The first looks of Henry Cavill as Geralt in Netflix’s The Witcher elicit many memes comparing his long silver wig to the looks of other fantasy characters with similar pale hairstyles.
Earlier today, Netflix revealed the first look of Henry Cavill as Geralt in its adaptation of The Witcher fantasy series. The short screen test shows the Superman actor wearing a long, silver wig and looking very serious, before taking an oddly sensual sip from a potion bottle.
The Witcher has a passionate fan base spawning from both the book series and the video game franchise of the same name, so naturally, seeing a long-loved character get a live-action adaptation sparked reactions, which ranged from enthusiastic fawning over Henry Cavill’s chiseled stoicism to a critique of how Cavill’s version of Geralt could never possibly live up to other ones.
As with any sort of buzz on the internet, Cavill’s first look started to sprout memes.
pic.twitter.com/UqH9pOWnXH
Turns out, there was something recognizable about the flowing pale locks resting atop Cavill’s head. Many started to compare the actor to other pale-haired high fantasy characters, most notably Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Thranduil (Lee Pace) of Middle-earth.
Good enough. pic.twitter.com/uhGWBoCpir
First look at Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia. pic.twitter.com/out3Am0Jph
Ya decía yo que el Geralt de Henry Cavill me sonaba de algo… pic.twitter.com/sxT3KjDad3
More contemporary fantasy works weren’t left out, though, and many likened Cavill’s streams of silver to Harry Potter secondary villain Lucius Malfoy, as portrayed by Jason Isaacs.
«We must stop Potter Geralt.» pic.twitter.com/i3iOc3sWjj
geralt lucius malfoy pic.twitter.com/ATqih4s3l5
Even Fandom.com got in on the action.
The first look at Henry Cavill’s Geralt from ‘The Witcher’ is reminding some of these long-haired legends pic.twitter.com/P0U4iKIUjE
The cascade of glimmering hair also called to mind another video game silver fox, namely Raiden from Mortal Kombat as portrayed by Christopher Lambert from the cheesy 1995 live-action movie. The resemblance is striking: the luminous tresses, the sultry strong jaw — are we sure these are different looks?
Get your first look at Henry Cavill in The Witcher! pic.twitter.com/M8Knvi4Ylk
Exclusive first look at Henry Cavill as The Witcher’s Geralt of Rivia pic.twitter.com/JxMh0izAnX
There were other more varied comparisons, all sprouting from the eye-catching wig.
Can’t wait for #TheWitcher pic.twitter.com/YYvaLbdDQv
Get your first look at Henry Cavill in The Witcher! pic.twitter.com/iM9FbBdShA
why is netflix’s the witcher look like a power ranger? pic.twitter.com/slHE8CDQ92
Henry cavill in #TheWitcher pic.twitter.com/mIjrKflj9v
While it’s definitely the wig grabbing everyone’s attention with its glimmer, the actual dramatic clip of Cavill was fodder for other memes. Specifically, his long sultry potion drink.
«Potion seller, I tell you I’m going into battle, and I want only your strongest potions» «My potions would kill you traveler. You cannot handle my potions» pic.twitter.com/NkRRmqthqa
when you play the witcher screen test backwards it looks like geralt is at a party listening to a man explain why the works of Woody Allen still have value pic.twitter.com/WWNsgs0Zo7
Cavill’s Geralt is joined by Freya Allan ( The War of the Worlds, Bluebird) as Ciri, and Anya Chalotra ( Wanderlust, The ABC Murders) as Yennefer.
The Witcher is set to premiere on Netflix in 2019.
