‘Critical Role’s Matt Mercer Wins Gen Con With Epic Cosplay

Critical Role dungeon master Matthew Mercer surprised fans by assuming the identity of one of his most popular characters this weekend at Gen Con.

The popular webshow, which features a group of voice actors playing Dungeon & Dragons, had a major presence at Gen Con, the largest board game and tabletop convention in the United States. Not only did Critical Role have their annual live show at the event, they also had a full booth selling exclusive merchandise that included dice, t-shirts, and even maps.

Keeping with the spirit of the show, the booth was designed and decorated as the Invulnerable Vagrant, a shop that exists in the world of the game. The Invulnerable Vagrant is run by a firbolg named Pumat Sol and three simulacrum who all look exactly like him. With a distinct Canadian/Minnesotan accent and some hilarious mannerisms as there’s technically four Pumat Sols running around in the same shop, Pumat Sol has quickly become a fan favorite.

On Sunday, Mercer, who portrays Pumat Sol and all the other NPCs in the show, dressed up as Pumat Sol and briefly ran the Invulnerable Vagrant shop at the convention. You can check out a video of Mercer as Pumat Sol below:

At first, it looks like the Critical Role booth staff pulled in one of the many cosplayers at the convention, someone who mastered Mercer’s Pumat Sol voice pretty darn well. However, as the video progresses, you realize that it’s truly Pumat Sol himself behind the counter.

This isn’t the first time that Mercer has dressed up as one of his beloved NPCs. During one of the Halloween episodes, Mercer portrayed the eccentric Viktor, a mad scientist who could produce gunpowder….when he was blowing off his own fingers.

Critical Role characters were among the more popular cosplay choices at Gen Con this year, as fans dressed up as various characters from both campaigns. Although most of the cosplayers chose to dress up as one of the main characters, there were a few people who dressed up as Pumat Sol, and even one or two who dressed up as a villain.

New episodes of Critical Role air on Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on Geek & Sundry’s Twitch and Alpha. The episodes are then posted on YouTube the following Monday.