If there's one thing Marvel Studios has become renown for, it's their penchant for inserting a plethora of comic book references into their films; known by fans as Easter eggs. In the recently released
Iron Man 2, the filmmakers have kicked it up a notch. The major references were blatantly obvious: Captain America's shield, Thor's hammer and an Incredible Hulk news report. It takes a sharp-eyed moviegoer to spot the minor ones; including references to comic characters Black Panther and Namor the Sub-Mariner.
But there was
one nod to fans that was shown so quickly, it was very easy to miss. During the Monaco Grad Prix race, Justin Hammer is being interviews by reporter Christine Everheart when they notice Tony Stark on the race track. While they watched Tony jump into the Stark Industries sponsored car, a brief announcement on the screen caught my eye. Take a look at this screencap and see if you notice it:
[Click on the image to enlarge]
Did director Jon Favreau intentionally name the #2 slotted British race car driver 'Chapman'? If he did, it's undoubtedly referencing Joey Chapman, the third super spy to don the mantle of Union Jack. Coincidentally, Chapman operates in modern Marvel continuity and has worked alongside Tony Stark several times. Could this be an allusion that one of the World War II era Union Jacks (Montgomery and Brian Falsworth) may appear in next year's
Captain America: The First Avenger movie? I'd like to think so.