A Need for Speed Unbound player was surprised to find themselves face to face with Johnny Silverhand of Cyberpunk 2077 while customizing their character. Though it was a complete accident on the player's part, the similarities to the famous character are uncanny.
Johnny Silverhand has appeared in both Cyberpunk 2077 and the tabletop role playing game that inspired it. He debuted in the original TTRPG, Cyberpunk 2020, released in 1988. Johnny was an ex-soldier who later became a famous rocker and anti-establishment folk hero. Later, in an expansion to Cyberpunk 2022, the character was assassinated. In CD Projekt Red's sequel, Cyberpunk 2077, Johnny makes a return, albeit in the form of a digital spirit haunting the player character.
Now Johnny Silverhand appears to have broken the fourth wall, accidentally making his way into Need for Speed Underground, at least for one fan. Reddit user 3F4Tom posted an image of their character customization screen, where it appears they've stumbled upon a model that looks strikingly like Silverhand. In Cyberpunk 2077 Johnny Silverhand is played by Keanu Reeves, the ever-winsome Hollywood star known for John Wick and The Matrix, among others. 3F4Tom's character model nails the Reeves version of Silverhand, down to the long, black hair, beard and aviator-style sunglasses.
Several commenters noted that Johnny Silverhand/Keanu Reeves wasn't the only famous personality the character model resembled. Users pointed out the surprising similarities to popular YouTube content creator Wendigoon. Wendigoon mostly creates videos discussing conspiracy theories and folklore from around the world and has over 2 million followers. If comparing the Need for Speed Unbound character beside both Silverhand and Wendigoon, fans would be hard-pressed to determine who bears the closer resemblance.
Keanu Reeves portraying Silverhand was a big deal, and fans were excited to see the star make the move into the gaming world. Reeves is considered one of the most likable stars in Hollywood, and to this day, his presence in Cyberpunk 2077 remains somewhat of a novelty, as the excitement around this happy accident proves. His role helped bridge a still-present gap between film and video games, though that's a divide that is growing smaller, as more celebrities like Reeves are dipping their toes in the industry.
His iteration of Johnny has been the subject of much adoration and fan art, and he'll likely continue to inspire such creations for some time, especially since Keanu Reeves will be returning in the Phantom Liberty DLC. Until then, fans will just have to wait and see where the character accidentally pops up next.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.