i tried to get a likeness of your pallette without making him look washed out. he probably wont ever be, but if he was ever in a game he would seem to be one with the bg with that look.
hooray for alternative pallettes
edit: just got your post, tophat seems like a capital idea!
I don't know, it looks to me kind of like he could be keeping the sun out of his eyes. I think it'd look amazing if you did a version with dramatic lighting where he's doing just that.