Okay. This one...little...thing about Miraculous has been seriously driving me crazy- mostly because I feel that there is so much evidence pointing to the fact that this theory IS correct, but there are a few hiccups that throw it off. So, I'm going to break it down the best that I can. From there, if you have a theory towards or against it, and can successfully debunk the other side, please do comment! Let's try to figure this out!
Points that lead us to believe Gabriel IS Hawkmoth
-In the origins episode, we see a silhouette of what is confirmed to be Hawkmoth, and it looks strikingly like Gabriel in body type, outfit choice, and yes- jaw shape. The silhouette of Hawkmoth doesn't even look like Hawkmoth. Does this eliminate the jaw evidence?
-Hawkmoth has a picture of Adrien's mother, which may be his motivation for gathering the miraculous'. Since Adrien's mother disappeared, this could make sense.
-Gabriel has the miraculous book in his safe, along with the actual peacock miraculous, next to a picture of Adrien's mother and a plane ticket(?). Why would he just have that? It seems too big of a coincidence.
-Hawkmoth and Gabriel both have the same wedding ring.
-In Jackady, before going through with his plan, Hawkmoth announces that "it's risky". Why would it be risky? Perhaps it's worth the risk because he can be around Ladybug and Chat Noir in his civilian form.
-In the same episode, Gabriel is very uncannily interested in Ladybug's earrings. Yes, he's a fashion designer, but...
-He also takes the time to observe Adrien's ring as Chat, and then later during their hug, when he is de-transformed. The look on his face is shocked- maybe even a little alarmed? (If he realizes Chat is his son, and he himself is Hawkmoth, what does he do now?)
-Gabriel is almost never around. Yes, he is a fashion designer, but what if part of the reason is also because he's off being EVILLLL?
-Hawkmoth has a dramatic flair that would easily align with mannerisms a fashion designer would stereotypically exercise- especially when unrestrained by societal regulations and his reputation. Think of how Adrien acts when he's Chat Noir. Less reserved.
-Hawkmoth's lair is apparently a large room with a frankly beautiful window. Something like this could likely only be afforded by someone with a lot of money, and if it is somewhere in the Agreste mansion (possibly even hidden, as we've seen it open and close), Adrien would have no real reason to suspect it.
-Both have the same body structure, as well as the same eye color.
-Hawkmoth and Gabriel have the same voice actor with little variation between the two, besides depth. Shows do occasionally use the same VA's for different people, but the fact that it just so happens to be Gabriel and Hawkmoth seems too "right on" to discount.
-In a post on Twitter, Adrien's Spanish voice actor announced a Happy Father's Day to Papillon, ending the post with "el...es mi padre", or "he is my father." Which is probably the most solid proof the fandom has, I mean, cmon.
-On the French Wikipedia, it said that Hawkmoth's identity was to be revealed in Episode 26. If that's truly the case, then this debate is over.
If I'm missing anything else, please remind me!
Points that lead us to believe Gabriel is NOT Hawkmoth (I have less of these, so please fill me in!)
-Gabriel and Hawkmoth apparently have different jaw shapes. Unless the cowl obscures it somehow to throw us off, this doesn't make sense.
-In Jackady, Gabriel would've had to do a lot of quick changing to keep up. He also almost leapt to his death. However, out of transformation, he may have had no power over the akuma- he did call this a risk.
-Where the heck is his lair? If Gabriel is Hawkmoth, how come Adrien hasn't seen it?
-Gabriel wears glasses. How does he see if he's Hawkmoth?
-This seems almost too obvious.
From what I can gather, I'm leaning towards he is Hawkmoth. What're your thoughts?
Also shout out to my main kittens over at Chat's Boot-ay~