Last week saw Robert Pattinson donning the iconic cape and cowl of Gotham’s crusader, in a new adaption of the Batman franchise. So far, the Matt Reeves directed movie has garnered rave reviews from critics and fans alike. In case you didn’t notice, the three-hour-long movie was riddled with a ton of references from DC comics, hinting at potential sequels. We’ve taken the liberty to decipher the top 7 easter eggs which may have flown under the radar. Needless to say, spoiler alert!
7) The Long Halloween
The majority of the first half of the movie takes place on the night of Halloween. This is a homage to the iconic The Long Halloween miniseries by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, which tells the story of gruesome murders taking place in Gotham. Although the main plot of The Batman, is vastly different from the comic books, it does take many inspirations from it. For instance, the friendship between Thomas Wayne and Carmine Falcone was heavily explored in Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s work.
6) Martha Arkham
While Snyder’s Batman vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice, put the “Martha” name in the spotlight, it was Reeves’s The Batman who canonically integrated it in a more subtle way. Through the course of the movie, we learn that Martha Wayne’s maiden was Arkham, one of the founding families of Gotham, and also the founder of Arkham Asylum, home of Batman’s rogue gallery. This is a nod to Batman: Earth One, which reimagines Batman in a modern world. In the same series, Thomas Wayne is also running for the Mayor’s office and is killed under mysterious circumstances.
5) The Mask of Zorro
During a scene in a movie, Collin Farrell’s Penguin refers to Batman as “Zorro”. While in the context of the movie, he might have been referring to the Dark Knight’s cape and cowl, it is also a subtle nod to a very important easter egg of the movie. On the night of Thomas and Martha Wayne’s murder, the couple, along with Burce were coming out of a showing of The Mask of Zorro.
4) The Iceberg Lounge
This is not-so-subtle reference is taken straight out of the Batman comics, first appearing in Detective Comics in 1995. In the movie, this is the lair of choice for both Penguin and Carmine Falcone, who conduct most of their “business” holed-up in the lounge. The club has also appeared in the Arkham City game.
3) Hush
While The Batman puts Riddler in focus as the main bad guy of the movie, there’s also a subtle reference to one of Batman’s most famous adversaries. The reporter investigating Wayne’s past is named Edward Elliott, which would be a possible reference to Tommy Elliott aka Hush. Yet another nod to the villain is when the words “Hush money” flash up on Riddler’s computer. Could Reeves be teasing a possible sequel with this? Maybe.
2) Bane’s venom
Our eagle-eyed readers may have spotted this reference. During the climactic scene between Batman and Riddler’s followers, the Dark Knight gets shot by a shotgun at a close range. However, as soon as he sees the rogues overpowering Kravitz’s Catwoman, he quickly injects himself with a green serum, which lets him get up on his feet and save Selina’s life. While it is likely the green serum could just be a shot of adrenaline, the green coloured liquid does remind us of a certain Batman villain.
1) Court of Owls
Yet another blink-and-miss easter egg is shown on the very first greeting cards addressed to Batman by the Riddler. It features an owl, which could be an ode to the sinister ‘Court of Owls’ group, pulling the strings in Gotham behind the scenes. The Court of Owls group is one of Batman’s most iconic adversaries, who haven’t made their debut in a live-action movie adaption so far.
