The internet is torn between thinking McDonald's new Hamburglar is a hunk ... or a creep

McDonald's has brought back brand mascot the Hamburglar - a character that hasn't appeared in the fast food chain's TV ads since 2002.

The brand describes the new Hamburglar as "a suburban dad" who had been living "a quiet life" until the release of the Sirloin Third Pound Burger.

Here's what the Hamburglar looked like back in his former life:

And here he is now, in a teaser video created by ad agency Leo Burnett. It looks like he's beefed up. And lost his overbite.

It's quite the transformation, and it has taken many people by surprise. It seems like consumers can't decide whether the new Hamburglar is a creepy character of nightmares - New York Magazine's Grub Street has dubbed him "a disgrace" - or kind of hot.

Ultimately, it's made people feel a little uncomfortable:

McDonald's is currently undergoing a huge transformation under new CEO Steve Easterbrook.

On revealing his new strategy designed to revive the ailing business earlier this month, Easterbrook admitted the company had made some marketing misses. That included the mistake of targeting millennials in its ads as if they are one homogeneous group. Going forward, the company will engage in "less sweeping talk of millennials as if they are one single group with shared attitudes," he said.

How the new Hamburglar fits into this new marketing approach isn't immediately clear, but it has certainly divided opinion among potential customers.