Jeremy Renner’s big Hollywood comeback just got hijacked — by savage online trolls comparing his post-accident appearance in Wake Up Dead Man to a “disfigured freak.”
The Avengers star, 53, who miraculously survived a brutal 2023 snowplow accident that shattered 38 bones and left him fighting for his life, is now being shredded online over the way his face moves in his first major role since the near-death experience.
That’s the kind of venom being hurled at Renner on social media, where haters are blasting his facial expressions in Knives Out 3 and sharing harsh close-up stills, zoomed in to mock his scars and movement.
“He looks like the crash victim version of Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky,” one user sneered. Others posted memes comparing him to horror movie characters, completely ignoring his acting — and his fight to live.
Renner’s return in Wake Up Dead Man should’ve been a triumph — a symbol of strength, survival, and grit. Instead, it’s turned into a twisted commentary on his face.
“It’s sick,” a source close to the actor said. “He’s being dragged online just for surviving. These trolls have no clue what he went through — he literally saw his own eyeball pop out. He died and came back.”
Despite being embraced by his co-stars, including Josh Brolin and Daniel Craig, and praised by director Rian Johnson for his work ethic and humor on set, Renner’s courage is being drowned out by the noise.
Rian Johnson, who directed all three Knives Out films, said the cast “embraced and supported” Renner completely.
“He was just so funny and so ready to work,” Johnson said. “Everyone rallied around him — it was beautiful to witness.”
Brolin, who plays the murder victim at the center of the mystery, was reportedly deeply moved to be working alongside his longtime friend again.
As soon as the trailer dropped, so did the trolls.
“His expressions are distracting,” one cruel post read. “Why would they cast him looking like that?”
A second insider told us: “Jeremy’s performance is strong, but fans are laser-focused on the scars and movements. It’s cruel — and completely unfair.”
On top of the trolling, Renner is still battling fallout from past drama. His former business partner accused him of harassment — claims he and his legal team have fiercely denied. But with his name back in headlines, it’s all getting dredged up again.
Yet insiders say the actor is staying locked in on his comeback.
“He’s not letting this stop him,” one source said. “He’s focused on rebuilding — not just his career, but his life. And that takes more strength than any of these keyboard warriors will ever have.”
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The trolls are disgusting. Jeremy Renner went through a lot. Give the man a break.
Exactly the guy almost died and they are making fun of the way he looks. I wonder how these trolls would feel if they were in a fire and their face was completely destroyed and people made fun of them. I don’t understand why people have to be so cruel
The poor guy almost lost his life. Don’t be so goddamn mean. Have some decency.