Who doesn't love spotting a good Easter egg in their favorite comic book adaptation? There's something about finding Easter eggs in movies, television, video games, and anywhere else that drives people nuts.
Finding connections or hidden little gems where you wouldn't expect there to be is one of the coolest things about comic book universes. So many different stories are connected to one another and finding the tiniest nods to true comic book fans just feels great.
One could argue that Easter eggs are an incredibly important aspect of comic book adaptations. Marvel is no stranger to this concept, and DC is quickly picking up speed in building their shared universes. The number of storylines in any one universe can span in the hundreds, so to get one particular grouping to work, there needs to be a nod or two in the background to keep them connected and canon.
Some of these Easter eggs are less "Easter eggy" and more "giant boulder in your face", while others have a debatable significance that is still discussed among fans today. There may be a few spoilers ahead, so tread with caution!
Without further ado, here are the 15 Biggest Easter Eggs In Comic Book Movies, Ranked.
15. Tony Stark's ringtone in Iron Man
In the 2008 comic book adaptation Iron Man, pre-War Machine James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Terrence Howard) orders pilots to chase down an unidentifiable object that appears to look suspiciously like Tony Stark. He then gets a cell phone call from Mr. Stark during the chase. (Nice product placement, Verizon. Didn't we have smartphones by 2008? Get it together!)
The ringtone that plays for Stark's is actually an adorable MIDI version of 1966 Iron Man cartoon theme song.
That's not the only throwback Easter egg in Iron Man, either. In another scene where Stark is gambling and partying in a casino, a jazzy version of the original theme song plays as well.
Even though the original Iron Man cartoon series only lasted for one season, the theme song is still very much recognizable to this day.
14. That Ant-Man / Hawkeye Scene in Civil War
In 2016's Captain America: Civil War, we get a good old direct homage to the comic book series that birthed the notorious boom of comic book film adaptations.
As Captain America: Civil War's crazy hero-packed showdown takes place, Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) team up to take down Iron Man. Ant-Man shrinks down and climbs onto one of Hawkeye's arrowheads, where he is then launched directly at Iron Man in order to sabotage his suit.
The visual could definitely escape anybody who isn't familiar with The Avengers comics. The scene is an almost exact replication of the cover art from issue #223 of the Avengers comic book series, right down to the angles and perspective. An honorable and seriously cool homage, indeed.
13. Bob Kane's Art in Batman
This little Easter egg from Tim Burton's 1989 adaptation Batman (yep, the Jack Nicholson one) may go over many viewers' heads.
Reporter Alexander Knox and journalist Vicki Vale start investigating strange rumors about a man named "Batman" who is fighting crime in the streets. Their coworkers aren't so keen on the idea and have a good laugh at them, and somebody hands Knox a drawing of a little anthropomorphic bat in a suit.
Many viewers might not have caught this Easter egg because it was so quick and the signature on the sketch may be difficult to make out in time. Next to the comedic Batman rendering in a little box is the signature of Bob Kane, the original co-creator (alongside Bill Finger) of the Batman character.
12. Captain America's shield in the Iron Man movies
Captain America's shield makes an appearance not once, but twice in 2008's Iron Man and 2010's Iron Man 2.
In the first Iron Man film, Tony Stark is removing his armor when Pepper walks in to speak to him. As the camera turns just slightly, a partially constructed Captain America shield can be seen on a workbench behind him.
In Iron Man 2, the appearance of Cap's shield isn't really an Easter egg at all. Agent Coulson hands a Captain America shield to Stark, where he dismissively uses it as a wedge to straighten equipment he's currently using. The scene seems a bit out of nowhere.
In an interview, director Jon Favreau itted it was necessary for continuity: "We had to figure out how to deal with the reality that the shield was in [Tony Stark's] workshop."
11. Carol Ferris in Man of Steel
At the end of 2013's Superman epic Man of Steel, General Swanwick and another United States Air Force officer are seen driving through the desert when a surveillance drone crashes directly in front of them.
The two soldiers get out to investigate and Swanwick has a dialogue with Superman, who calls them out on their attempts to find out who he is. After he leaves, Swanwick asks the other soldier why she's smiling, to which she replies "I just think he's kind of hot."
Her badge shows the name "Ferris"-- as in Carol Ferris, the girlfriend of Hal Jordan's Green Lantern and the alter ego of supervillain (and more recently superhero) Star Sapphire. If you're a Green Lantern fan, you probably clocked this right away.
10. Lou Ferrigno's Hulk cameos
The very first original live screen adaptation of Marvel's Hulk was the 1978 CBS television series The Incredible Hulk. The titular character was played by professional bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno, who is pretty much the only Hulk to not be made up with CGI. Lou Ferrigno, with his massive build, booming voice, and distinct accent is still very much a memorable actor and easily recognizable.
Perhaps that's why he was tucked into three different Marvel movie cameo scenes, including 2003's arguably terrible The Hulk, 2008's The Avengers. He plays a cop in the first film (alongside Stan Lee), a security guard in the second, and is the voice of the actual Hulk for the latter two films. He is also rumored (though still uncredited) as the voice of the Hulk in the first film as well.
9. Victor Zsasz in Batman Begins
It's no secret that Victor Zsasz is a fan favorite villain in the Batman universe, and also one of the more consistent and difficult to defeat. The sadistic serial murderer is identifiable by his bald head and tally marks for each of his murders from his neck down. If you're unfamiliar with the Batman comics, you may have missed his low-key appearances in the 2005 adaptation Batman Begins.
First, he can be spotting during his sentencing hearing and his last name is mentioned. Victor is then spotted during the big escape from Arkham scene where he turns his neck just enough to reveal the tally marks on his neck. While Zsasz only had a few cameos and no concrete role in Batman Begins, he does have a more prevalent presence in the Fox television series Gotham.
8. Hacked names in X2
2000's X-2: X-Men United was released three years later to even bigger acclaim. The sequel was also loaded with a ton of Easter eggs that even the most trained eye could miss.
The most obvious Easter egg would be the scene in which Mystique is hacking into a computer that is packed with forboding references-- Kevin MacTaggart (Proteus), Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver), Danielle Moonstar (Mirage), and other names are listed, alluding to future appearances in the film franchise.
There are a few others too: Doctor McCoy appears on a television screen during a scene in a bar. Iceman's brother also wore a shirt with a phoenix on it, as well.
7. The Hitler punch in The First Avenger
There are few comic book covers as iconic and recognizable as the very first Captain America issue, which was released in 1941. The badass portrayal of our favorite Captain knocking out one of the evilest real life villains in history was recreated momentarily in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger.
In the film, U.S. Senator Brandt puts Steve Rogers on a national tour to promote war bonds as scientists attempt to study him and rediscover the super soldier formula. While performing, Cap punches an actor dressed up like Hitler to the joyous applause of raucous children in the audience. This scene was no more than a few seconds or so, but it is definitely a true homage to the first Captain America comic book cover.
6. Star Sapphire's helmet logo in Green Lantern
Carol Ferris appears on our list once again as a comic book movie Easter egg, this time in the 2011 adaptation Green Lantern starring Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.
In the film, Carol Ferris (Lively) is piloting an aircraft while wearing a helmet. A star symbol emblazoned on the helmet is actually a nod to her future alter ego, Star Sapphire.
Ferris actually becomes a Green Lantern villain under her alter ago after being possessed by the Star Sapphire gem. She harnesses powers much like Green Lantern's and can create force blasts, fly, and create force fields. She is selected as queen of the extraterrestrial all-female legion of similar "Star Sapphires" and eventually becomes the founder of the Star Sapphire Corps, where she turns from her villainous ways.