Justice League has arrived, and finally united six of DC Comics' flagship heroes.
Only together can they fight off an invasion of violent parademons from the alien world
of Apokolips , and the evil Mother Box machinations of… Darkseid's creepy uncle.
Woven into the film's half-dozen converging storylines were also a whole lot of little
Easter Eggs that called out to the Justice League's rich comic book and movie history.
Here are just a few.
Party like it's 1989
For many Batman fans, the golden era of DC movies began and ended with 1989's Batman,
directed by Tim Burton and scored by new wave virtuoso and cinematic composer Danny Elfman.
Elfman stepped away from the whole Batman thing after 1992's Batman Returns, leaving
five indelible notes stuck in every Batman fan's head forever.
It took 25 years, but Elfman returned to score Justice League, and he brought his old soundtrack
with him.
As Batman appears in front of Commissioner Gordon on the rooftops of Gotham City, those
five notes can be heard again… and it's pretty sweet.
"Oh awesome that's the bat signal!
That's your… oh, shhh … sorry."
The Penguin
Even though Batman is usually only ever seen fighting street toughs, Superman, and demon-bugs
from space, the DCEU drops hints about his 20 years of crimefighting in Gotham, from
the spraypainted Robin suit in his Batcave to casual mentions of his past adventures.
One especially great mention comes when Alfred drops a bomb about exploding, wind-up penguins,
which can only mean one thing.
It's hard to imagine what a DCEU Penguin would look like, but he'll probably have a lot of
tattoos, daddy issues, and an incomprehensible backstory.
Whatever happens, the DCEU needs to bring back the bomb-birds.
Janus
We also get a hint at another Batman villain who goes by the name of Black Mask.
As Batman battles a parademon across the skies of Gotham, we see a bunch of different buildings,
and one of them bears a large sign that says Janus.
The name refers to a few things in the DC universe, but the most likely use here is
Janus Cosmetics, a company once run by the psychotic Black Mask.
Wayne Enterprises ends up purchasing Janus Cosmetics and leaving Roman without a job,
which causes the murderous magnate to take on the villainous mantle of Black Mask and
swear revenge on Bruce Wayne.
At least it's not Kite Man, right?
Green Lantern
The schedule for the DC movie universe has changed shape more times than Plastic Man,
but one thing that's been more or less consistent is that the DCEU would include the Green Lantern
Corps, in one way or another.
As of now, they'll be getting their own movie in 2020, but no one really expected to see
a Lantern in Justice League.
Still, at least one of the dudes appears during the historic battle between the armies of
Apokolips and the collected might Earth's heroes.
It's a quick shout-out to future DCEU films, and places the Corps on Earth at least once
during their billion-year history patrolling the cosmos for bad business.
New Gods
Leave it to horn-headed villain Steppenwolf to literally drop the name of his first appearance
comic in one of his many speeches about how the Old Gods are just a bunch of dead losers,
so it's up to the "New Gods" to set the universe up right.
Of course, Steppenwolf first appeared in New Gods #7, so the guy is anything but subtle.
The phrase "New Gods" refers to the entire pantheon of heroes and villains devised by
Jack Kirby, a bunch of super-powerful aliens who split their residence between the warring
worlds of New Genesis and Apokolips.
Just how many of these weirdos will appear in the DCEU is anyone's guess, but if DC knows
what's good for them, we'll be seeing Granny Goodness next.
Right?
"You naughty little monkey!"
Superman v Flash
Who's faster: The Flash, master of the speed force, or Superman, the alien who can do just
about anything except carry a playable video game?
"Gimme five big guy! …too slow!"
The two heroes' comparable speed is glimpsed briefly during the final fight against Steppenwolf,
but Justice League's mid-credit scene is a direct tribute to the many, many times that
Superman and Flash engaged in a friendly competition to see who was fastest.
Who wins?
You'll just have to check out Superman #199 to find out.
Or Flash #175.
Or Adventures of Superman #463.
Or a dozen other comics that apparently never definitively settled the score.
Aren't there people who need saving somewhere?
Too many leagues
By the end of Justice League, both Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor are putting together their
teams.
While neither one is outright named, the implications are obvious.
Bruce is making plans to set up a table with six chairs… or maybe more.
Bruce's hideout can only mean one thing.
"Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice."
The Hall pretty consistently features a table at which all of the members of the League
make all of the big decisions, like how they're going to beat the newest evil, or if they
should order from Quiznos or Subway.
"We love the subs."
"Subway."
Tough choice.
Meanwhile, an escaped Lex Luthor talks about forming his own league, which can only be
the Injustice League.
The group of villains was founded by Lex Luthor.
At one point the team counted Deathstroke, who makes a Justice League cameo, as one of
its members.
At least 60 villains have cycled through the Injustice League, but a few are already in
the DCEU.
Was that thief being apprehended by Wonder Woman at the end of the film possibly Selina
Kyle?
Black Manta is scheduled to be a villain in Aquaman's solo film, and half of the Suicide
Squad have been members, so that's a good chunk of the Injustice League right there.
Truth & justice
Even the most casual fans of Superman know that the big blue boy scout stands for three
main ideals:
"Truth, justice, and the American way."
Really old fans of Superman know that back in the 1940s, Fleischer Studios' Superman
was only really into those first two ideals.
"Superman fights for truth and justice!"
By the time the 1952 live-action TV series came around, Superman was into 'the American
way' as well.
The slogan even appears in 1978's Superman…
"I'm here to fight for truth, justice, and the American way."
And of course, it even made an appearance in Justice League, during Superman's fight
with Steppenwolf, when our reborn hero declares that, in addition to truth, he's also kinda
into justice as well now.
Good for him.
The original Jimmy Olsen
It's probably the most subtle Easter egg in all of Justice League, but it's a good one.
Most people probably won't recognize the officer who checks Barry Allen into the prison to
see his dad, but the actor's name is Marc McClure.
You may recognize him as Marty McFly's older brother Dave, or, well…
"I was blown away when my dentist told me I had tartar."
Aside from that, McClure's most prominent role was as newsboy Jimmy Olsen in all four
Christopher Reeve Superman films, and even the wildly unpopular 1984 Supergirl movie,
making him the only actor to appear in more Superman films than Christopher Reeve himself.
Congrats on number six, Marc.
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