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From left, Zay Moore, Umeko Woods, Jackson Rogers, and Mel Gonzalez react during FAN EXPO, a sci-fi, horror, anime, and gaming event at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, in Dallas, Texas, Saturday, September 12, 2026.<\/p>\n
Anja Schlein\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Fourteen-year-old\u00a0Kase Williams did not need a movie studio<\/a> to become Doctor Octopus.<\/p>\n He needed a wooden board, wire, pool noodles and dryer vent tubing.<\/p>\n Williams, a Dallas freshman, used them to build the mechanical arms stretching behind him Saturday as he walked through Fan Expo Dallas<\/a> dressed as the Spider-Man villain.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n He had previously cosplayed as Doctor Doom and Magneto. This time, he wanted something more ambitious.<\/p>\n \u201cI like doing characters where there\u2019s a recognizable part to them,\u201d Kase said. \u201cI just kind of wanted to step that up and try to challenge myself.\u201d<\/p>\n Fans waited in line, many already in costume, for the chance to reach the floor at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and geek out over their favorite corners of pop culture.<\/p>\n Inside, the hall was a moving mix of capes, masks, armor and handmade props. People stopped strangers for photos, browsed tables stacked with artwork and merchandise and queued to see actors tied to movies and shows they loved.<\/p>\n People enter FAN EXPO, a sci-fi, horror, anime, and gaming event at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, in Dallas, Texas, Saturday, September 12, 2026.<\/p>\n Anja Schlein\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Related: Journey to Middle Earth (and back again): ‘Lord of the Rings’ cast to reunite in Dallas<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n For Kase, making the costume was nearly as important as wearing it.<\/p>\n \u201cI like doing crafts,\u201d he said. \u201cI think I enjoy making it.\u201d<\/p>\n Kase, who hopes to become an actor, said cosplay gives him another outlet for performing and building things himself.<\/p>\n A few feet away, Jerry Howell was dressed as He-Man.<\/p>\n Howell first connected with the character through the 1980s animated series he watched with his father. After seeing a newer version of He-Man, he said he ordered the costume almost immediately and began working out more to better fit the role.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n For Howell, the appeal went beyond nostalgia.<\/p>\n \u201cHe-Man is kind of self-motivation and the power you have behind yourself,\u201d Howell said.<\/p>\n Saturday marked his fifth consecutive Fan Expo. He said he keeps coming back for the costumes, the fandoms and the creativity.\u00a0<\/p>\n For 18-year-old Rylan Marks, Saturday was his first.<\/p>\n Marks came dressed as Billy Butcher from Prime Video’s\u00a0The Boys. Actor Karl Urban, who plays the character, was one reason he wanted to attend. After a few hours, what stayed with him was less the celebrity draw than the work on other people\u2019s backs and in their hands.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cI love to see the creativity of many people and what they can come up with,\u201d Marks said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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