Fans and critics alike are adoring Matt Reeves' take on the Batman mythology with his film,The Batman. It delivers a three-hour-long detective superhero epic, with Robert Pattinson delivering on his portrayal of The Dark Knight. Director Matt Reeves proves to be a fan by honoring the source material, with familiar plot elements as well as Easter Eggs sprinkled throughout the film.
Not only are there nods to comic books across the decades since Batman’s debut, but there are also references to previous live-action and animated incarnations of Batman. Some of these Easter Eggs go by in a fraction of a second, while others are cleverly woven into the main plot ofThe Batman.
10"I’m Vengeance."
InThe Batman, Gotham’s underworld knows Batman as Vengeance due to Batman introducing himself by beating on a thug and saying, “I’m Vengeance.” Not only is this meant to establish the beginning of Batman’s personal arc of going from ruthless vigilante to a hero for Gotham City, but it is also a reference to a famous line fromBatman: The Animated Series.
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In the episode “Nothing To Fear,” Kevin Conroy’s Batman spoke the now-famous line, “I am vengeance. I am the night. I am Batman!” This has been his catchphrase for over 30 years now. Fans were hoping that Robert Pattinson would state the full line at some point, but it is still a nice reference.
9Harriet Cooper
Matt Reeves has openly shown his love and appreciation forthe Adam West Batman series. As a result, there are several references to that show sprinkled throughout his film, such as Alfred employing Harriet Cooper as a maid working at Wayne Tower. Harriet Cooper is the aunt of young Dick Grayson, whom most fans might know as the first Robin.
Harriet first debuted in the comics, but most fans would recognize her from her recurring role in the Adam West series. This could be a hint towards Bruce Wayne attending the Haley Circus and meeting Harriet’s nephew, thus setting up for the first cinematic Robin since Chris O’Donnell inBatman Forever.
8Pete Savage
Instead of the corrupted Commissioner Loeb,The Batmanintroduces Commissioner Pete Savage, who seems to be a brand-new character for the franchise. However, the name Pete Savage has been used before, once again in the Adam West series.
Pete Savage was a member of a founding family of Gotham City and a target of Vincent Price’s ridiculous but memorable villain, Egghead. Once again, Matt Reeves shows his love for the classic show by referencing the episode,“An Egg Grows In Gotham.”
7The Tweedles
Working for the Penguin are two twin bouncers that guard the entrance of the Iceberg Lounge. They are only referred to as “The Twins,” and only have a few brief scenes inThe Batman. However, comic book fans can recall a pair of twin villains from Batman’s mythos: Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum.
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SinceThe Batmancleverly plants the seeds for many possible villains in the future, it’s not that hard to see these musclebound twins as more grounded takes on the Tweedles. If Reeves ever introduces The Mad Hatter, the twins could easily be turned into his servants.
6Iceberg Lounge
For the first time in the history of live-actionBatmanfilms, fans of the comics get to see the Iceberg Lounge as the Penguin’s base of operations. This was never shown in the Tim Burton era, but was featured inBatman: The Animated Series,theBatman: Arkhamgames, as well as theGothamtelevision series.
The Iceberg Lounge is a nice detail from the comics, and it further develops this version of Gotham City that Matt Reeves created. Gotham is a fully fleshed-out character itself, helping to immerse the viewers into Batman’s world, and this locale is an essential aspect.
5Earth One Inspiration
The Batmanborrowed from many iconic comicsacross the eighty years in which the character has existed. For example, depicting Alfred as a stern but loving father figure with a military past who confirms that he helped train Bruce Wayne, inspiration is clearly taken from the pages ofBatman: Earth One.
Alfred’s role is not the only thing taken fromEarth One. In Reeves' film, Batman is a younger vigilante who makes mistakes, and Martha Wayne was originally born as Martha Arkham — both references to this comic. Even Colin Farrell’s version ofThe Penguinis eerily similar to theEarth Oneversion.
4Riddler’s Plan
Even though Riddler is portrayed more akin to a horror villain, there are elements of Riddler from the past that are present in Paul Dano’s version, including a giggle similar to Frank Gorshin. InThe Batman,the Riddler’s plot is a domestic terrorist scheme to “fix” Gotham by killing all its corrupt officials before flooding the city.
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This is somewhat similar to the Riddler’s plans in theZero Yearstoryline of the New 52 comics, in which he left Gotham as an apocalyptic wasteland with flooding everywhere. The flood could lead to Mr. Freeze utilizing the water to freeze the city, since Matt Reeves has stated that he wants to use that villain in the sequels.
3The Shakespeare Statue
Yet another reference to theBatman ‘66series, Bruce Wayne andAlfred Pennyworthare living in Wayne Tower. When Alfred is seen going through the mail, behind him is a statue of William Shakespeare.
In the Adam West series, Batman would lift the head of a small Shakespeare bust to activate a secret entrance to the Batcave. It only appears inThe Batmanas a statue before the penthouse is destroyed by the Riddler, but it’s another nice nod.
2Bane’s Venom
Though it has neither been confirmed nor denied by Matt Reeves, there is a scene that fans have theorized could be a prelude to the introduction of Bane,one of Batman’s greatest villains. In the action-packed climax, Batman is hit with a shotgun blast. It doesn’t kill him thanks to his armor, but still leaves him too weak to protect Selina Kyle from one of Riddler’s cultists.
To give himself a boost, Batman injects himself with a shot that gives him the energy to get up, save Selina, and nearly beat the criminal to death. It could have simply been an adrenaline shot, but the serum itself was noticeably green — which is the iconic color of the Venom drug — and Batman turned even more hyper-aggressive. It’s easy to see why some fans think it might be Venom.
1Hush Teaser
When the Riddler exposes the truth about Thomas Wayne’s mistakes (which were an attempt to protect Martha and Bruce), it is revealed that Wayne’s actions caused the death of Edward Elliot. In the comics, Edward Elliot is the relative of Thomas Elliot, who would eventually become the villain known as Hush.
It’s fairly obvious that Reeves is hinting towards Hush; the Riddler even displays a large “HUSH!” text on the video. It could simply be a reference to the character, since this version of Riddler has many similarities to Hush. However, at the same time, it’s not hard to believe that Reeves would set up Hush for sequels.
