

It gets tricky, because the character itself might be public domain, but the specific representation of the character may not be.
There’s also the issue of the fact that you may be right, but still not be able to afford to prove it.
A lawyer would obviously be able to provide more details if they knew the specifics, but it really depends on the context and what exactly is being replicated.
Looks great, I doubt anyone would know this wasn’t the intention from the start if you didn’t tell them.
I think it’s going to wear nicely and get better with time!