The 2022 Tsunami Nutrition Cup winner James Hollingshead turns heads cosplaying Kratos from “God of War” at London Comic Con.
James Hollingshead, Men’s Open Olympia competitor, fused Olympia bodybuilding tier muscles with the video game God of War at the 2022 MCM London Comic Con, which took place October 28-30, 2022, at ExCeL London. Hollingshead cosplayed Kratos, a protagonist in God of War. Hollingshead wielded an axe with ghostly pale skin, a full beard, and a red stripe across the left side of his head, shoulders, and torso, matching Kratos’ iconic style perfectly.
You can check out the full video of James Hollingshead cosplaying Kratos below:
James Hollingshead had an entire makeup artist team help put his costume together. Besides the fantastic work of the makeup artist, it doesn’t hurt to be an Olympia competitor to pull off a Kratos doppelganger. Hollingshead showed off massive shoulders and upper body muscles in his costume. After successfully transitioning from bodybuilder to the “God of War,” Kratos joined spectators to pose for photos and other cosplayers at the comic con.
Below are highlight clips from the London Comic Con that Hollingshead uploaded to his Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
God of War
God of War is an action-adventure videogame series created by Sony’s Santa Monica Studio. It’s available on PlayStation and consists of nine different games, first appearing on PlayStation 2 in 2005, with the latest editions available on PS4 and PS5.
Kratos is a demigod based on Greek and Norse mythology who’s the main character in the game. He first appeared in the game scene in a quest to avenge his family’s death after being tricked into killing them by the Greek god of war, Aries.
Kratos is portrayed as a spartan warrior, hence his nickname “Ghost of Sparta,” coined after killing his family. Kratos eventually kills Aries to become the new “God of War.”
Bodybuilding and Cosplay
Fusing bodybuilding and cosplay has become mainstream in the bodybuilding sphere. For example, INBA PNBA 3x Men’s Physique Natural Olympia champ William Long went Super Saiyan at the LA Comic Con on December 3-5, 2021. Moreover, Figure and Bikini IFBB professional athlete Alicia Marie is a costume artist and regular at comic cons.
James Hollingshead Cosplay Kratos Ahead of the 2022 Natural Olympia
James Hollingshead Olympia’s debut took place last year, where he received 12th place. Since only the top five finishers earned an automatic spot back the following year, Hollingshead had to qualify this year. For example, Olympia competitors Brandon Curry, Hadi Choopan, Hunter Labrada, Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay, and Nick Walker instantly qualified since they placed in the top five. Therefore, they’ll be able to take advantage of a longer prep for the biggest bodybuilding stage. Despite not being pre-qualified, Hollingshead’s qualification was successful. He won the 2022 Tsunami Nutrition Cup in Rome, Italy, on October 9, 2022.
The 2022 Olympia takes place December 15-18, where Hollingshead looks to improve his placing in the Men’s Open division. Bodybuilding legend Jimmy Mentis sat with the Muscle & Fitness podcast to discuss his predictions for the 2022 Olympia. Mentis has “Big Ramy” winning it all.
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for exciting bodybuilding news!
