The first-look images of The Gray Man reveal Chris Evans’ mustache that could very well be his new Knives Out sweater. Netflix released its shiny new 2022 movie preview video on February 3rd, 2022, which included extended clips of the Russo brothers’ upcoming action flick The Gray Man starring Ryan Gosling as Court Gentry and Chris Evans as Lloyd Hansen. The Gray Man sees Gosling’s Gentry betrayed by the CIA and on the run, with Chris Evans’ mustache-sporting Hansen sent to hunt him down as a fugitive.
The MCU’s Chris Evans is no stranger to bold stylistic choices, with his Knives Out sweater setting social media ablaze upon the film’s release in 2019. Evan’s Knives Out character Ransome Drysdale is shown mid-way through Rian Johnson’s whodunnit sporting a traditional Aran Islands Style crew neck sweater complete with brackets of thick, braided yarn. This striking look gave birth to swathes of memes and internet commentary surrounding the eggshell sweater as audiences became enamored with Evans’ new look, with even the official Knives Out Twitter account changing its name to “Chris Evans’ Sweater Stan Account” for a day.
Much in the same vein, Chris Evans’ The Gray Man mustache is his new Knives Out sweater. Evans’ mustache revealed in the Netflix 2022 movie teaser is surely designed to be memed and become a focal point of the film despite being such a minor detail in the context of the Russo brothers’ project, just as it did in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out. Furthermore, Evans’ character Lloyd Hansen appears in the clips to be an antagonistic character very much in the mold of Knives Out’s Ransome, which will surely play into Evans’ mustache gaining popularity much like his infamous wool sweater.
Knives Out costume designer Jenny Egan began deliberately began giving sweater-centric interviews in the days and weeks following Knives Out‘s release in 2019 (such as this Hollywood Reporter interview), which began to steadily build furor surrounding Chris Evans’ now-iconic wardrobe piece. The early clips teased by Netflix for The Gray Man appear to be attempting the same level of hype, with one exchange between Gentry and Hansen clearly highlighting the impressive mustache adorning Hansen’s face. The Russo brothers, in particular, are directors that delight in providing their audiences with Easter eggs, hidden nods, and fanservice – meaning it is highly unlikely they do not know what they are doing by giving Evans a hugely meme-able mustache in their latest project.
Furthermore, The Gray Man represents only the second time in recent memory where Chris Evans has played against type, with the only previous example being in Knives Out. In Rian Johnson’s movie, Evans plays a sneering, wholly deplorable individual that goes against his heroic persona that his stint as The Avengers’ Captain America helped shape. While the glimpses at The Gray Man‘s plot have been limited to date, Evans appears to be playing another callous character in the form of Lloyd Hansen, who is seen in the Netflix teaser taunting Gentry after attempting to have him killed. These parallels are likely intentional and add to the burgeoning sense that Chris Evans’ dashing mustache in The Gray Man will be his new Knives Out sweater.
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