A friendly meeting at the premiere
Henry Cavill and Jason Momoa attended the European premiere of Suicide Squad in London on August 3, 2016. Both were tied to the DC film universe: Cavill played Superman, Momoa Aquaman. While Cavill posed for photographers, Momoa approached him from behind, turning an ordinary stop on the red carpet into a friendly prank. The actors then hugged. The real event was not an attack: a threatening meaning appeared only when this individual moment began to be used for other stories.
Photos of the scene quickly became material for photoshops, including discussions on Reddit in August 2016. A later wave of captioned macros became noticeable in April 2018. One of the variants that spread presented an ordinary conversation which a detailed story about Darth Plagueis from Star Wars approaches. Early photoshops and later captioned pictures featured different angles, so the story of this family of images does not reduce to a single snapshot. The authorship of each of the two frames in this combination has not been established.
Two distances on a pink carpet
The image consists of two photographs separated by a white strip. In both, Cavill stands before the camera in a blue suit, white shirt, and gold tie. Behind him is Momoa in a black T-shirt and dark trousers; he has long hair and a broad smile. In the left photo he is crouched and farther from Cavill; in the right one he has come almost right up to him. In the background are people, barriers, buildings, and premiere decorations. There are no captions assigning the actors meme roles here.
The collage does not yet show the hug itself. It preserves the anticipation of a meeting: one participant is focused on posing, the other is moving toward him. The difference between Cavill's composed, suited look and Momoa's relaxed pose is especially expressive. The viewer can see both at once, whereas the person in the foreground is not looking at what is happening behind his back. The two photographs make the approach visible even without video.
The viewer notices before the hero does
The meme distributes knowledge unevenly. Cavill depicts a person still confident in the calm course of events; Momoa becomes what will soon change that confidence. He can be captioned with the name of a trouble, a memory, or a temptation. The comedy appears before the outcome: the hero has not had time to get scared, lose money, or change his mind, but the reader has already connected two marks and predicted what follows. The photo captures the moment when the problem exists only for the observer.
At the same time, Momoa's smiling face allows the approach to be pleasant. Behind one's back there may be an unexpected day off, a favorite song, or long-awaited news. What matters is the change from a calm state itself, not an obligatory threat. If both panels are used, one can emphasize that the event has come closer. If only one is left, the same scheme reads through the arrangement of the figures. The absence of contact gives the caption's author freedom to invent how the encounter will end.
What surprises can be placed behind the back
In an invented caption, Cavill is “me, sure I bought all the materials for the renovation,” and Momoa is “the needed adapter of a different size.” Both panels show how a small oversight draws closer to the moment of discovery. Another invented variant: Cavill — “a calm evening with no plans,” Momoa — “a message that my favorite band is playing nearby.” Here the surprise is joyful and turns the planned rest into a spontaneous outing.
The third invented scene relates to a game. Cavill is labeled “a character who found a quiet spot to save,” and Momoa “a boss I accidentally led along behind me.” The opponent visible to the viewer is already close, but the hero is still busy with an ordinary action. In all three cases it is enough to name the state and the approaching turn; the actors' expressive poses tell the rest of the little story.
