The latest trailer of The Batman has roused excitement in the DC fandome. The trailer reveals a rusty and grittier take on Batman’s exploits, who is only in his second year of crime fighting, and so is more prone to not keeping calm and bashing about stuff and skulls.
The movie focuses on lesser explored villains such as Riddler and Penguin, and we could witness worthy trials on-screen to shape their influence on par with that of the Joker. Promises are high, and it is yet to be seen how the hype would roll out.
The trailer is further rife with exciting Easter eggs and revelations which has added to the excitement of DC fans. In this article, few of the many reveals are explained so as to give the fans a detailed take on what to expect.
Easter Eggs in The Batman trailer
Batcave in the Wayne Terminus Subway Line
In the initial cut where the batcave is shown, we can see the words “Wayne Terminus” written on top. Now the batcave under an abandoned Wayne Terminus was part of Batman’s family’s original infrastructure for Gotham city, according to the depiction in, and so a possible nod, to the Batman: Earth One comics.
“Halloween” sign behind the masked gang
In the scene where Batman is confronting a gang with clown face painting, the word Halloween is faintly shown to be written on the wall.. This could be a suggestion that the plot of the movie revolves around similar plotlines as depicted in the Earth One comics, Batman Ego and Other Tails, and Jeph Loeb’s Batman: The Long Halloween, wherein Batman takes up more of a detective role.
Adding more sense to this theory is the overhead shot where Batman is seen to be laying out all of his Riddler evidence like in an investigation, which includes statements like “The Sins of my Father??” and “Renewal is a Lie”.
Since the Riddler is shown to be giving out clues to Batman about his murders through cryptic writing on paper cuttings and through his riddles, it only makes sense for Batman to don his detective persona to crack the crimes.
Arkham State Hospital
When Batman meets Edward Noshton aka Riddler in lockup, the jumpsuit that Noshton wears is labelled “Arkham State Hospital”, instead of the usual Arkham Asylum or Blackgate prison. This hospital is where Arthur Fleck goes to collect details of his mother in Todd Philip’s Joker. This could be an indication of the possibility of a shared universe between the two films.
Inspiration from Batman: Hush
From the trailer, we can make sense that the murders and clues are revealed after the capture and locking up of Edward Nashton. This seems quite similar to the actions of psychopaths such as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs and John Doe in Seven, where the crimes are pre constructed in such a way that the crimes are revealed in a more sinister way once the perpetrators are under chains.
The Riddler could also be inspired from the Batman: Hush storyline, where Riddler brilliantly masterminds the whole conspiracy against Batman even though he appears to be a harmless pawn in the act who is already dealt with.
Court of Owls theory
In the cut where a card is addressed to Batman with certain clues, there is a picture of an owl on it. A later clue statement of Riddler mentioned is “If You Are Justice, Please Do Not Lie, What Is The Price For Your Blind Eye”, which could be symbolic of justice in a court of law. Combining both these clues, we could reach an assumption that it is a reference to the “Court of Owls”, which is a secret society consisting of wealthy Gothamites.
The Batman will be released on 4 March 2022.
