A Bad Bunny Cosplay, the Boricualorian and More Latino Presence in NY Comic Con 2025

I walked into New York Comic Con 2025 expecting the usual sea of superheroes, dazzling animatronics, and fandom energy, but what greeted me was something deeper: Puerto Rican pride, reggaeton vibes, and unmistakable Bad Bunny influence pulsing through the halls.

It started with "The Boricualorian." I first spotted her near an artist alley booth—helmet and armor painted in red, white, and blue, flag motifs woven into every panel. She wore a folkloric skirt beneath her futuristic gear and held a "baby Yoda" figure sporting a jíbaro hat and scarf. I later learned "The Boricualorian" was the embodiment of Puerto Rican identity meeting fandom. That costume alone became a symbol of how culture, music, and heritage were on show at Comic Con this week. The character was among several bringing Puerto Rican culture front and center at the convention.

As I wandered the exhibit floors, I saw other fans brandishing Puerto Rican flags as capes, adorning their cosplay suits with light‑blue star symbols, or carrying handheld drums. One booth hosted a "Boricua‑Verse" event, spotlighting Latino artists and cosplayers.

Snippets of bomba and plena rhythms invaded the background, conversations in Spanish and footsteps mingling with beats in a way that made the environment feel alive, not just decorative. A Bad Bunny cosplayer sang some of El Conejo's songs. He was dressed similarly to Benito in the first part of this Puerto Rican residence, "No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí," with white pants, a white sweatshirt, and a white winter hat.

Another cosplayer dressed as a Puerto Rican Power Ranger, a "Boriranger", led calls of "Puerto Rico pride" down the aisles of the Jarvitz Center.

I asked attendees why these statements of identity were so visible this year. One cosplayer, wearing a stylized version of La Borinqueña, told me she sees fandom as a canvas for activism. She drew on the legacy of Edgardo Miranda‑Rodriguez's comic heroine, which blends Afro‑Puerto Rican roots, indigenous elements, and a modern superpower mythos,and said her costume was an homage to resistance and representation. Miranda‑Rodriguez himself has described La Borinqueña as a symbol of Puerto Rican pride and social justice.

I asked people around me: Did they expect this level of music culture crossover? One fan shrugged and smiled: "Bad Bunny's spirit is everywhere. He's not just music. He's icon. So why not here?" Some attendees told me they overheard reggaeton tracks layered into DJ sets between panels. Others said they saw one or two fan looks that echoed Bad Bunny's stage outfits,sunglasses, graphic hoodies, even symbolic flag motifs.

At times, the convention floor felt like a Puerto Rico reunion crossing the fandom universe. The flags, the music, the layered cosplays were declarations of Boricua pride. And that, in a show celebrated for fantasy worlds, felt like the most real story of all.

Originally published on Latin Times