Batman was in metro Detroit this weekend. And so were Darth Vader, the Ghostbusters, Freddy Fozbear and Naruto. How did they get here? And why all at the same time?
Thousands of movie, TV show, video game, anime, manga and comic book fans, dressed as characters from their favorite fictional universes, flocked to the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi to mingle, shop and meet actors and artists at Motor City Comic Con 2025, which runs through Sunday, Nov. 16.
Throughout the convention weekend, attendees shopped from vendors and artists selling lightsabers, comic books, posters, wearable ears, swords and all kinds of unique trinkets.
Stars like Matthew Lillard, who was the voice of Shaggy in the live action Scooby-Doo movies, and Mark Waid, who has written comic books starring Batman, Superman, Spiderman and more, spoke on panels, signed autographs and took photos with fans.
Comic Con attendees represented hundreds of fictional characters and pop culture icons with their costumes. To prepare, they spent time and money on the details of their outfits. Throughout the weekend, fans connected over the costumes and characters, stopping strangers as they walked by to talk and snap photos.
Christopher Goodman, 21, of Warren, said cosplay is a key aspect of Comic Con. If people didn’t dress up, his first convention probably would have been his last, he said. He came dressed as a conquistador.
“If you like to dress up, this is the place to come,” he said. “If you like Halloween, this is it. You can dress as anything you want.”
People dressed in all kinds of ways, and almost every costume fit into at least one of these categories: superheroes, anime and manga, movies and TV shows, soldiers and pop culture icons. Here’s what people wore for Motor City Comic Con Fall 2025.
Superheroes
Comic is in the name of the event, so, of course, comic book and movie heroes were popular costume choices.
Vic Panganiban, 42, of Dearborn Heights, was among a handful of people dressed as Superman, Panganiban’s favorite character. Panganiban described Comic Con as “nostalgic” and said between the cosplay, vendors, actors and other excitement, the event has something for people of all ages.
Josh Smith, 21, of Shelby Township, said he choose a super hero costume based on who he looks like.
“I feel like I resemble Thor,” he said.
Anime and manga
All things anime and manga are popular at Motor City Comic Con. From Naruto to Sailor Moon, a number of Japanese and Japanese-inspired animation fictional characters were represented in costumes.
Sam Dautorio, 22, came to Motor City Comic Con from Florida with her boyfriend. Dautorio dressed as Neferpitou from Hunter Hunter.
“It was one of the first animes I watched,” she said. “My character is a villain but I enjoy her.”
Movie and TV show characters
From families and friends dressed as the Scooby-Doo squad and Stormtroopers to My Little Pony inspired outfits and full Transformer suits, many cosplayers went as movie characters.
Tonia and Steve Wilczynski, 47 and 50, drove from Pinconning to attend Motor City Comic Con dressed as Shrek and Fiona.
They said they shopped online for some parts of their outfits, like Fiona’s dress, that came in a kit with her ears, and Shrek’s shirt. Other items, like Shrek’s pants as plaid pajamas, they found at home.
The couple said their son first introduced them to Comic Cons. This was their third convention. They had been to one in Midland closer to home, and they came back to Motor City dressed as ogres for the second year after it “seemed to be a hit” the first time.
“If you haven’t been to a Comic Con, you have got to go,” Steve Wilczynski said.
Sydney McCain, 9, of South Lyon, came dressed in giant wings covered in feathers and horns sticking out of the top of her head.
Dad Ian McCain said they started handcrafting her costume last week. This is their family’s third Comic Con, he said. Last year Sydney and her brother Archer wore their Guardians of the Galaxies costume from Halloween, McCain said.
Archer McCain,12, dressed as Springtrap from Five Nights at Freddie’s, a video game known for its puppets and their jump scares. He said he chose Springtrap because he likes to play Five Nights at Freddie’s and saw someone else dressed as him at a previous Comic Con.
Archer’s dad said they started making the costume three weeks ago. Most of the costume body is made of foam and fleece, McCain said. Each individual tooth is made of clay. Wires, lights in the eyes and rips in the fabric add to the Springtrap representation.
Other video game characters included ones from Legend of Zelda, Sims, Deltarune and Super Mario Bros., among others.
Pop culture icons
Where was Waldo this weekend? At Motor City Comic Con. From Judge Judy and KFC’s Colonel Sanders to Labubu and horror-themed Santa Claus costumes, people didn’t need to dress as characters with deep back stories to fit right in.
Soldiers
Many cosplayers in this category also fit into the video game category, with people repping games like Warhammer and Call of Duty.
Goodman said he dressed as a conquistador after seeing one on TV, though he said he couldn’t remember the name of the show. He wore a metal hard helmet he said cost $127, as well as a long medieval-style shirt and boots. He held a sword and a fake gun as props.
This is not Goodman’s first Comic Con. He said he’s been to Motor City and to Warren’s before, where he’s dressed as a gas mask soldier and the Grim Reaper.
“I like military stuff,” he said. “Even though it’s just a costume, I feel powerful.”
Contact Natalie Davies at ndavies@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Cosplay makes fans part of the show at Motor City Comic Con 2025
Reporting by Natalie Davies, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
