Have you seen The Batman yet? If so, buckle up and enjoy cracking these Easter Eggs from The Batman. If you still haven’t made it to the theater yet, well…seriously, the hell is your problem?! Where this movie belongs in the Pantheon of comic book movies is subjective. If this rendition of the masked vigilante kicks Nolan’s The Dark Knight out of the stop spot for anything DC and WB has offered, is less subjective.
However, the love for easter eggs is nothing but objective. It takes a master’s touch to hide a hint, reveals a clue, and give some love to where it is due in the middle of a film. They could numbers on a license plate or address, advertising in the movie, or some phrase said to make fans go, “Get out!” (Like calling Batman someone who thinks he’s Zorro. It’s been done before. And it was done here. It’s still great to hear someone understand how the character came to us in the first place.
Here are the Top 10 Easter Eggs from The Batman, and trust if you go on a hunt of your own, there are at least 30 more in the film. Genius scripting and direction. This will challenge what trivia you know about The Batman, and maybe educate you on a few things that you did not.
WARNING: If you missed any Easter Eggs from The Batman because you haven’t seen it yet, please bookmark this and come back later. There are plenty of spoilers, so look out below!
One of the Easter Eggs from The Batman That was Over Easy
For more than two years, this nerd journalist has been saying to anyone who listens that there is one villain who poses a particular threat to Bruce Wayne and is easily his most underrated foe. Aside from hollering on nerd forums wherever I could, I took to the geek culture blogosphere in September 2020 to chronicle my grievances — Dr. Thomas Elliott. Later in his life, he goes by the name “Hush.”
Way back when we first saw the teaser for The Batman, Riddler’s get-up reminded me of Thomas Elliott. He was a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne who grew up to hate the billionaire’s son with vehement passion. Sadly, Elliott’s back story is much different than Wayne’s. It involves child abuse, having been suspected to have killed his alcoholic father, being hospitalized for egregious anger issues, and memorizing war strategy and Aristotelean philosophy just to fight.
Just look at the guy in the award-winning graphic novel by Jeph Loeb, Scott Williams, and the great Jim Lee. At first glimpse, can you blame me and a few others for believing that could have been Hush?! So, I wrote:
In The Batman, Gotham is corrupt. Leaders can’t be trusted. And even the Caped Crusader is still unknown as we are in only “year two” of working with the man in the shadows. In Hush, we learn it’s the Riddler who tells Hush Wayne’s superhero identity. If Paul Dano’s Riddler is behind this master manipulator and sadist, what a massive payoff that would be.
Until then, hush! We’re not saying a word. But watch the trailer again and you hear “You’re a part of this…you’ll see.” Well, that’s how. He’s been involved with this “secret friend” since childhood.
Just maybe that was a big Easter Egg right there. In fact, since The Batman takes these trips down memory lane, the Elliott family means more than you think. Edward Elliot is Thomas’ Great-Great-Grandfather and is credited as being someone who helped construct Gotham City. Thomas became a magnificent neurosurgeon in Philadelphia but eventually came back home to plot against Bruce Wayne with…The Riddler.
And, if that doesn’t sell it to you, then this sure will: If you were brave enough to watch The Batman until the very end, you have already visited the URL. If you got the riddles correct, you saw this picture of Thomas Wayne running for Mayor, and then “HUSH” is splashed all over his face. And if you think that’s an accident, you just don’t know bat-ess about DC’s Dark Knight. He’s coming. But “Hush,” don’t let it get around.
10. The Familiar Arkham Prisoner
Let’s get one of the elephantine Easter Eggs of The Batman back in the basket–we know damn well who that was comforting Riddler. A friend encourages him with “One day you’re on top, the next you’re a clown,” Riddler supplicates, and they both share a hearty laugh. Then, we see it–one eye, messy hair, and a quirky mouth. Yes, Barry Keoghan is the new Joker–right out of Eternals (Druig) and into Arkham Prison. Two comic universes in less than 12 months make for one unfortunate guy.
And, as much as we wanted the surprise to be Joaquin Phoenix, it’s not. But ask yourself, as mesmerizing as The Batman was, do you really want to begin doubting Matt Reeves now?
9. Those Hallmark Cards
Each time “To the Batman” makes an appearance, take a moment to look at the card a little more carefully. If you do, you may not miss a few easter eggs of The Batman–they are a glimpse of a notable Rogues’ Gallery. We have Card One with an owl, as in the Court of Owls. Then, Card Two shows a bald doctor with Coke bottle glasses, as in Hugo Strange, or a more accurate reading from a minor Rogue named…”Cypher.” (How genius and surreptitious is that?) The next one is obvious as it features a redheaded girl with Texas hair wrapped in flowers, as in Poison Ivy. Another card shows a nice drawing of a ventriloquist’s doll, as in Scarface who uses a puppet.
8. Baddies on Film
If you were watching The Batman, you noticed a snoot full of Riddler on those pirated or leaked videos. The Riddler was convincing and eerie in his videos speaking to the public about the downfall of Gotham’s civilization. He commanded the crowd and spoke directly to the law-enforcing elite about his plans.
Did it remind you of anything? It should have. Seeing how Matt Reeves’ vision of the Caped Crusader was already being compared to the Nolanverse, it is customary to tip his cap. And if you look at the image, you will see what the tip was — both baddies, both pirated videos, both creepy as hell. Brilliant.
7. Number Se7en
Matt Reeves is many things. Above all, he’s a true cinephile and a loyal fan of the subject matter. He has stated repeatedly his vision of The Riddler was inspired by the real-life case of the Zodiac Killer. It petrified the Bay Area in the 1960s and 1970s and still remains unsolved. It inspired the cerebral David Fincher, who has screwed with our minds with instant classics like Gone Girl, Se7en, and Fight Club. He gave Matt Reeves his juice with the 2007 crime saga Zodiac. One day, Reeves told MovieMaker magazine:
“The premise of the movie is that the Riddler is kind of molded in an almost Zodiac Killer sort of mode, and is killing very prominent figures in Gotham. And they are the pillars of society.”
In another show of love for David Fincher’s extraordinary mind, Reeves told Den of Geek:
“When you look at the Zodiac Killer, who was leaving all of these ciphers and puzzles and taunting the police and the newspapers, I thought, ‘That sounds like the Riddler!’ [Zodiac] made a costume that, frankly, isn’t so different from Batman. You have a guy who basically went around in a black hood, dressed in black, with an insignia on his chest. And it was utterly terrifying to think that somebody did that. And I thought, well, maybe there’s an iteration of the Riddler that does that.”
6. A Long (But Revealing) Halloween
When the movie begins, we hear heavy breathing and get a first-person view of some kid dressed like a ninja playing with his dad. Of course, that will be The Riddler (Paul Dano) spying on his first victim. That is important for four spooky quail eggs for us to enjoy in the first 15 minutes of the film:
- The wildly successful 2015 video game Batman: Arkham Knight takes place across one Halloween night.
- Matt Reeves has shared his appreciation for the monumental 13-issue series, Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. It’s long because the series takes place between Oct. 31 and Nov. 6, just like the film.
- The kid was dressed as a ninja. Do you think that was an accident? If you do, watch Batman Begins again. It’s a nod to Bruce Wayne’s martial arts prowess and specifically, Ra’s al Ghul and the League of Assassins (yes, it’s not “of Shadows”).
- Speaking of kid, remember the gang members (who loosely resemble the Court of Owls) on the subway? There was that one kid who only had half of his face painted. Why? Two thoughts — notice the kid was never fully committed to the group as if he were halfway in crime and halfway out. Then, when Batman lets him go, it feels like he will have a redemptive story later. That may be truer than you think — the kid was Jay Lycurgo who plays Tim Drake on HBO Max’s Titans. You still think that kid is Robin now?!
5. Right on the Nose
This was one of my favorite easter eggs from The Batman because of its hand-crafted touch. Bob Kane’s and Bill Finger’s creation of the Caped Crusader has been trolling Gotham City since the 1940s. Yet, the serious popularity didn’t overwhelm fandom until the great Adam West dawned on his Aunt Betsy’s baby-blue moo-moo and cape. In 1966, Batman was set on a course of mass obsession. Many older folks still swear Michael Keaton is the GOAT Batman, but he wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the OG on TV.
Does anyone think Matt Reeves isn’t a true Batman enthusiast? Think again. It’s subtle but beautiful because you can’t deeply appreciate a person unless you are looking at them straight in the eye. Do that with “Battinson,” and you may catch the faint nod to Adam West. Think about all the cowls you have seen in movies from Keaton to Batfleck. Each Bat mask has that pointed bird nose, all except one — Adam West. It was square and almost better as a breathing apparatus. There is even stitching around the nose. Now, look at Battinson. Yeah, Holy Olfactory Senses, Batman!
4. Arkham Visions
Matt Reeves certainly didn’t want another movie about Bruce Wayne that has been done at least seven times before, so no parental death scene. Instead, Reeves travels back to Earth One. There, we met Martha Arkham before she met Thomas Wayne (thanks to Geoff Johns and Gary Frank). We learned there is so much to that last name other than sponsorship rights for a looney bin. That was Martha’s family, and The Riddler shared that Martha was not only the namesake of the place, but she was also a resident.
As much as Thomas Wayne wanted to keep that quiet, he couldn’t. However, if you go back to Earth One, you will learn there is much more than a sanitarium dating back to the early 1800s. A man named Amadeus Arkham founded the ward and named it in memory of his mother — the Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane. What a tribute, right? Well, she had severe mental health issues. The rumor is she killed herself, but it was uncovered that Amadeus euthanized her. And here is the huge Easter Egg — she couldn’t stop having visions about a giant bat!
3. The Power of the Blud
If you don’t know your Batman trivia, this one of the Easter Eggs from The Batman may have rolled right by you. So, you may be thinking what does that warm fuzzy goodbye between the Bat and the Cat have to do with Nightwing? Selina Kyle is leaving town and wants her emo beau to go with her. The city is underwater, so why not enjoy walking on dry land for a while?
During that scene, she mentioned she may be going to Bludhaven. In canon, that’s a nice suburb of Gotham–quaint, private schools, rich kids on nose candy, and…oh yeah, Nightwing! Dick Grayson eventually tired of being Robin and Gotham, so he goes on a journey to rediscover himself in Bludhaven. That’s where he became Nightwing and defeated an underrated baddie, Blockbuster. Does Nightwing show up in the Matt Reeves’ Batverse? Who knows, but with all the bad blood in Gotham, a bat is going to need some help.
2. The World’s Greatest Detective
In The Batman, we are given a Batfilm unlike any other that has been done before. It was a true film noir with Bruce Wayne showing everyone his mental chops instead of only martial arts and new toys. There was a scene, following a ridiculously badass car chase, with Lieutenant Gordon, The Batman, and Oswald Cobblepot where the two crimefighters were trying to sift through The Riddler’s maze of words. Oz sheds some light on what the U-R-L meant, and then the Penguin says something that had to tickle any DC Comics fan.
When Penguin shows the two how they missed it, he facetiously says “And you’re supposed to be the World’s Greatest Detective or something?!” Well, yes he is. Back in 1939, Batman was the flagship of what was then “Detective Comics.” For more than a half-century, Bruce Wayne has been depicted as a millionaire playboy moonlighting as a Chuck Norris starter kit. There have been glimpses of investigation in the 1966 TV series, Tim Burton’s vision, and Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, but the nods were fleeting.
Matt Reeves put that center stage. The entire film was one case and The Batman shows everyone who Bill Finger and Bob Kane made him to be in print. It was beautiful to hear it, even if it was tongue-in-cheek.
1. To Be or Not To Be…The Batman
We have proven that Matt Reeves showed love to the Batman tentpoles. From 1939 to today, he put the life cycle of the Cape and the Cowl on full display, and we love him for it. However, if this is your majordomo character in comics, it’s been shameful how DC directors in this particular family of characters don’t really acknowledge the groundbreaking TV series. Welp, we have already discussed one nod, but here are a few more, including two from this image:
If you watched the overly campy 1966 Batman with Adam West and Burt Ward (with all its POWs, KAPLOWIEs, and KERRANGs), you know the trigger to get inside the Batcave was underneath Shakespeare’s head. Watch in The Batman when Bruce answers the phone, and you’ll see the Bard of Avon there staring back at you. Also, see the fancy red phone? That was the official Batphone, a secret line to warn Batman of the evil coming his way.
There was a moment when Batman knew danger was headed toward his home, so he rocks the Bluetooth and tries to get Alfred’s attention. He didn’t, and KABOOM! However, pay attention to the housekeeper answering an antique phone. Yep, just like Mom used to answer.
Another nod was the corrupt Commissioner’s name, Pete Savage. In the 1966 series, Pete Savage was a dapper dude who also has quite the benefactor history to Gotham, thanks to his ancestors. To make this one of the most obscure Easter Eggs from The Batman, Pete Savage was in one episode of the historic TV series, “An Egg Grows in Gotham” (Season 2, Episode 13).
Perhaps, the most prolific Cadbury Easter Egg and homage to what you can see on TV Land was part of that scene with the housekeeper. Her name is Dory and, to be fair, if she wasn’t the housekeeper, she was the executive support. So, it was Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth and Dory (Sandra Dickinson)?! Back in 1966, television was a little less risqué. However, dirty old men are still dirty old men in any decade. You have two men who live together and gallivant around town in tights, there is this understated homoerotic vibe that families could not ignore. That’s why “Aunt Harriet“ was hired to be in the show and live at Wayne Manor.
Dory wasn’t hired to be Aunt Harriet, but she did provide a classic flashback, which was some of the only light in this DARKER Knight movie. Standing ovation. All day!
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Since he saw ‘Dune’ in the $1 movie theater as a kid, this guy has been a lover of geek culture. It wasn’t until he became a professional copywriter, ghostwriter, and speechwriter that he began to write about it (a lot).
From the gravitas of the Sith, the genius of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, or the gluttony of today’s comic fan, SPW digs intelligent debate about entertainment. He’s also addicted to listicles, storytelling, useless trivia, and the Oxford comma. And, he prefers his puns intended.
