Last weekend at Los Angeles Comic Con (LACC), a dedicated group of cosplayers from around North America joined together to recreate the X-Men Hellfire Gala straight off the pages of Marvel Comics. The event, which was held in the South Lobby of the LA Convention Center, was witnessed by attendees and Gerry Duggan himself – the creator of the modern Hellfire Gala concept in comics from recent years. The Hellfire Gala has existed in X-Men comics decades prior, but not on the scale of these new galas which feature fashion-forward designs on our favorite Marvel Heroes, many designed by Russell Dauterman, and even having some featured in the likes of Entertainment Weekly.
The creators of this cosplay fashion runway are California-based cosplayers Jordan Blaza Olsen (@thegirlwithagreatsmile) and Michelle Waffle-Oterno (@meshellwaffleo).
All photos courtesy of Mike Kwok (@bb49r).
Cosplayers @thegirlwithagreatsmile as Hela (left) & @meshellwaffleo as Emma Frost (right)
“Jordan messaged me after SDCC, where I premiered my Emma Frost 2022 Hellfire Gala look,” says Michelle. “She wanted to bring a “Met Gala” experience to LACC and asked if I knew any other cosplayers with Hellfire looks.
“When I saw the Hellfire Gala Party Crasher Hela design by Mark Brooks back in May 2022, I knew I wanted to make it to challenge my cosplay skills,” adds Jordan. “When I went to a circuit party with Colby (Melvin), we thought we should do a Gala cosplay together at LA Comic Con. Then in August 2022, I realized I could ask the convention if I could do a carpet walk with a few cosplayers. That’s when I tapped Michelle to help grow this idea into the WALK, as I call it now.”
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(Watch the runway filmed by @heimeiphotos)
Michelle continues, “I reached out to cosplayers that I knew had completed Hellfire Gala cosplays first. I may have mentioned the project on an IG Live, too, and I got a few more DMs from cosplayers who were interested in creating cosplays for this event. I felt that initially, it came together very easily and quickly. That’s not to say we weren’t all in the group chat sharing con crunch photos as we scrambled to meet the deadline.”
Cosplayer @graciethecosplaylass as Mystique
Cosplayers @jt_otero as Sunfire and @j_kosmic as Havok
Cosplayer @wildermoves as Wolverine
Cosplayer @adorkablejay as Synch
Cosplayers @msmochiofficial as Psylocke and @londonheartsu as Captain Britain
Cosplayers @nerd_alert_cosplay as Colossus and @fashion.bunnie.cosplay as Magik
Cosplayer @caoimhe as Storm
Cosplayer @thevhenix as Rogue
Cosplayer @bethcosplay as Captain Marvel
Cosplayer @realamandalynne as Jean Grey
“We were very mindful of diversity and inclusion as we developed the roster,” adds Jordan. “We can’t say we need more diverse representation if we don’t do what we can to make it happen ourselves.”
“In the end, it looked boss AF. Our gala cosplayers did not disappoint. They showed up and absolutely SLAYED. I am so proud of the diverse group we were able to assemble,” concludes Michelle.
The full roster of cosplayers are brought to you by:
@jt_otero -Sunfire
@graciethecosplaylass – Mystique
@j_kosmic – Havok
@realamandalynne – Jean Grey
@thevhenix – Rogue
@colbymelvin – Captain America
@fashion.bunnie.cosplay – Magik
@nerd_alert_cosplay – Colossus
@wildermoves – Wolverine
@darkmattercos – Black Widow
@bethcosplay – Captain Marvel
@Namorcosplay – Namor
@londonheartsu – Captain Britain
@adorkablejay – Synch
@msmochiofficial – Psylocke
@swordofkahless – Emma Frost 2021
@caoimhe – Storm
@megachromatic – Iceman
@thegirlwithagreatsmile – Hela
@meshellwaffleo – Emma Frost 2022
with MC duties carried out by X-Men X-Pert Jake Wallace – @minusthesnake
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