When it comes to cosplay, you never know what to expect at Comic Con. You might see Lucile Ball and Ethel scarfing down chocolates or you may spot a 10-foot tall Galactus mech suit. But between all the one-of-a-kind creations, there are also tons of fans celebrating the franchises they love the most. If you pay attention, you’ll soon start spotting some trends.
These fun costumes might not be the most wow-worthy of the entire, but they represent what attendees really care about in 2025.
Reliving the 90s
In all things fashion right now, there’s a huge 90’s revival, so it’s only fitting to see tons of cosplays dating back to this era. This Ms. Frizzle cosplay is sure to elicit a surge of nostalgia in the heart of many Millennials, but there were tons of other 90s favorites as well. A few examples of rarely-seen 90s icons included an alien from Mars Attacks!, a fembot from Austin Powers, and Santánico Pandemonium from Dusk Till Dawn.
For those dying to live out their own Magic School Bus dreams, there are tons of Ms. Frizzle costumes available online, though none seem quite as high-quality as this one.
Jurassic Park
Just a few years ago, there was a sudden spike in Jurassic Park cosplay for the film’s 30th anniversary and thanks to the recent release of Jurassic World: Rebirth, there was another surge this year. Funny enough, I happened to spot this Dr. Alan Grant looking for collectables at a Jurassic Park booth.
While you can buy preassembled costumes of Alan Grant online, if you want to steal this look, all you really need are khakis, a denim shirt, a woven fedora, and a red bandana.
X-Men
Another throwback to the 90s, while there are always ample X-Men at any given con, there were even more than usual thanks to the success of X-Men 97. Perhaps no single X-Man was represented quite as frequently as Jubilee either.
This cosplayer gave me a great tip for aspiring Jubilees —use a pink balloon instead of bubble gum. From there, you can put together a pretty passable costume using a yellow raincoat, a pink tee with an X-men logo drawn on, jean shorts, an X-Men belt buckle, and some sweet shades.
Wizard of Oz
While there are a few Dorothys and Glindas at any given con, the fact that Wicked was released after last year’s Comic Con meant there was plenty of love for those who live somewhere over the rainbow. While the most eye-catching of these cosplayers were the drag performers advertising their upcoming show, this Dragonball Z mashup was easily the most unique.
Hispanic-Themed Mashups
San Diego is a border town with a lot of Latino pride and that’s obvious even in our cosplays. With everything happening politically, there were even more cosplays with a little South-of-the-Border spice this year. This Mayan-delorian was certainly a hit at the convention. At the same time, fans of the Mexican sitcom El Chavo loved this clever take on the character mixed with the classic Catrina skeleton figure by La Muerte Maria.
Glowing Ghouls
As LED light kits become increasingly affordable, more and more cosplayers are adding them to their costumes for creepy, cool effects. This intimidating draugr overlord from Skyrim shows just how impressive the effect can be.
Perfect Poses
It’s one thing to dress in a character’s clothing. It’s another to take on their personality. This year, more cosplayers than ever before seemed to really embody the spirit of the character they dressed in – even if only in photographs. Need proof?
Just check out this Pomni who looked like she was terrified to go on another of Caine’s Digital Circus adventures.
And while anyone can go buy a Ruby Rhod costume on Amazon, this cosplayer brought the character to life by managing to look over-the-top manic or utterly terrified in her photos.
On the other hand, the militaristic pose of this Star Tours crew member seemed nothing but professional —quite a step up from that jittery robot that piloted my last flight.
Baby Carriers
It’s not hard to find the perfect pose when you’ve got a baby carrier on. And surprisingly, this Harley Quinn was one of many cosplayers I saw with a toy baby strapped to their chests. Maybe it’s a sign of an upcoming cosplayer baby boom. Whatever the case, it was certainly kind of this doting mother to give her baby a hyena plushie to play with so she can remember her fluffy pets that had to stay home from the convention.
