By now, you probably know that Netflix revealed their first look at Henry Cavill in The Witcher on Wednesday. Stoic and silver-haired, Geralt is known for both a distinct look and a fondness for drinking potions. As it turned out — and as the internet quickly picked up on — Henry Cavill as Geralt looks a lot like another character. Or three characters. Or is it five? Basically, Twitter figured out that the actor’s Witcher costume was an uncanny valley of characters from multiple beloved franchises. And it is hilarious.
First, this is how he was introduced:
Get your first look at Henry Cavill in The Witcher! pic.twitter.com/1O2eWS1MkP
— Netflix US (@netflix) October 31, 2018
Cavill’s ready to rock ‘n’ roll, and looking good doing it, as always. But not everyone was easily convinced that this was their Geralt.
Netflix, please, a cosplayer looks like the witcher so much better than Henry Cavill. Put more make up on, please. pic.twitter.com/D1F4rPWA7q
— eu, Ləmerim (@lemerim_) October 31, 2018
It’s a fair assessment, if rigid adherence to authenticity is your thing. Is that Netflix’s thing, though? Not exactly. And their take on Geralt gave Twitter a lot of other “Hang on, I’ve seen this before!” type of ideas. Like Lord of The Rings vibes.
Henry Cavill as Geralt for The Witcher looks like a very strange Legolas cosplay
— Kelsey Impicciche (@kelseydangerous) October 31, 2018
Not wrong! Not wrong at all. Actually, maybe this could be the birth of some successful fan fiction?
Here were some other pop culture-inspired moments:
Get your first look at Henry Cavill in The Witcher! pic.twitter.com/lgzyjiZBu5
— H.W. Sweaterman (@BobAlGreene) October 31, 2018
Henry Cavill looks like he’s starring in a Mortal Kombat remake as Raiden. #witcher pic.twitter.com/DzqiBXXRWQ
— Bean (@alpacabean) October 31, 2018
henry cavill in that witcher wig looks like BOB from twin peaks
— Julie Alexis (@juliemuncy23) October 31, 2018
One person just put a mustache on him, which is inexplicably funny.
#FirstLook Henry Cavill in The Witcher pic.twitter.com/MiMkjXqt4R
— Nicole ♥️ (@nicolexavier111) October 31, 2018
Then there was another vote for Twin Peaks‘ Bob.
https://twitter.com/aarbypls/status/1057670332302139394
But really, the Mortal Kombat comparisons were too much to ignore.
So Henry Cavill as Geralt has come and now we're getting memes of him looking exactly like Raiden from the first mortal kombat movie.xD pic.twitter.com/7mzi0j9JPK
— Clays Promos (@ClaysPromos) October 31, 2018
Is Henry Cavill playing Geralt the Witcher or Raiden from the Mortal Kombat movie? It's impossible to say. https://t.co/TM59MJoHYP
— The Town Manager (@Megalodork) October 31, 2018
All I can see with the Henry Cavill reveal as Geralt is Christopher Lambert from the 90s Mortal Kombat movie.
— Martian Muffins (@3nd0worm) October 31, 2018
I keep seeing people comparing Henry Cavill in The Witcher to Christopher Lambert in Mortal Kombat and honestly the joke has yet to get old
— MindProbe (@RefinedMicrobe) October 31, 2018
So, congrats to Netflix for unintentionally launching another successful meme! And what a day this is for people with extremely specific Mortal Kombat references floating around in their brains. Who knew there were so many?
It will be interesting to see how Netflix responds to these reactions on Twitter. If the account does at all, that is. Cavill himself is fairly active on Instagram, so it’s possible that he’ll weigh in on the comparisons before Netflix has a chance to. If the man can cede control of his social media to his own mustache, he’s probably down to post a meme or two about The Witcher.
Image: Netflix