There has always been the desire to sneak hidden references into your movie as a sort of in-joke between you and certain members of your audience. With the proliferation of DVDs, these references have become even more prolific, as directors know that what might be missed the first time around will certainly be seen when the film is watched later. Here are nine hidden “Easter eggs” in DC superhero films.
1 Sneaky Bob Kane reference. In Batman, reporter Alexander Knox is being heckled by his colleagues over his reports of the mysterious Batman. Someone hands him a sketch done of a “Bat-man,” a fellow in a suit with a giant bat head. This sketch is distinctively signed by Bob Kane, original artist and cocreator of Batman.
2 A world without Batman? In the long opening sequence of Watchmen, the original Nite Owl punches out a thug in an alley where “Gotham” can be seen in the background; also clearly seen are the thug’s would-be victims, a well-to-do couple who are clearly intended to be Thomas and Martha Wayne. Their murder has been averted!
3 A reference to the original Superman in Superman Returns? No way! In Superman Returns, Bryan Singer’s ode to Richard Donner’s original Superman, Lex Luthor steals some kryptonite. The label on the kryptonite reads “1978,” which is when the first Superman film was released.
4 That sounds like it could work! In Batman and Robin, when Batman and Dick Grayson are thinking up possible names for Dick, one of the names thrown about is “Nightwing,” which is the superhero name that Dick Grayson uses in the comics today.
5 Visual reference to a prior film. In the scene where the Comedian is murdered in Watchmen, he throws his coffee cup at his assailant. It misses, but hits the number of the Comedian’s apartment. His apartment is #3001. When the cup breaks against the number, the 1 falls off, leaving just 300, an homage to director Zack Snyder’s previous film (and also a comic book adaptation), 300.
6 Strike a pose! In Superman Returns, Superman saves a woman in a car. Later on, we see the cover of the Daily Planet with a picture of the event. It is designed to look just like the cover of Action Comics #1, the first appearance of Superman (where he lifts a car).
7 Fallen foes. In Batman and Robin, Bane goes into a room to get Mister Freeze’s outfit for him so that Freeze can escape Arkham Asylum. Also hanging in the room are the outfits for the Riddler and Two-Face, the villains from the previous Batman film, Batman Forever.
8 Three generations together. In the extended version of the original Superman, we see young Clark Kent race a train. A young girl says that she sees him do it, and her mother tells “Lois” not to fib. Clearly, this is meant to be a young Lois Lane. To extend the joke even further, the actress who plays her mother is Noel Neill, who played Lois Lane in the 1950s Adventures of Superman TV series, and her father in the same scene is played by Kirk Alyn, who played Superman in the 1940s Superman film serials.
9 Keeping the tradition alive. In Superman Returns, Noel Neill once again appears, this time playing Gertrude Vanderworth. In addition, Jack Larson, who played Jimmy Olsen on the 1950s TV series, makes an appearance as a bartender in the film.