Oh yeah! you got good eyes, couldn't see that but now that you say it, it may contribute to that "meh" feeling about the pose. I agree that he looks a bit static and also i find the cape a little too "GW thick"
I find that the mask in the art and the one in the render both look cool ! I just wonder why they went a totally other direction with the style of it in the render but at least it still ended up looking gud