The Batman: Easter eggs and secrets in Matt Reeves’ new DC Comics adaptation

From nods to the comics to sequel teases

Matt Reeves’s new DC Comics adaptation The Batman has proved a hit with critics and audiences since its release in cinemas last Friday (4 March).

The film, which stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, has enjoyed the second biggest opening weekend of any film since the pandemic began, trailing only Marvel’s superhero behemoth Spider-Man: No Way Home.

While the story is not a continuation of any previous Batman film, there are multiple nods and allusions hidden throughout The Batman which fans of the character have picked up on.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the biggest Easter eggs and teases...

*Spoilers follow*

Riddler’s clues

A running plot thread in The Batman sees the Riddler (Paul Dano) leave bespoke greeting cards to communicate with Batman, with clues contained in each one.

While Batman does indeed manage to solve all of the clues, there are details hidden on the front of the cards which are never explained – but which eagle-eyed DC fans have linked to other Batman villains.

The first card depicts an owl, nodding to the sinister Court of Owls organisation which some fans have theorised could appear in a The Batman sequel.

Zoe Kravitz and Robert Pattinson in ‘The Batman’ (AP)

The second shows a bald, bespectacled doctor – a clear allusion to Hugo Strange, the dark knight’s sometime nemesis.

A third card invokes Poison Ivy, with a red-haired girl surrounded by flowers, and another card nods to the felonious Scarface with a picture of a ventriloquist’s dummy.

Bane

At the climax of the film, Batman is seen injecting himself with some kind of substance to give him the impetus to overcome his injuries and save Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz).

While it could be assumed that Batman was simply using adrenaline, the substance in question has an unmistakable green hue.

As such, some fans have speculated that what Batman was injecting himself with was some weakened form of the green serum used by Bane in many Batman iterations.

Robert Pattinson in ‘The Batman' (AP)

The Joker

In one of the Easter eggs less likely to fly over the heads of The Batman’s audience, we are briefly introduced to a new version of the Joker, played by Eternals’ Barry Keoghan.

Identifiable through his chilling grin and hair colour, the killer clown is seen in an adjacent cell to the Riddler at the end of the film, leading many to speculate that he could be introduced as the main villain in a prospective sequel.

Bludhaven

Near the end of the film, Catwoman/Selina Kyle suggests to Batman that she is going to Bludhaven, a smaller city some distance away from Gotham.

Fans of the comics will know Bludhaven as a key location within the Batman mythos: after Dick Grayson quits as Robin and becomes Nightwing, he moves to Bludhaven and becomes the city’s own saviour.

The Batman is out in cinemas now.