It’s one thing to tease various nods and winks in a hero’s own film. But as it turns out, the Batman is branching out. Hints and teases about his world are hidden not just in his own movies, but in the broader DC and Justice League cinematic universe as well.
After rummaging through a few super-cool facts about the Dark Knight, we put our detective skills to the test to find the best Batman Easter Eggs hidden throughout the Batman timeline and his fellow DC movies…
1. The Joker AKA Jack Napier
Movie: Batman
Here’s a cool Batman movie connection! The name ‘Jack Napier’ which was given to The Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman was simply invented for the movie. Wanna know why? Turns out, in the Adam West Batman series, Alfred was played by one Alan Napier.
2. Little Shop of Horrors Connection
Movie: Batman
Sure, this isn’t a DC movie but we had to feature the awesome little nod within it. It’s an open secret that props are reused all the time when making movies in Hollywood. You probably didn’t notice that the tools used to fix the Joker’s face in Tim Burtons’ Batman were the same as those used by Steve Martin on a dental patient in Little Shop of Horrors.
3. Catwoman Foreshadowing
Movie: Batman Returns
Selina Kyle’s future as Catwoman was cleverly teased early on in Batman Returns. When she’s working on some paperwork at her desk, the shadows on her eyes look a lot like the mask she wears as Catwoman later on in the movie.
4. How about Nightwing?
Movie: Batman Forever
Batman Forever wasn’t the best of the movie series, but it wasn’t all bad. As Dick Grayson drops ideas for his sidekick identity to the Crusader, one in particular might ring a bell: Nightwing. Grayson historically adopted this name after growing up and desiring a career independent from Batman. He became the masked protector of the rotten whaling town of Bludhaven.
5. Riddle Me This
Movie: Batman Forever
During his campaign across Gotham in Batman Forever, the Riddler leaves his trademark clues via products of the Crisscross Puzzle Company. This was the Riddler’s chosen method of sharing his riddles when he first appeared on the scene back in the 1940’s, before he decided on a more bespoke method of exposure.
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6. Arkham’s Broader Residency
Movie: Batman & Robin
When Bane breaks into Arkham Asylum to retrieve Mr. Freeze’s cryo-suit in Batman & Robin, he passes by a few familiar accessories belonging to Batman’s villains – Riddler’s green question-mark attire and most prominently, Two-Face’s two-tone suit. We also briefly spot a clock – is this the Clock King or the Toyman?
7. The Joker Card
Movie: Batman Begins
Many would have noticed this rather-obvious Easter Egg. The Joker’s arrival in The Dark Knight was actually teased at the end of Batman Begins when Batman is handed an evidence bag by Jim Gordon. In it is a Joker playing card and on the label writes “J. Kerr”. This clearly refers to Joe/Joseph Kerr which is an infamous alias the Joker uses in the comics.
8. Zsasz On The Loose
Movie: Batman Begins
Sociopathic serial killer, Victor Zsasz makes a cameo in Batman Begins as one of the Falcone thugs that get sent to Arkham and later get freed by Ra’s al Ghul. Although his bald head is easy to hide, the three 5 tally scars on his neck are not. Zsasz’s signature feature has always been the scars he marks on his body for every kill he makes.
9. Two-Face’s Origins
Movie: The Dark Knight
Harvey Dent’s fateful transformation into Two-Face is a little different from the comics, who was scarred by acid rather than burned. But Nolan, attentive as ever, still gives us a tease. When Harvey is questioning one of Sal Maroni’s thugs in The Dark Knight, he pulls a gun and almost misses Harvey – a signal nod to how Sal classically threw a vial of acid in Harvey’s face during the former’s trial.
10. Dancing with the Devil in the Pale Moonlight
Movie: The Dark Knight
The Joker’s gatecrashing of a Gotham gala in The Dark Knight could be a visual nod to a calling phrase from the 1989 Batman movie. “Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?” is a question he asks the Bat, and at the gala he has a reveler dance with him, a demon of chaos.
11. Homage to Cesar Romero’s Joker
Movie: The Dark Knight
Yes, another Joker Easter Egg in The Dark Knight. Remember the clown mask Heath Ledger wears at the start of the movie? Well, look closely and you’ll notice that it’s the same one Cesar Romero’s Joker wore back in 1966!
12. Catwoman’s Appearance Teased
Movie: The Dark Knight
Indeed, Catwoman’s appearance in The Dark Knight Rises was teased in The Dark Knight when Bruce asks Lucius Fox to improve his Batsuit against more dog attacks. Lucius’ reply? His costume might not defend him against dogs but it “Should do fine against cats.”
13. Clayface Reference
Movie: The Dark Knight Rises
Was this a nod of things to come? It seems master of disguise, Clayface may appear one day. We can guess this as Roland Daggett (the chairman of the company that makes the chemical Basil Karlo would be exposed to) is presented as a chief rival to Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight Rises.
14. Shakespeare Bust
Movie: The Dark Knight Rises
An old house like Wayne Manor is unsurprisingly filled with historic artifacts. But when John Blacke meets Bruce in The Dark Knight Rises, he misses a couple – a bright red object and a bronze bust of William Shakespeare. The bust as well as a bright red telephone were iconic props from the Adam West TV show – Commissioner Gordon’s hotline and the secret entrance into the Batcave, respectively.
15. A Killer Croc Reference
Movie: The Dark Knight Rises
It might not be wise to scoff at the prospect of alligators in the sewers of Gotham City, as John Blake did to Commissioner Gordon’s story about something going on down below. Veteran Gothamites might know that the city’s sewers are home to one crocodilian in particular – the mutant cannibal, Killer Croc. Was John playing with fire? Or rather, teeth?
16. Robins and Rogues
Movie: The Dark Knight Rises
The Gotham Rogues match in The Dark Knight Rises had some terrible bad luck when Bane came to town. Though there is something off about their “R” brand – a letter that looks a lot like the “R” for Robin as worn by Tim Drake, the third Robin.
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17. The Old DC Comics Logo
Movie: The Dark Knight Rises
An awesome callback to Detective Comics was difficult to spot during a particular moment in The Dark Knight Rises. Eagle-eyed viewers would have noticed that the original DC Comics logo was marked on the radios used by Gotham Police. Cool!
18. The Joker’s Cameo
Movie: The Dark Knight Rises
The list of Dark Knight Easter Eggs could go on all day. Last but not least, Heath Ledger’s role as The Joker was given a small tribute in The Dark Knight Rises. His eerie face was spotted on a magazine cover next to Bruce Wayne to suggest that although Ledger was gone, The Joker was still alive, causing trouble elsewhere. Ranked as the best Joker of all time, there’s no surprise the movie chose to give him a slight tribute.
19. Keep Calm and Call Batman
Movie: Man of Steel
During Superman’s intense battle with General Zod in Man of Steel, he zips past a rather humorous poster that says “Keep Calm and Call Batman.” Memes aside, this gave audiences an early glimpse that Batman had been operating for years, and likely a sign of things to come.
20. Knightmare and The Joker
Movie: Batman v Superman
Look closely at Batman’s gun during his “Knightmare” dream sequence in Batman v Superman and taped to it appears to be a playing card, a likely wink to our favorite murder-clown and whatever storied history the DCEU has planned for him beyond what we’ve seen in Suicide Squad.
21. Nod to Detective Comics #602
Movie: Batman v Superman
Batman poses a lot. It’s one of his better features, but standing on top of the Grim Reaper gargoyle is another of our hidden Easter-eggs. Namely as a nod to Detective Comics #602 in which the Caped Crusader faces off against the KGBeast, who appeared as a mercenary under Luthor in Dawn of Justice.
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22. A Storied Wardrobe
Movie: The Lego Batman Movie
As Batman explores his massive suit wardrobe in The Lego Batman Movie, it’s not just silly variants like “Vacation Bat” that are stored within. A few nods to broader mythology are in there too such as the Batman Beyond variant, the Winged Armageddon, and a Nightwing suit Dick Grayson picks up and adopts. Perhaps half a dozen varieties of the classic suit, too.
23. Sionis in the Skyline
Movie: Justice League
DC movies are no stranger to shots of the Gotham Skyline. But when we observe the city in Justice League, one name is almost shadowed by Wayne Enterprises as Batman breaks an Apokolips soldier: Janus Cosmetics, the cosmetics manufacturer that is subsidiary to Sionis Industries. Comic fans will better know the company’s chairman, Roman Sionis, as the sinister Black Mask, who’s the rumored villain in the upcoming Gotham City Sirens film.
24. ACE Chemicals Calling
Movie: Justice League
When the Bat-signal shines high in the sky to assemble the Justice League, another signal shines much lower to the ground – the three-letter neon sign for ACE chemicals. Possibly the most infamous company as the place where the Joker was born.
25. Wind-Up Penguins and the Good old Days
Movie: Justice League
Here’s yet another Justice League moment that references the original Batman movies. As Bruce and Alfred contemplate how the world has changed since the days when Batman started out, they joke about how much things have changed from the days of “exploding wind-up penguins”. Not just any penguins though, a likely nod to the avian time bombs the Penguin likes to use and did in Tim Burton’s Batman series.
26. Batman Original Theme
Movie: Justice League
One of the cooler Justice League Easter Eggs. Listen closely during a particular scene and you might hear the motifs to the iconic soundtrack composed by Danny Elfman for the 1989 Batman. Out of all of the Batman themes, this one is a close second to that all-round classic: “Na-na-na-na-na-na-Bat-Man!” Keep an ear out during the scene when Batman appears atop the Gotham police station before meeting Jim Gordon.
27. Young Bruce Wayne
Movie: Joker
Although not difficult to miss, it was still a cool nod to our favorite superhero. Out of the many Easter Eggs in Joker, we got a little glimpse of a young Bruce Wayne outside his parents’ mansion. It was even better seeing him come face to face with The Joker, long before their infamous history of battles was to ensue. Bonus Easter Egg? A young Alfred Pennyworth also showed up in the Clown Prince of Crime’s movie!
28. Catwoman’s Scratch
Movie: The Batman
Selina Kyle may not completely don the Catwoman costume, but one thing she does have are those kitty claws! When she attacks Falcone after discovering he killed her friend, Selina whips out her nails and scratches the villain across his face. This is a direct callback to Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One comic.
29. Robin, is That You?
Movie: The Batman
Oh, would it have been great if a little cameo from Robin were to have appeared in The Batman…Well, he kinda did! In this Easter Egg, one member of the gang that Batman beats at the start of the movie is Jay Lycurgo, who plays Tim Drake (the third Robin) in the popular series Titans!
30. The Riddler’s Cards
Movie: The Batman
These sneaky little Easter Eggs were a treat for die-hard fans! If you examined the Riddler’s cards addressed to Batman closely, you’d have noticed that they feature subtle nods to other comic book villains in his rogues gallery. The first greeting card shows an owl, alluding to the Court of Owls; the second shows a bald doctor, alluding to Hugo Strange; and another card shows a girl with red hair which is none other than Poison Ivy. Awesome!
When you’re a natural at hiding in the shadows like the Dark Knight is, you won’t always be spotted. We’ve done what we can but are there any other Easter Eggs in Batman-related movies you spotted that we left out? Let us know in the comments…
Want to see more hidden references in the DC universe? Check out our list of Aquaman Easter Eggs and tell us how many you spotted!
One Response
Jack Nicholson’s Joker was named Jack Napier not because of the TVs Alfred but rather as a play on the word jackanape.