reminding him how he knows nothing.

In the Avengers, Clint Barton is Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), a master archer and an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Unlike teammates Captain America and The Hulk, he has absolutely no superpowers. But on the bright side, he’s been in a relationship with Black Widow.