Meet TGON Cosplayers!

The Game of Nerds is very lucky to work with some amazing cosplayers who travel the world! They embody the cosplay spirit that you can be anyone or anything!

Please check out our current listing of cosplayers affiliated with TGON and our Cosplay content on the site.

If you are interested in a cosplayer attending a specific convention, please email us here with “Cosplayers” in the subject. If you are interested in joining our cosplay team? Fill out the application here!

MASKED MATEO

Location: USA

Cosplay Team: The9⚡️

Bio: Masked Mateo has been with the game of nerds since 2018. Although he’s been cosplaying for only just a year, his impact on the cosplay community has to be something great to talk about. A proud firefighter in the United States Air Force, Mateo takes one of the Core values, “Excellence in All We Do”, & applies it to his cosplay.

Originally from Dallas, Texas, he’s traveled all over the world. From London to Florida, Romania to Illinois, to name a few. He also loves fitness and wants to help others accomplish their fitness goals. Currently, Mateo cosplays as The Merc with a Mouth, Deadpool. We have to say, He brings a certain authenticity to Wade Wilson that I’m sure Ryan Reynolds would applaud. He continues to leave a positive and fun impression of cosplay in the community.

Why the name “Masked Mateo”? Let’s just say there’s a certain mystery behind this man’s face since no one has ever seen it. With new cosplay in the works, we are excited to see what he brings to the table next. Possible face reveal? Mateo is a member of The9⚡️. A cosplay supergroup comprised of some of the world’s greatest cosplayers. Each of them brings something unique to the group and to the cosplay community as well. We look forward to seeing more collaborations with them.

Joey Red Hood

Location: Hampton Roads, Virginia

Cosplay Team: The9⚡️

Bio: I feel like an elder statesman (38 yrs old) in the cosplay world, but the “cosplay is for everyone” culture has embraced me! Although I’m a bit older, I’m just a cosplay rookie, only doing it for a little over a year.

I love getting the chance to transform into characters I truly love and share that art with those around me! I’ve met some of the best friends a guy could ask for in The9⚡️and have connected with so many great people since starting!

I’m married with 2 children, (13 and 10), who have been bitten by the bug and have begun cosplaying with me. I try to put together builds that have roots in realism, and have a movie / TV quality to them. And with the combo of ideas I have, with many content creators and photographers, I’m able to bring these looks to life!

DOM CHARLAND

Location: New York

Cosplay Team: The9⚡️

Bio: I’ve been cosplaying for the better part of the Decade, from Spider-man to Star-Lord. I started cosplay for fun but quickly gravitated towards charity events and toy drives. As fun as Cosplaying by yourself is, there’s an added thrill of doing it in a group. Most recently, I organized a 95-Cosplayer shoot on Governers Island in honor of Avengers: Endgame, featuring my brothers from The 9, @Fire_Forged_Cosplay, and @_r_o_n_i_n. I’m super grateful to have met the rest of the guys in The 9, a unique band of like-minded fellas who value keeping this hobby fun and making great relationships above everything else.

Brandon

Location: Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Cosplay Team: The9⚡️

Bio: I have been Cosplaying for 5 years now. I got started in Cosplay because of a friend that asked me to attend my first Con which was a St.Louis Wizard World. I had no idea what I was going to but I ended up loving it! I attend around 14 Cons a year.

I’m known in the Cosplay world for bringing my speaker everywhere I go and getting signatures on it. I’m up to around 1000 signatures now. I’m most known for my Luke Cage Cosplay (from Netflix) and My Piccolo (from Dragon Ball) anime.

I put to bring more respect for others and love to the Cosplay world. It’s a place that I find it very easy to be happy if you focus on the positive. I’m also known for my PE foam original Pokémon designs. Those are done every year at ColossalCon Main.

TADIWA NJAGU

Location: Maryland

Cosplay Team: The9⚡️

Bio: I got into cosplay a little over 3 years ago, to be honest, it kind of was by accident. I was at San Diego comic con in 2016, bought a Red-X mask and this little kid just went nuts overseeing me wear it. That feeling of bringing someone’s favorite character to life is what fueled me to take things to the next level, I’ve never looked back and now I walk around as one of my favorite comic book characters Ronin.

I like to make a realistic interpretation of my favorite characters, I’m not a fan of copying something exactly as it was in the original source material. I tend to keep the core aesthetic parts of the character intact but most other things I change to add a “realistic” spin on it, no matter how outrageous the character design maybe haha.

Nashville Knight

Location: Nashville, Tennessee

Cosplay Team: The9⚡️

Bio: I am Batman

ETHAN MYLES

Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Cosplay Team: The9⚡️

Bio: Guitar playing, Celebrity Impressions, Dad Jokes, Puns for Days….. What more could you ask for?

Blackbeard.dad

Location: Orlando Flordia

Cosplay Team: The9⚡️

Bio: Just a Viking living amongst us. I have attended cons as several different Jason Momoa’s Aquaman.

My most recent project is gender-bending Disney’s princesses in Blackbeard form with a Viking twist on them, calling the theme: Disney goes dark. I drink beer and I throw things, Skal!!

ANDREW PAROLA

Location: Bay Area, California

Bio: After collecting closes to 2,000 Funko pops in his home, he thought to himself, “How can I make my collection bigger?” So he turned himself into a human pop.

His first Cosplay Funko was Logan aka Wolverine, next came Poppin’ Hopper, and last year Super Trooper’s Farva arrived. What will he be next? Only time will tell!

TIME_FLASH

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Bio: I have been cosplaying for a little over 5 years at this point and I don’t plan on stopping. I started cosplay when my best friend from high school dragged me out to Dragoncon here in Atlanta, where I’m based, and since that day I’ve been hooked.

I’ve done multiple superhero cosplays such as Spider-Man, Constantine, and my gender-bent Poison Ivy, but I’m most known for my 2nd ever cosplay I wore which is my Kid Flash. I’ve loved exploring other fandoms as well like Doctor Who, Harry Potter, various Anime, and recently I’ve started diving deeper into the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy realm of cosplay.

I’ve grown as a person through this community and I’m grateful that I have the chance to further my experience in it. I’m just looking forward to what is coming next.

UNBROKEN HADES

Location: San Diego, California

Bio: I grew up being a military brat and traveled from the east coast to the west. I’ve been cosplaying consistently over the past 3 years, going to conventions from the midwest to the west coast. I cosplay characters that I connect with in anything from comic books to video games, to anime but with my own spin on them. I developed a knack for making masks and helmets, armor, and large props but lately, I’ve started getting back into my comic book roots and have been designing realistic superhero cosplays again.

At the moment, I’m most known for my Bloodhound cosplay from Apex Legends and in general my foam work in my builds. I work to bring more positivity and support into the cosplay community and I’m always looking for opportunities to learn and build new things.

My love of all things nerdy has taken over my day to day life as well, where you can always find me watching superhero movies, looking for new characters to cosplay, talking to some of the amazing friends I’ve made in the community, practicing martial arts, or getting another nerdy tattoo.

adi

Bio: Bio: Hey I’m Adi! I’m a fitness and nutrition coach by trade but, I always wanted to be a superhero of some sort. As a kid, I always wanted to be Wonder Woman. So, I live by the quote “Be Your Own Superhero”, and physically I always challenge myself.

I finished a half marathon at the top of my age group, competed in the CrossFit Open finishing in the top 10% internationally, and lost 100lbs.

When I was introduced to cosplay I was able to dress and become the part I always trained to be. I became a superhero and a villain. I can’t wait to do more with this new found love of cosplay.

Darkspeed Cosplay

Location: Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania

Bio: Hey, I’m Nick and I’m Darkspeed Cosplay. Some of my hobbies include drumming, playing soccer, reading comics, playing video games, watching tv and movies, and of course, cosplaying. I have been cosplaying for about 2 years now and I absolutely love it. I remember when I was first starting out, I would watch Cosplay Chris on YouTube and think “That looks like fun!” So I got started.

Starting with one amateur version of Batman, I became a cosplayer. Thanks to phenomenal costume and prop makers, I was able to get better-looking cosplays that I am really proud of.

I am excited to be a part of The Game of Nerds and am looking forward to meeting all the great people here on the website and in person at cons!

CROSSEDHEARTZ

Hello True Believers! I have been a comic book fan for as long as I can remember, which in many ways inspired me to pursue cosplay. I didn’t realise how many people actually cosplayed until I went to my first comic con in San Diego. After that, I found inspiration in others’ cosplay, and it wasn’t until a friend of mine asked me why I don’t cosplay (since I talked about it all the time), that I realised it was something I really wanted to do. It wasn’t but a few days later I spent evenings after work and school to complete my first cosplay, X-23, for OComic Con in Omaha, NE. 

Since then I have worked very hard on each and every one of my cosplays whether I get a chance to wear them or not. WIth each new costume I am always thrilled to bring a character to life that I only dreamt about being as a kid! I have even drafted my husband into helping make more complex props and artsy stuff. Now that I am adulting, I know how easy it is to push those dreams aside to pursue something easier, but I always find time to do things that make me happy.

When inspiration hits me I love to write, work on my cosplays, draft up some graphic design. When I need a little inspiration I dive into video games and do a bit of streaming here and there with my sisters!