The polarized reactions to the first-look image of Matt Damon in costume as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey suggest that Nolan is about to be inundated with more Batman-style complaints from a fervent fan base. Two decades ago, Nolan rebooted the Batman franchise with his hugely influential Dark Knight trilogy. The response to Nolan’s Batman movies turned him from a mid-budget thriller director to a mega-budget blockbuster director. He’s one of the only filmmakers who can command a nine-figure budget for an ambitious original project.

Nolan’s latest ambitious opus is a straightforward adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey. While The Odyssey has been adapted into all kinds of genres and settings over the years, Nolan is planning to translate Homer’s original text directly to the screen. Although The Odyssey won’t arrive in IMAX theaters until July 17, 2026 — over a year from now — Nolan has already revealed an image of Damon as Odysseus. The response to this image on social media suggests that Nolan is about to contend with a fan community that’s as hard-to-please as DC lovers.

Matt Damon’s Odysseus Look Is Already Sparking Debate (Just Like Batman’s Costume)

Complaints Range From “Boring” To “Fifteen 9/11s”

As soon as The Odyssey’s first look was revealed, history and literature buffs took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to complain about its inaccuracy to history and the source material. A user called guy who’s really into The Iliad wrote that it makes the movie look “boring.” A user called Nikolaj employed some hyperbole and compared Damon’s costume to “fifteen 9/11s.” A user named Big Serge joked, “Hollywood can never resist the siren song of the generic ancient broom helmet.” An article in The Standard, written by a self-confessed “insufferable history nerd,” points out everything wrong with Odysseus’ armor.

These complaints are reminiscent of the debates surrounding Nolan’s Batman movies. Pretty much every aspect of Nolan’s take on the character and his design was debated and critiqued. A lot of people loved it, but some didn’t, and it was all pored over and scrutinized in extreme detail: it’s too grounded, the color should’ve been gray, the ears aren’t the right size, the cowl is too stiff. Some people said it was too different; others said it wasn’t different enough. This is already being repeated with The Odyssey. After dividing DC fans, Nolan is now dividing history and classics aficionados.

Christopher Nolan’s Batman Movies Actually Show He’s Great For The Odyssey

Comics Books Are Essentially The Modern Myths

Nolan’s Batman movies prove he’s perfect for The Odyssey — not only because it was the first clear sign that he can make incredible action-adventure blockbusters (and has nothing to prove at this point), but because comic books are, essentially, the modern myths. Nolan displayed a great ability to adapt them to his own vision, while staying true to the core of the character. The Odyssey will be a little different from Batman Begins in terms of following the story more closely, but there’s no reason to doubt Nolan’s ability to deliver a mind-blowing cinematic epic.

Source: @fathersofpeople, @nikicaga, @witte_sergei, The Standard