It is no secret – to a DC Comics fan, at least – that Bruce Wayne is a man of many secrets, and the same can be said about the live-action Batman movies we have seen so far. Like most other great superhero movies, the films are littered with their own mysterious details hidden in plain sight that only die-hard fan of the Dark Knight might notice.
Being a lifelong Batfan, I was able to find quite a few awesome Easter Eggs that just might change how you view the DC movies or even some of the most underrated Batman movies from now on. See for yourself what has been lurking in the shadows.
The Mocking “Bat-Man” Illustration Is Signed By Batman Co-Creator Bob Kane (Batman)
Early on in Tim Burton’s blockbuster – starring one of the all-time best Batman actors, Michael Keaton, as Bruce Wayne – ambitious reporter Alexander Knox (Robert Wuhl, an underrated member of the 1989 Batman cast) seems to be the only one convinced there is a creature of the night cleaning up crime. Until he meets renowned photographer Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger), the teasing he receives at the Gotham Globe ranges from being nicknamed “Count Dracula” to his cartoonist colleague imagining the “Bat-Man” as a winged creature in a pinstripe suit. If you look closely at the bottom left hand corner of said illustration, you will see the signature of late comic book artist Bob Kane, who created Batman with Bill Finger in 1939.
Gossip Gerty From Is Bob Kane’s Wife (Batman Forever, Batman & Robin)
The funny “Bat-Man” cartoon is not the franchise's only Easter Egg with a close tie to the superhero’s co-creator. Both of the late director Joel Schumacher’s truly "batty" movies – 1995’s Batman Forever and Batman & Robin from two years later – feature an eccentric journalist named Gossip Gerty, who is played by Bob Kane’s real-life spouse, Elizabeth Sanders. However, Sanders’ first Batman movie appearance was actually in 1992’s Batman Returns, in which she is credited as "Gothamite #4" and makes a comment about the questionable Oswald Cobblepot (Danny DeVito).
The "Real" Name Of Jack Nicholson’s Joker References 1960s-Era Alfred (Batman)
I am not necessarily a comic book purist, but I do have a certain unwavering favoritism toward the Joker having no specific origin story (or at least one that is "multiple choice," to quote Alan Moore’s seminal graphic novel, The Killing Joke). Thus, I am convinced Jack Napier is only an alias of Jack Nicholson’s mobster character before his accident at Axis Chemicals turns him into the Clown Prince of Crime in Batman – not to mention it is also a clear tribute to the original Batman TV show. The Alfred Pennyworth to Adam West’s Bruce Wayne in the campy 1960s classic was played by British actor Alan Napier, who was actually a friend of Michael Gough, who played the Wayne Family’s trusted servant in Burton and Schumacher’s films.
Penguin's Parents Are Pee-wee’s Big Adventure Stars (Batman Returns)
Before hitting it big helming a superhero movie, the first feature-length movie directed by Tim Burton was 1985's Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. He managed to squeeze a tribute to his directorial debut in Batman Returns by casting Pee-wee Herman himself, the late Paul Reubens, and his co-star from the zany comedy hit, Diane Salinger (who played a waitress named Simone), as the neglectful parents of Oswald Cobblepot in the sequel’s introductory flashback. Fox’s Batman prequel series, Gotham, would reference this cameo by casting Reubens as the father of Robin Lord Taylor’s iteration of The Penguin in Seasons 2 and 3.
Chris O’Donnell’s Suit Resembles Tim Drake’s Robin Outfit (Batman Forever)
Despite original plans to introduce Robin in Batman Returns – as played by Marlon Wayans – it was not until Schumacher took over the reins of Batman Forever when the Boy Wonder finally had a role in the franchise. However, when Chris O’Donnell’s Dick Grayson sports his costume before the third act showdown with Jim Carrey's Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones’ Two-Face, the outfit bears a resemblance more similar to the suit worn by Tim Drake – the third young hero to adopt the Robin moniker.
The Joker’s Card Was Recovered By "J. Kerr" (Batman Begins)
In the final scene of Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins from 2005, which sees Christian Bale’s Batman in a rooftop meeting with Gary Oldman as James Gordon, the tease of Joker's introduction actually hides another Easter Egg. If you look closely at the evidence bag containing the villain’s “calling card,” you can see it was found by someone named “J. Kerr,” which could be just a fun joke on the audience or a preemptive clue to when Heath Ledger’s Joker disguises himself as a Gotham City cop in The Dark Knight.
Joker’s Mask In The Opening Heist Pays Tribute To Cesar Romero (The Dark Knight)
Speaking of the Joker’s disguises, the thrilling opening sequence of the 2008 cultural phenomenon sees the villain pull a fast one on his henchpeople by posing as one of them in a sad clown mask. Some may recognize the similarities between Ledger’s mask in The Dark Knight and one worn by one of the more unique Joker actors, Cesar Romero, in a Season 1 episode of the Batman series. Believe it not, this is not the only time the Dark Knight Trilogy paid homage to the 1960s TV show.
Wayne Manor Has A Red Phone, Like In The 1960s Batman Show (The Dark Knight Rises)
One of the most iconic Batman TV show props is the flashing red phone Commissioner Gordon uses to contact Batman. While Bale’s Bruce Wayne would likely be opposed to giving even Gordon a direct line of communication to his house, taking a closer look at 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises reveals he could have been flirting with the idea. In the scene when Gotham City police officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) pays a visit to the Wayne Manor, you can see a red phone sitting on a shelf behind him. Bonus Easter Egg: right next to the phone is a bust that bears a striking resemblance to the one Adam West and Burt Ward used to open the door to the Batpoles.
Cameos By Batman Fan Sen. Patrick Leahy (Various)
One lesser-known detail that ties Schumacher’s Batman movies, Nolan’s trilogy, and the DCEU together is former Vermont senator Patrick Leahy – a self-described Batfan who was President pro tempore before his 2023 retirement. After briefly appearing as himself in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, he played a Wayne Enterprises board member in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises and, later, Senator Purrington in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice during Superman's trial. In August 2020, Leahy – who also had a vocal cameo on Batman: The Animated Series – admitted to the Burlington Free Press that “COVID” and “appropriation bills” prevented him from appearing in The Batman, which would have been his sixth appearance in a live-action DC movie.
The Story Begins On Halloween, Like The Long Halloween (The Batman)
Matt Reeves’ The Batman is actually my personal favorite choice for the best live-action Batman movie yet, and not just because the story also happens to open on my favorite holiday. Setting the intro on All Hallow’s Eve – in addition to inspiring the film’s one epic F-bomb (“Happy fucking Halloween”) – is also the film’s way of paying tribute to a comic book arc that loosely inspired it, Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s Batman: The Long Halloween, which had previously been adapted into a two-part animated movie starring Jensen Ackles in 2021.
Hints At The Villain Hush (The Batman)
Another acclaimed comic book story by Loeb that inspired The Batman is Batman: Hush, and its influences go beyond just the tone and the Dark Knight’s flirty alliance with Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz). In the film, Bruce discovers his father, Thomas Wayne, requested help from Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) to silence investigative reporter Edward Elliot – the great-grandfather of Bruce’s childhood friend, Thomas Elliot, whose alter ego is, indeed, Hush. Plus, the way Paul Dano’s Riddler wraps duct tape around the murdered Mayor Don Mitchell’s head resembles the villain’s bandaged disguise.
Selina Heads To Nightwing’s Town (The Batman)
I hope we do see more of Kravitz – who gives one of the best Catwoman performances yet, in my opinion – in the upcoming sequel, The Batman Part II, despite how the previous film ends. Selina tells Bats that she intends to leave Gotham and head toward a town called Bludhaven, which is a name that might not have meant much to more casual fans of the best superhero movies. However, die-hard DC fans likely recognized this town as where Dick Grayson would go off on his own, shed the Robin mantle, and become Nightwing.
We could talk about the many references to Michael Keaton's Batman movies in 2023's The Flash, but we covered those in their own article. With how many upcoming Batman movies there are on the horizon – including a couple of live-action upcoming DC movies centered in Gotham – there are bound to be much more epic Easter Eggs where these came from. So, make like the Dark Knight himself and stay alert.
