Brooklyn Beckham was branded "out of place" and a "spare part" by social media users after posing behind his wife Nicola Peltz and their friend Damian Hurley at a Halloween party in Los Angeles.
In photographs shared on Instagram, the 27-year-old eldest son of David and Victoria Beckham stood awkwardly behind Peltz, 31, and Hurley, 24, as the pair posed arm in arm at the party. While Peltz and Hurley wore matching head-to-toe leather outfits, Beckham kept his costume simple in a Superman T-shirt and large glasses.
The contrast between the outfits drew immediate attention from followers online. Peltz dressed as the comic book character Catwoman in skintight leather complete with a bullwhip, while Beckham wore a Superman costume featuring fake abs and a pair of Clark Kent spectacles.
Instagram reaction to the Halloween costumes
Commenters on the Instagram post quickly pointed out the mismatch between the trio's looks. "Bless him he looks like a spare part," one fan commented, while another user agreed, writing that "Brooklyn looks so out of place."
Others echoed the sentiment in the replies. "Brooklyn looks the odd one out," one commenter said, while another user wrote that he was "giving 3rd wheel vibe."
Several followers questioned why Peltz had coordinated her outfit with Hurley rather than her husband. "Why is she wearing a matching costume with some other guy?" one of Beckham's followers asked, while another person quipped, "Nicola & Damian = couple goals."
Another commenter pointed out that "in this situation, a Batman suit would have suited Brooklyn better." In DC Comics, the whip-carrying Gotham City character Catwoman is traditionally paired with Batman, whereas Clark Kent and his superhero alter ego Superman are based in Metropolis.
Matching leather outfits and the 1999 Beckham look
Alongside his leather outfit, Hurley also wore a Pikachu costume, dressing as the yellow mascot of the Pokemon franchise as he and Peltz celebrated Halloween.
In a coincidence noted after the party photos emerged, the head-to-toe leather outfits worn by Peltz and Hurley were almost identical to the matching leather ensembles worn by Beckham's parents, David and Victoria Beckham, in 1999, when Brooklyn was just three months old.
David Beckham, the former England football captain, and Victoria Beckham, who rose to fame in the 1990s as Posh Spice in the Spice Girls before launching her fashion label, married in July 1999 after welcoming Brooklyn in March of that year.
Brooklyn Beckham and Damian Hurley, a model and director who is the only child of English actress Elizabeth Hurley, also known as Liz Hurley, have been friends since they were children. Both men have Sir Elton John as a godfather, and a week before the Los Angeles party, Beckham, Peltz, and Hurley all attended the 64th birthday celebrations of John's husband, David Furnish, in Venice.
Seven-year anniversary tributes from Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz
The Halloween party came in the same week that Beckham and Peltz celebrated seven years together on Thursday by sharing matching posts on Instagram.
Earlier in the day, Beckham posted a public message for his wife alongside a recent photograph of himself kissing Peltz on the cheek while she clutched a red £5,390 handbag from the French luxury fashion house Chanel. The post also included a photo of two bouquets of flowers and a handwritten love letter.
"My beautiful Nicola, you mean absolutely everything to me," Beckham wrote in the caption. "You're my whole world, my best friend, and the most important person in my life. I'm so lucky I get to love you and spend forever by your side. I love you more than words can ever explain."
Peltz, an American actress known for Bates Motel and the 2014 film Transformers: Age of Extinction, shared her own Instagram tribute to her husband. "Happy anniversary my love, my best friend, my everything," she wrote.
"I can't believe it's been 7 years by your side, I wouldn't wish for it any other way. i love you with my entire soul. i adore your love letters and morning coffees with our puppies please never change. i fall harder for you everyday," Peltz added.
Backlash over social media posts and relationship timeline
Beckham's anniversary tribute prompted some social media users to call the post "over performative." Followers wrote in the comments, "From the guy who called his parents' social media posts 'performative'..." and "Another millionth declaration."
Hours later, Beckham appeared upset by the comments from his followers and shared a photograph of Peltz looking shocked. He accompanied the image with the caption, "Yeah I am obsessed with my wife. Bring on the comments, I don't care. She's perfect xx," and added a fingers-up emoji to emphasize his point.
Thursday marked the anniversary of the start of the couple's romance. After previously being introduced at the Coachella music festival in April 2017, Beckham and Peltz reconnected at a 2019 Halloween party in Los Angeles hosted by actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
The couple also celebrate several other anniversaries, including their April 2022 wedding date and their August 2025 vow renewal.
