During Superman's press tour, director James Gunn previously teased a number of Easter eggs in the film and specifically mentioned that he was excited for the reveal of a mural that should have a lot of DC fans talking.
"Later on, there's an iconic scene with a huge, huge mural in the background that tells you the story of metahumans in the DCU and that's going to be really, really fun when we release those images to the public," shared Gunn at a special, pre-release UK fan event.
Of course, with Superman now playing in theaters, that specific scene has leaked online, and it's generating a ton of discussion.
Hopefully, Gunn decides to release a high-res version but until then, DC Comics experts are coming through low-res footage and stills to identify the characters in the mural.
SPOILERS FOLLOW
When Lois Lane arrives at the Hall of Justice to solicit help from the Justice Gang, we see that the building appears to be under construction. Based on the architecture style and decor, it's clear that this building has been around for a long time already, but it's just recently come under new ownership.
As Guy Gardner starts talking to Lois, the camera shows a mural high up near the atrium ceiling. It features several classic DC superheroes and could be a nod to the Justice Society of America, or perhaps an even older team. Some fans are theorizing that it could be the All-Star Squadron, not the JSA but that's up for debate.
As previously mentioned, the building appears to be pretty old, and the mural seems original to the space. It doesn’t look like a new addition, but more like something that’s been there since the building was first used.
Since James Gunn confirmed that the Justice League hasn’t formed yet in the DCU, it’s clear that another superhero team once used the Hall of Justice, one that came before Guy's motley crew of heroes.
This raises a lot of questions, like who originally owned the building, why it ended up in Maxwell Lord’s hands, and what caused this Justice Gang precursor to disband?
[CLICK THE NAMES BELOW FOR SOME SPOILERY IMAGES]
Characters in the mural that have been identified include:
Stay tuned for more updates as the mural wraps around half of the atrium and there's likely a ton more characters that never made it into frame. Chances are high that Gunn will likely share an HD image after Superman has been in theaters for a few weeks.