The Batman arrived in theaters earlier this month, and by now, we're sure you've delved into the movie on at least one occasion. Warner Bros. has delivered something special with this take on the World's Greatest Detective, and the stage has been set for the story to continue both on the big screen and the small one (courtesy of WarnerMedia's HBO Max streaming service).
Now, we're taking a deep dive into this DC Comics adaptation to bring you a rundown of the movie's biggest Easter Eggs, references, and cameos. Some of these were all too easy to miss, and this feature also breaks down how they flesh out this Gotham City and tease future stories in this world.
From a possible reference to Bane to comic book inspiration and even an intriguing hint about the sequel's big bad, there's a lot to delve into here. However, if you still haven't watched The Batman (why not?), then it should go without saying that spoilers do follow from this point on.
To take a look through The Batman's best Easter Eggs, simply click on the "Next" button below!
10. What Happened To Wayne Manor?
The Batman's iteration of Bruce Wayne differs from his predecessors by living right in the heart of Gotham City in a tower. While its interior retains the sort of imagery you'd expect from Wayne Manor, it's very much its own thing and the Batcave is now housed in an abandoned subway.
For those of you hoping the sequel might follow Bruce as he returns to his ancestral home, the movie actually reveals that the house is now a far cry from the one we know from the comic books.
Likely in an effort to distance themselves from the tragedies that occurred in Wayne Manor, Thomas and Martha Wayne transformed the mansion into the orphanage that young Edward Nashton eventually called home. When Batman and Jim Gordon visit it in the present day, we see that the building has fallen into disrepair and is now inhabited by Gotham's dropheads.
9. Venom
The Batman heads down an action-packed route during its final act and sees the Caped Crusader pitted against a group of fanatical Riddler wannabes who start trying to gun down Gotham's citizens. The hero finds himself outnumbered and outgunned, and is shot at point-blank range.
With one of The Riddler's followers attempting to kill Catwoman, Batman retrieves a vile from his Batsuit that houses a neon green chemical concoction. With that, the Dark Knight basically "Hulks Out" and leaps back into action, delivering vicious blow after vicious blow to the criminal before he's stopped. It could be adrenaline, but given Batman's reaction, we'd bet on it being Venom.
Before it became the chemical that powers supervillain Bane, Venom was introduced in a comic book storyline by Dennis O'Neil and Trevor von Eeden revealing that, early in his career, Batman used the experimental drug to become stronger and faster. Unfortunately, he soon developed an addiction and stopped using it. Now, we can potentially expect this franchise to head down a similar route.
8. Hush
There are lots of different villains filmmaker Matt Reeves could choose to focus on when The Batman's sequel rolls around, but it appears the stage is definitely being set for Hush's big screen debut.
When The Riddler reveals that Thomas Wayne was linked to the murder of a journalist called Edward Elliot, the word "Hush" flashes across the screen and the insinuation is clear. Despite this being a departure from the comic books, it's not hard to put 2+2 together and come to the conclusion that Edward could have a son who might want to take aim at Bruce Wayne and Batman now.
On the page, Tommy Elliot was a childhood friend of Bruce's who attempted to kill his parents for their fortune. When Thomas saved his mother, his resentment for his old pal led to Tommy becoming Hush and teaming with The Riddler to destroy Batman. A film version could be inspired by what Edward Nashton did and look to pick up where he left off, all while making things more personal.
7. Zero Year
Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman run took us to the hero's "Year Zero" in Gotham and established The Riddler as the city's first major supervillain. By defeating him, Bruce Wayne - who rides a cobbled together motorbike and wears a "homemade" Batsuit not all that different to the one we see in The Batman - the Caped Crusader is able to become the symbol of hope his home needs.
Sounds familiar, right? This storyline was clearly a big inspiration for Matt Reeves, and The Riddler's plan to flood Gotham was also pulled from this particular arc. In the comic books, he cuts power to the city and blows up the reservoir (oh, and he unleashes a superstorm, of sorts, as well).
While this movie took a slightly more grounded approach and didn't turn Gotham into a post-apocalyptic wasteland, the city is in a bad way by the time all is said and done. It's unclear whether The Batman's sequel will pick up right where this movie ends, but we'd bet on it jumping ahead a little.
6. Familiar Names (Sort Of)
There are a few familiar names in The Batman that are definitely easy to miss. While he only appears from a distance in news footage, those of you who know the comic books will be aware of Sal Maroni's significance. Introduced in the pages of Detective Comics #66 alongside Two-Face, he was actually the one responsible for throwing the acid in Harvey Dent's face.
This next batch of characters have different names, but seem to be based on specific supporting players from the source material. Commissioner Pete Savage, for example, appears to be a stand-in for Commissioner Loeb from Year One. Annika Koslov, meanwhile, could be a fresh take on Holly Robinson, someone who has a similar relationship to Selina Kyle in the comics.
Max and Charlie Carver twins are almost certainly a grounded take on Tweedledee and Tweedledum, two characters most commonly associated with the villainous Mad Hatter! In The Batman, they've become The Penguin's henchman, and we're sure this isn't the last we've seen of them.
5. Arkham
The Court of Owls don't appear in The Batman, but The Riddler still reveals plenty of Gotham City's secrets. Among them is the fact that Martha Wayne was originally an Arkham and that mental health problems run in her family; in fact, she herself ended up a patient in Arkham State Hospital at one point!
It feels a lot like Matt Reeves was looking to hint that Bruce might not exactly be all that stable (he does dress up as a bat to fight crime as a vigilante), but this Earth One approach to Martha is definitely interesting. In the regular DC Universe, she's a Kane, but was an Arkham in that alternate reality.
It appears Arkham Asylum is going to be a key part of this franchise moving forward, and Reeves has already talked about exploring that iconic location in a spinoff TV series on HBO Max. However, our biggest clue about the hospital's future comes our way courtesy of a major cameo appearance...
4. The Joker
Bested by Batman and trapped within the confines of Arkham, things don't look good for The Riddler by the end of the movie. However, he finds an unexpected new friend in the cell next to his.
Yes, that's The Joker. Played by Eternals star Barry Keoghan, this take on the Harlequin of Hate has yet to embrace his persona as the Clown Prince of Crime. Captured by the Caped Crusader during his first year in Gotham City, this Joker has a congenital condition that's left him with a permanent smile; now, the stage is set for him to escape and become "The Joker" from the comic books.
Based on comments from Matt Reeves and the grounded take on this villain, we'll likely get a cross between the criminal Joker and one who sets out to kill as many people as possible. A running theme in the comics has been the fact Batman's presence in Gotham City has contributed to the rise of costumed menaces, and the rise of The Joker would be the perfect way to explore that.
3. Batman's "No Guns" Rule
A real sticking point for many fans in Zack Snyder's DC movies was the fact Ben Affleck's Batman frequently used guns. While his comic book counterpart has done the same over the years, the Dark Knight has typically been portrayed as having a strict "no guns" policy while fighting crime.
Thankfully, that makes it into The Batman. Robert Pattinson's Caped Crusader doesn't like the use of firearms and, crucially, also has a "no killing" rule that previous iterations of the character on screen have not. This take on the hero doesn't kill anyone, and what a relief it is to see that here.
The most direct reference to the hero's hatred of guns comes when Batman and Gordon head to the old Wayne Manor. "No guns," he tells the Lieutenant who replies, "that’s your thing, man."
2. Batman's Journal
While it's only really at the beginning and end of the movie, The Batman still marks the first time we actually get to hear the hero's inner monologue. It provides some unique insights into his approach to fighting crime, and we soon learn that what we're hearing are actually Batman's journal entries.
What you may not realise is that this has a basis in the comic books. Grant Morrison was first to tackle the idea by introducing a Black Casebook used to revisit many Silver Age concepts that had actually been categorized as "unsolved cases" by the World's Greatest Detective.
We don't expect it to be used the same way over the course of this franchise, but it would definitely be good to see the idea revisited in the sequel, especially if it offers more insights into Bruce Wayne's mission. After all, we see these journals are all part of his mission to save the city he calls home.
1. Blüdhaven
By the time the movie ends, Batman and Catwoman reluctantly part ways after the Dark Knight declines her offer to head to Blüdhaven and rip off some rich businessmen.
In the comic books, Blüdhaven is to Gotham City what Jersey City would be to New York City. It's a corrupt place, and one that's been protected by a number of superheroes. Most famous among them, however, is Dick Grayson, a character better known to many of you as Robin and Nightwing.
Unfortunately, we can't imagine Catwoman crossing paths with Nightwing just yet as that wouldn't make sense without him becoming Robin first. Of course, it's certainly possible we'll see Batman leave Gotham and encounter the young man who will one day be his sidekick while he visits Blüdhaven.