Khleo Thomas, star of the 2003 classic Holes, dominates Dream Con's Mortal Kombat Tournament cosplaying as Powerline from A Goofy Movie.
Dressed as Powerline from A Goofy Movie, Khleo Thomas is a face older fans may recognize from 2003's Holes. The former child actor declared "Bottles are on me," in a statement to newer fans as this year's Dream Con Mortal Kombat champion.
Via Kotaku, Thomas said, "MK is my favorite fighting game 100 percent. I’m a lifer when it comes to this franchise. The characters, the story, the stages, all of it -- It’s a tradition with me and my brother that when the new MK game drops we play 100 matches to see who comes out on top. We’ve done this with every single MK game." The iconic Sub-Zero is his go-to character since first choosing him over two decades ago, as Thomas added, "I’ve always chosen Sub-Zero and [my brother]'s always chosen Scorpion. It’s poetic in a way.”
Thomas' decision to attend dressed as Powerline was due to popular request. “I asked my followers which cosplays they wanted me to bring to Dream Con and Powerline was voted #1," Thomas said. "I decided to keep it on after my panel and just compete in the tournament with it on.”
Thomas decapitated three others to lift the trophy at 2023's edition of Dream Con. Based in Austin, Texas this year, Dream Con (or Convention) was founded in 2018 by RDCWorld1 - a YouTube channel popular for its anime and NBA skits as well as gaming videos. This year marked its biggest-ever turnout, attended by over 22,000 people. Up nearly triple from 2022, Dream Con establishes itself as one of the biggest and fastest-growing anime and gaming conventions in the United States and was host to a number of true-to-form cosplays.
Other Cosplayers Are Going Viral
While Thomas' Powerline grabbed attention, cosplays of Raven from Teen Titans, Cammy from Street Fighter, Chainsaw Man's Reze, and Sora from Kingdom Hearts went also viral on social media.
Thomas admits that he's often considered the actor from Holes, but looks back fondly on his time, and recently reunited from the cast for the 20th anniversary of the film. Appearing in film and on TV since Holes, Thomas voiced on NBA 2K19 and most recently combined his gaming credentials with his love of cosplay on his popular YouTube channel, playing Diablo 4 with Chloë Grace Moretz.