Superman has landed in theaters, and with filmmaker James Gunn at the helm, it likely won't surprise you to learn that the movie is packed full of Easter Eggs, references, and easy-to-miss cameos.
The first DCU movie is relatively standalone (it's certainly not concerned with setting up whatever comes next), but Gunn took the opportunity to flesh out this shared world. He's also created a living, breathing DC Universe that's like the comic books come to life.
In this Easter Egg breakdown, we're not taking a deep dive into the obvious efforts like Supergirl's cameo or the post-credits scenes. Instead, we're uncovering the ways Gunn referenced the source material, fleshed out this world, and included cameos and hat tips to the source material, which were easy to miss on a first viewing.
You can check out these Superman Easter Eggs by clicking on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
8. A President Luthor Tease
Superman ends with Lex Luthor being sent to Belle Reve for his role in orchestrating Boravia's invasion of Jarhanpur. However, we'd bet on the villain eventually talking his way out of that spot of bother and returning stronger than ever.
In the comics, Luthor becomes the United States President, a story that was adapted in the Justice League animated series. The 2003 two-parter was titled "A Better World," and we see in his office that Lex's book boasts the same title.
Coincidence or a hint that Gunn intends to explore Lex's rise to power somewhere down the line? We'll have to wait and see.
7. The Mighty Crabjoys
Lois Lane scoffs when Superman suggests a lot of people love the fictional band The Mighty Crabjoys. Later, she sees that her boyfriend is among them as the group's poster hangs on the wall of his childhood bedroom.
This isn't the first mention of The Mighty Crabjoys in the DCU, though. Creature Commandos' Eric Frankenstein wore a t-shirt featuring the group when he fought The Bride during one of his many attempts to make her fall in love with him.
6. Gotham City
Superman features plenty of superheroes, but Batman is not among them. The Caped Crusader isn't referenced either, despite him being Gotham City's main protector and a longtime ally of the Man of Tomorrow on the page.
Rumours continue to swirl that Gunn plans to explore their friendship in a World's Finest movie, and this Easter Egg might be our first hint. When Metropolis is being evacuated, a road sign can be seen pointing toward Gotham City.
However, we're not sure how smart it is to seek refuge in the home of Arkham Asylum...
5. Blink-And-You'll-Miss-Them Cameos
Gunn enlisted many of his friends for minor roles in Superman, though we're guessing at least a few of them passed you by. For starters, Guardians of the Galaxy franchise vets Michael Rooker and Pom Klementieff voiced Superman Robots in the Fortress of Solitude.
However, our favourite of these came when Lex Luthor's girlfriend, Eve Teschmacher, is locked up in the villain's pocket universe prison.
The Raptor guard (who says, "Sending sexy selfies behind the back of Lex Luthor? She has to be the biggest idiot in the world" ) is played by none other than Smallville star and former Lex, Michael Rosenbaum!
4. Some Familiar Companies
Metropolis is laden with DC Comics Easter Eggs, including adverts for Big Belly Burger (the DC Universe's McDonald's equivalent), Jitters (which we're sure The Flash fans among you will remember), and Chocos (Martian Manhunter's favourite Oreo-inspired snack).
When the world learns why Superman was really sent to Earth by his Kryptonian parents, the hero takes refuge in Stagg Industries. That's apparent foreshadowing for Metamorpho's introduction, as the mother of his child, Joey, is Simon Stagg's daughter, Sapphire.
She certainly doesn't look like the son of a billionaire, though, so it's possible Gunn decided to ditch that bit of comic book lore.
3. Will Reeve
We've known for a while that Will Reeve, the son of Superman: The Movie star Christopher Reeve, would make an appearance in Superman.
For those of you who missed it, it comes when he's shown as the report on scene for GBS News while the Man of Tomorrow is attempting to stop the rampaging Kaiju that's been unleashed on Metropolis by Lex Luthor.
Reeve, who is an ABC News correspondent in real life, recently said, "I think I am very deliberate about living my own life, making my own decisions, knowing that if I make the right decision, it will honor my parents, and I think that it was the right decision to do this in a way, to honor my parents."
2. Secretary Crawley
One of Superman's biggest surprises (that's extremely easy to miss) comes when Tinashe Kajese returns as The Suicide Squad's Florence "Flo" Crawley. In that movie, she worked for A.R.G.U.S. as a mission coordinator for Task Force X and was Amanda Waller's aide.
She betrayed Waller to help the team take down Starro, and was M.I.A. in Peacemaker season 1. Clearly, she's moved up in the world as we meet her as Secretary Crawley in Superman.
We find her among those Lex is trying to talk into enlisting Planetwatch to take down Superman. She doesn't seem overly convinced by the billionaire, while he seems similarly unimpressed by the bureaucrat standing in his way.
1. The Justice Society
In the Hall of Justice, a mural can be seen depicting famous Metahumans from the past. It's hard to get a proper look at them, but most appear to be World War II-era superheroes, the Justice Society.
There's Jay Garrick/The Flash, Wesley Dodds/Sandman, Ted Grant/Wildcat, Gardner Grayle/Atomic Knight, Jon Valor/Black Pirate, Dominic Mndawe/Freedom Beast, Brian Kent/Silent Knight, Amethyst, and Paco Ramone/Vibe.
Metahumans have existed for three hundred years in the DCU, meaning there's a lot of history for Gunn to explore in this shared world moving forward.