The first three episodes of Peacemaker arrived on HBO Max today, and while the series is already crammed full of references to the wider DC Extended Universe, there's one we didn't see coming.
During an exchange between Christopher Smith (John Cena) and John Economos (Steve Agee), we learn that Bat-Mite exists in this shared world. For those of you unfamiliar with the character, he's an imp similar to Superman villain Mister Mxyzptlk who hails from the Fifth dimension. He idolises Batman and is more of a nuisance than supervillain, often lending the Dark Knight an unexpected helping hand after setting up scenarios where he can see the hero in action.
Here's the exchange between Peacemaker and Economos in the show's second episode:
Economos: I'd rather be with f***ing Bat-Mite than you.
Peacemaker: Who's Bat-Mite?
Economos: The two-foot-tall interdimensional imp who stans Batman. I'd rather be with him.
Peacemaker: That a real guy?
Economos: Yeah.
Peacemaker: What the f***'s the world coming to?
There's nothing to suggest Warner Bros. or James Gunn have any immediate plans for Bat-Mite in the DCEU, but this was an undeniably interesting Easter Egg for comic book fans.
It's widely thought The Flash will reboot this shared world Flashpoint-style, but Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad both appear to take place prior to that movie. Now, we can't help but wonder what it might have looked like for Ben Affleck's Batman to have crossed paths with this mischievous imp.