Cosplaying is a great way to pay tribute to our favorite characters, especially those with whom we connect with emotionally. But one young man found a way to celebrate himself by pulling off one of the best, most personal superhero costumes we will ever see. John Quinn of Millington, Tennessee, a person with burn scars on his body and face, cosplayed as Deadpool without a mask. And it got the attention and admiration of Wade Wilson himself, Ryan Reynolds.
Earlier this year, John Quinn shared an uplifting and inspiring post to his Instagram account Jadiant (which we first heard about at Bored Panda). He dressed up as mask-less Deadpool, even learning how to do a split for extra authenticity. But this was more than just a great example of cosplay. It was personal, as the Marvel character means a lot to Quinn. He explained just how much in his post:
“Deadpool has honestly made me way more confident. Anyone who has read or watched anything about Deadpool, knows his face and body are pretty messed up. So it’s only natural that I cosplay him. I wanted to be authentic as possible, and that was to not wear a mask. It’s so easy to cover up who I am, and to give In to despair. Deadpool just makes me not care about that stuff and show my true self. This is me, and I’m not Ashamed about it. Deadpool is icy clean, and he’s helped my self esteem so much. I’m owning who I am, and cosplaying Deadpool makes it that much easier.”
That positive message alone would be reason enough to celebrate young Quinn’s incredible outlook and cosplay. But his dream did come true when forever-good guy Ryan Reynolds responded as Quinn had hoped the Deadpool star might.
Reynolds commented, “Holy sh*t, Jadiant, this made my YEAR. Can’t even describe what this post means to me. Also, I can do the splits… but only once a year. And it has to be in the lobby of a hospital.”
When Quinn saw the response he was overjoyed, saying that Reynolds had made this “so worth it.” On that we must disagree with this remarkable young man. Neither Deadpool nor Ryan Reynolds made this worth it. John Quinn did that on his own.
Featured Image: John Quinn/Sony
