by R.C. Samo
Editor-in-Chief
Toni Darling, the infamous “Thor” girl who recently went viral all do to one photo while welding the thunder god’s helmet and hammer, Mjölnir, made her presence felt during the Phoenix ComiCon (PCC) Memorial Weekend to be instantaneously mobbed by convention goers.
Darling, an Arizona model and cosplayer who, for the past couple of years has been dressing up as the fairer sexed versions of the world’s favorite superheroes, and most recently painted by Kip Mussatt, which prompted the initial photo shoot appeared as his spokes-model and brought forth an internet frenzy.
Living up to her name, Darling, began as a student at Arizona State University (ASU) majoring in organizational development before transitioning into a cosplaying aficionado.
“I moved to Mesa, Arizona from upstate New York, Googled ‘geeky things to do in Phoenix,’ and entered the Zombie Bikini Contest,” said Darling, dawned in full Thor garb during ComiCon.
Being of Swedish descent, and having grown up with the legends of Asgard relayed to her from childhood, the cosplay of Thor is a heart filled testament to her ancestry. The character she would like to transition into for future cosplay would be Brian Pulido’s “Lady Death.” Pulido is at this year’s PCC, prompting Darling to break out of her shyness – when not in costume and ask for his permission to portray the character.
“I’m not a really good ‘fangirl’,” said Darling, “I kind of like to look and drool from afar.”
Darling, is self-professed nerd, having graduated fifth in her high school class, she spent most of her time locked away in room reading philosophy books, her favorite being Rene DeCartes’ early works.
“What’s ironic is that I was the geekiest skinny kid in my high school. I didn’t look like the angry, bitchy cheerleader at all. I was picked on a lot in high school, as much if not more so and I really hate that ‘alpha-geek’ mentality, of what we are supposed to be like,” sighed Darling, who openly confessed that she used YouTube tutorials in order to learn how to put on make up.
Darling is a gym rat, she works out six days a week and primarily watches what she eats, stating that if you don’t like how you look or something about yourself, only you have the power to change that, which after 9 months of total dedication, she has done so, putting in peek physical condition.
“It’s surreal, people come up to me, know who I am and that’s never happened before. You get 2,000 likes on facebook and no one really knows you in the street,” smiled Darling.
Keep your eyes open for Toni Darling who will showing up to future events and specifically attending Stan Lee’s Comikaze the weekend of September 15 and 16.
Like Toni Darling on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/tonidarlingAZ
