SPOILERS: BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE - 10 Awesome Easter Eggs You May Have Missed
Batman v Superman is now in theaters, but what are the best (and craziest) Easter Eggs in the movie? Well, Zack Snyder crammed a lot into this first chapter in the DCEU, and they're all awesome...
At this point, I'm pretty sure we're all fed up of talking about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's reviews, right? Instead, it's time to delve into this movie and all the ways it a) pays homage to the source material, and b) sets up the future of the DC Films Universe. The Zack Snyder helmed release obviously does both of those things in a big way, but along with world building Easter Eggs and references which only comic book fans will understand are plenty of other fun winks and nods.
So far, we've looked at the rumours which proved to be false, ranked the members of the Justice League, and even analysed the things it did and didn't do right, but here you will find a breakdown of the most awesome Easter Eggs and references you more than likely missed. Even after two viewings, I'm still not sure if I spotted "Who Watches The Watchmen?" grafitti, but I do know all of those listed below made it into Batman v Superman, and many of them may just end up surprising you...
10. Crisis On Infinite Earths
The Flash appearing to deliver an ominous message to Bruce Wayne in Batman v Superman is a nod to the Criris On Infinite Earths storyline which featured Barry doing the exact same thing, including disappearing before he could make it clear what exactly he was warning Batman about.
Zack Snyder has hinted that we'll revisit that timeline in some form in Justice League, but who or what the Dark Knight was right about remains to be seen (The Flash mentions that he's travelled too far back, so Bruce's decision to assemble a team could have changed the future).
The mention of Lois being dead and the fact that the future Scarlet Speedster is wearing armour also pays homage to the Injustice: Gods Among Us video game which also depicted a world with Batman and Superman at war.
9. "I Believe You"
Zack Snyder borrows a lot of lines from The Dark Knight Returns, but one of the coolest moments in the movie comes when Batman confronts Anatoli Knyazev.
Crashing through the wall in the exact same was as his comic book counterpart, Batman aims the gun at the villain, and the exhange you see above occurs exactly on screen as it did on the page...with one major difference. The hero doesn't shoot him in the head, instead he takes aim at the gas tank he's using and KGBeast goes up in flames!
Considering the fact that the mercenary was moments away from burning Martha Kent alive, I don't think Batman shooting the guy would have been the worst thing in the world. Regardless, this was a very fun way of paying homage to the comic books and is a sequence definitely put in for fans like us.
8. Man-Bat
During Bruce's dream about paying a visit to his mother's grave, it starts bleeding before a creature erupts from it and the hero suddenly awakens. While I initially thought that was a Parademon, take a closer look and you'll notice that it is in fact Man-Bat.
Whether this creature is supposed to represent the awful things going through the Dark Knight's mind or is an actual nightmare about one of his old foes is really up to the viewer, but it's pretty obvious that Snyder is referencing this monstrous bad guy in some way here.
Surprisingly, this is the only real nod to Batman's rogues gallery we get in the movie, though the nods to The Joker which we've already seen in the trailers did make it into the final cut. However, it will be interesting to see if that's expanded on in the Ultimate Edition.
7. Batman's Origin Story
I actually missed this on my first viewing and figured it was just Snyder offering up his own unique spin on the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne.
While the filmmaker certainly succeeds in putting his stamp on the Caped Crusader's origin during this brilliant and understated opening credits sequence, the visual of Martha's necklace being broken by the firing of the gun held by that mugger comes straight from the pages of The Dark Knight Returns. It's a shocking and memorable piece of imagery which works really well in live-action, while the dream sequence featuring Bruce being lifted into the sky by those bats is also straight from Miller's work.
While Batman v Superman isn't a direct adaptation, it's great to see Snyder pay homage to the writer/artist in so many significant ways here.
6. Mother Box
We only spend a few moments in the company of Victor Stone and his father, but the mysterious device the latter uses to cure his son definitely appears to be a mother box.
This is a slight change to the character's origin story as it's his cybernetic enhancements which usually give Vic the ability to communicate with a mother box and create Boom Tubes to transport his fellow Justice League members. However, making his body an actual mother box will give Cyborg an interesting link to Darkseid which should help make him an even more vital part of the team.
This may be a stretch, but Lex shouting "Ding, ding, ding," at the end of the movie could very well be a nod to the pinging noise mother boxes usually make, something which would make sense as he's clearly hinting at the arrival of Darkseid.
5. Heartbeat
During Superman's funeral, there's a very easy to hear "Thump, Thump, Thump," before the music kicks back in and we get that rather obvious hint that the Man of Steel most definitely isn't staying dead.
Of course, it would be easy to assume that noise is just part of Hans Zimmer's powerful Batman v Superman score, it sounds an awful lot like a heartbeat, something which would be yet another pretty major nod to The Dark Knight Returns. It was there of course that Superman heard the Caped Crusader's still beating heart after he faked his death during their battle.
While Bruce, Diana, and Lois are completely unaware of the impending return of the hero, I have no doubt Snyder included this to pay homage to the source material even if it isn't meant to be interpreted as a literal heartbeat.
4. TK-421
You may recall that J.J. Abrams and Zack Snyder embarked on a game of one-upmanship while Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Star Wars: The Force Awakens were shooting, often poking fun at each other and doing everything from attaching a Batmobile to the Millennium Falcon to having Stormtroopers arrested for stealing the Dark Knight's ride.
Well, Snyder managed to include a pretty significant nod to the Star Wars franchise in Batman v Superman as Lex Luthor's prison jumpsuit is marked with "TK-421". Not ringing any bells? Well, that was the designation of a stormtrooper stationed on the Death Star in A New Hope who had his uniform stolen by Han Solo and Luke Skywalker.
Easy to miss, this is a fun nod to a franchise that the filmmaker is clearly a pretty big fan of.
3. Darkseid
While it may have been featured in the trailers, I'm guessing that not all of you will be familiar with the logo above. That is the Omega Symbol, and Darkseid uses that to mark those he sees as vulnerable to his corruption. Could it be an indication that he's somehow corrupted Superman?
I think so, and it was likely the loss of Lois which led the Man of Steel down such a dark path. Other than Lex's comments to Batman at the end of the movie, there aren't any other major nods to this villain, though we do get to see a Parademon that looks like it just stepped out of the pages of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee's Justice League.
That too is a very cool nod to Apokalips, and I have a feeling we'll be getting much better acquainted with both them and Darkseid when the superhero ensemble is released next year.
2. Jimmy Olsen
That photographer at the beginning of the movie? It is indeed Jimmy Olsen.
Before the majority of us could start speculating that it was best pal (in the comic books at least) alongside Lois Lane, Zack Snyder actually confirmed that this was an Easter Egg in a recent interview about the movie in which he also revealed that this version of the character will get a little more screentime in the Ultimate Edition of Batman v Superman. Posing as a photographer, Batman v Superman's Jimmy was actually a CIA agent who ended up being shot in the head. However, he did at least try to protect Lois before being taken out!
An unexpected yet interesting use of a fan-favourite Superman supporting character, why Snyder couldn't find a place for Jimmy in the franchise is hard to say, but at least he made it in, eh?
1. 1938
Zack Snyder has talked a lot about wanting to modernise Superman in order to create a more interesting character for audiences to invest in (Superman Returns is what happens when a filmmaker fails to do that), but does he use Batman v Superman to make a dig at those who want an old fashioned version of the hero?
Well, Perry White's about it no longer being 1938 when Clark Kent brings up the rather old fashioned ideals of The Daily Planet being there to help people could be perceived that way, and is of course a nod to the year that the Man of Steel was created.
Interestingly, Perry also refers to Clark as "Smallville", a term of endearment in the comics which is usually used by Lois Lane. Other than that though, the Planet is unfortunately not a particularly great source for Easter Eggs!
What was your favourite Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Easter Egg? Have we missed any good ones? As always, let us know your thoughts in the usual place.