New Easter Eggs from ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ Revealed

!! SPOILER ALERT !!

The following article contains Easter eggs, and heavy spoilers for Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

Although the new cut of Justice League created by Zack Snyder has only been out a few days, the internet has been abuzz with the Easter eggs in the film. Although many fan hopes didn’t come to fruition, Snyder managed to wrestle in quite a number of references in this new/original version. Even though Snyder had quite a bit of time to jam references into his four hour cut, the amount of Easter eggs he gave us, while maintaining the story of the movie is still impressive.

Some fans might not have caught all the Easter eggs through their first or even second watch throughs of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, so we managed to write a few of them out here.

• The main plot of Justice League follows an arc established in Justice League: Origin from back in 2011. The comic covered the events leading to the creation of the Justice League. The League faces Parademons and eventually Darkseid himself (something we wish could happen in a future Justice League film!). Sharp eyed fans might even notice that some scenes and images of the movie were meant to reflect panels from the comic.
• The Snyder cut is the first time audiences were properly introduced to Jack Kirby’s New Gods, other than Steppenwolf of course. The ones mentioned in the film included Darkseid, Steppenwolf, Desaad, and Granny Goodness. Although most of the action is taken up by Steppenwolf, getting to see more of Darkseid and friends was a real treat. Read on here if you want to learn more about these antagonists.
• Dusty, the Kent family dog, is an indirect reference. Clark’s dog in 1986’s The Man of Steel #1 is named Rusty instead, but he was an important background character. In the comic, Rusty indirectly helped the Kryptonian learn to fly.
• Remember the cop that Lois Lane visited with coffee? Officer Jerry is a two-for-one Easter egg. The character’s name is an homage to one of Superman’s co-creators, Jerry Siegel. Additionally, Officer Jerry is played by Marc McClure, an actor who was in Superman: The Movie and its sequels as Jimmy Olsen.
• Silas Stone’s colleague at S.T.A.R. Labs, Ryan Choi, was also a critical reference. Comic fans might know Choi better as the Atom. In the comics, Choi eventually joined the Justice League. Although there aren’t any sequels confirmed to Justice League, the setup for Choi’s destiny is clear. His position working in nanotechnology is clearly meant to lead to his taking up the role of the Atom.
• Numbers are a commonly used Easter egg and Zack Snyder couldn’t resist slipping in his own fun reference. The Mother Box found by S.T.A.R. Labs is numbered 6-19-82. Read as a date, this points to June 1982. This date is significant as it is the cover date for Tales of the New Teen Titans #1. This critical issue revealed Cyborg’s origins.
• Two Green Lanterns appeared in the film, neither Hal Jordan. The first Green Lantern onscreen was during the Age of Heroes flashback that Wonder Woman described. Serving the Guardians thousands of years before Hal Jordan entered the picture, this Green Lantern was named Yalan Gur and fought alongside the humans to push back Darkseid and his armies.
• The produce truck with the distracted driver in Central City also had a fun reference. This truck was labelled ‘Gardner Fox’, a name instantly recognizable to diehard DC fans. Fox created several critical parts of the DC comics franchise. This included the co-creation of the original Flash, Hawkman, Sandman, the Justice Society, and most important of all, the Justice League. Fox also wrote the first story where Bruce Wayne used a Batarang and was responsible for the introduction of the Multiverse into Flash #123. Honestly, Fox might have deserved an even bigger Easter egg, but we were still happy to see Snyder including this one.
• The hot dog cart that was involved in Iris West’s accident in Central City also included a reference. The cart bore the name ‘Granny Goodness’, one of the New Gods. We didn’t see much of her in the film, but maybe hot dogs were part of Granny Goodness’s day job?
• Victor Stone wore a lot of gear from his college. This was unsurprising due to his involvement in the football program. However, Gotham City University is one of the oldest parts of the DC Universe, first appearing in a DC comic back in 1941 (World’s Finest #3). Victor’s football victory being missed by his father in the film is also a direct recreation of Justice League #1 (2011).
• Victor’s compassion before his accident and rebirth is well-noted in the film. Victor hacked GCU’s grade system on behalf of a student named Sarah. Some fans believe that this is in reference to either Sarah Simms or Dr. Sarah Charles. If we’re ever granted a Cyborg film, perhaps we’ll get more clues about the significance of this Sarah.
• Although this Easter egg was debunked by Snyder, it’s still a fun one. The name of the woman who Victor helps is Linda Reed, the same name as the original Girl Archer from 1951’s Adventure Comics #167. A fun coincidence but not a true Easter egg.
• Outside Barry’s secret lair where Bruce Wayne first surprises him, a sign in the background stands out. Labelled ‘National Storage’, this sign was a fun throwback to an earlier name of DC Comics. National Comics Publications was not the snappiest name, but it made a slick Easter egg for Snyder.
• Not comic-related, but a critical reference Snyder included was to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The mural advertising the organization is in the background as Bruce and Barry leave Central City. Snyder and fans have been strong allies for AFSP and have helped the organization raise over $500,000. Zack Snyder’s Justice League was also dedicated to Snyder’s daughter, Autumn. Autumn committed suicide in 2017, leading to Snyder’s further involvement in ASFP. Undoubtedly the most important of Snyder’s Easter eggs, this heartfelt tribute was small but important. Check this link to learn more about ASFP and how to help.
• Commissioner Gordon noticeably only talked to one of his lower-ranking officers in the Snyder cut. What the audience might not have known is this officer was Crispus Allen. Allen was the star of Gotham Central.
• The Joker’s origin site was also visible in a background shot. When the Bat-Signal appears in the sky, Ace Chemicals is part of the skyline. This critical location was first named in the graphic novel The Killing Joke.
• The first confrontation between Steppenwolf and the Justice League takes place on Stryker Island. The island is mostly known for having a penitentiary that was first seen in 1987’s Superman #9.
• The second Green Lantern shown in Zack Snyder’s Justice League appears in Cyborg’s future vision. Unfortunately, this warrior was dead but identifiable. Named Kilowog, this Green Lantern first appeared in Green Lantern Corps #201.
• Also in Cyborg’s glimpse of the apocalyptic future is a collapsed building. Audiences would have to look quickly to see this Easter egg, but the building is clearly the Hall of Justice. First appearing in the 1973 Super Friends animated series, this iconic location has sometimes served as the Justice League’ headquarters.
• Snyder additionally did not shy away from references to his first mainstream DC project, Man of Steel. The first flight Superman takes after being revived by the Humans’ Mother Box acts as a mirror to Clark’s first flight as he learned about his powers. Seeing as this could potentially be the last time we see Henry Cavill as Superman, it was nice to have the throwback to his first feature as the Last Son of Krypton.
• Batman’s Batmobile in the epilogue also tied into past Caped Crusader material. The tank-like vehicle resembles the design of the Batmobile in The Dark Knight Returns.
• The appearance of Deathstroke in the epilogue was also a thrilling tie-in. Whether Batman’s friend or foe, fans quickly noticed a strange symbol on Deathstroke’s sword. The actor who portrays Deathstroke, Joe Manganiello, confirmed that the mysterious mark represents the League of Shadows. This Easter egg was clearly part of a hopeful setup that may or may not see the light of day.
• The Arkham Home for the Emotionally Troubled also entered the epilogue as the renamed version of the Arkham Asylum. The establishment date of the site reflects the year it first appeared in comics from Batman #258 (1974), but the changed named came from The Dark Knight Returns.
• Possibly the most haunting part of the long-awaited interaction between Batman and the Joker in the Knightmare epilogue was the Joker’s reference to the death of Robin. This was a distinct Easter egg pointing to the controversial Batman storyline of the 1980s, Batman: A Death in the Family. Since we haven’t even seen Robin yet in the DCEU, hearing about his death was a bit of a shock for some fans.
• The final Easter egg is the explanation of the shapeshifter who met with Lois Lane. Flying to Bruce Wayne’s home in the epilogue, the Martian Manhunter informs the Bat that the battle for the universe isn’t over and that Darkseid is still headed to Earth. First appearing in Detective Comics #225, the Martian hero was one of the founding members of the Justice League. The Martian Manhunter previously led the Justice League in various stints in the comics. Introducing this character seems like a smart move as the Justice League might be losing one or both of it leaders. This is of course assuming that audiences will be given more Justice League movies. If so, hopefully the Martian Manhunter will get to have a more critical role and be a key figure in the League.

Although it doesn’t seem like Zack Snyder will be returning to the DCEU, the Easter eggs he included in his cut of Justice League were fascinating to hunt for, and opened the door for lots of possibilities in the future of DC films. Hopefully, even if Snyder himself cannot come back to direct more films himself, someone else can at least gather his breadcrumbs and create another innovative Justice League movie.

Have you discovered any Easter eggs not listed above? Let us know.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is available for streaming on HBO Max.

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