I personally like the graying hair, not sure about the earring. They just added that hair customization in, so maybe they'll pull back a little later. Has anything else changed?
Yes, his face looks a fair bit older...and generally less attractive.
This is something of a modern trend: making fictional characters (both established personalities and newcomers) look less attractive so that real-world people will "relate better". Silly, huh?
are we really going with the "woke" angle when the guy just grew a very small beard without trimming it completely?