20 Mind-Blowing Details In Zack Snyder's DCEU Films That Make Me Wish They Would #RestoretheSnyderVerse
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Director Zack Snyder is renowned for his outstanding attention to detail, as he has placed many little things in his films for the sake of symbolism, worldbuilding, paying homage to his favorite stories, or hinting at films to come.
His projects in the DCEU are no exception, as they are layered with so many important details that it would make for quite the scavenger hunt for any of his viewers. To honor this visionary director, we're going to take a look at the 20 Brilliant Details in Zack Snyder's DCEU Films That Shouldn't Go Unnoticed.
WARNING: 🚨SPOILERS🚨 AHEAD!!!
20.The Dark Knight Returns Cover Shot — Batman v Superman
Zack Snyder obviously based Batman v Superman off of The Dark Knight Returns, and this frame is a nice tribute to it. When Batman is being chased by Doomsday, he uses his grapple gun to launch himself up to a building. When he hangs there with the lightning behind him, Zack Snyder clearly invokes the cover image for Frank Miller's classic comic.
19.Superman Dead in Space — Batman v Superman
In his epic battle against Doomsday, Superman sends the alien beast into Earth's orbit. From there, the US fires a nuke at the alien creature, failing to destroy it but nearly killing Superman. The shot of the withered Kryptonian floating through space is another reference to The Dark Knight Returns, as he is reduced to this state after stopping a Soviet nuke from hitting the US in the comic.
18.The Joker Playing Card — Batman v Superman
At the end of Zack Snyder's Justice League, Batman encounters the Joker in the future, who gave him a Joker playing card to symbolize their truce. However, this card can be seen strapped to the barrel of Batman's machine gun during the Knightmare scene in Batman v Superman. At first, this seemed to represent that Bruce finally killed the Clown Prince of Crime, but now we know it represents that they have become allies fighting against Darkseid.
17.The Shattered Moon of Krypton — Man of Steel
At the beginning of Man of Steel, we get multiple beautiful shots of the planet Krypton. In the distance, you can see a fractured moon in the sky, which Zack Snyder claims was meant to reference the original Doomsday (the one created on Krypton). When Snyder was building the world of Man of Steel, he came up with the idea that the first Doomsday actually destroyed this moon based on how it was accidentally shattered in the comics. Ultimately, this clever bit of worldbuilding serves to foreshadow the powerful threat Superman would eventually have to face in his sequel film.
16.Knightmare Robin — Batman v Superman
Many audiences have been hoping to see Batman's Boy Wonder appear onscreen. However, we secretly saw Robin in the form of Carrie Kelley, the woman who took up his mantle in The Dark Knight Returns. While she isn't in costume, Zack Snyder has confirmed that she is the woman holding a machine gun out a window during the Knightmare sequence in Batman v Superman.
15.Star Sapphire — Man of Steel
You might remember General Swanwick's assistant swooning over the Man of Steel after he destroyed a satellite. This woman was Carol Ferris, who is commonly known as Green Lantern's comic-book love interest, as well as his adversary, Star Sapphire.
14.Mercy Graves — Batman v Superman
In Batman v Superman, Lex Author was frequently seen with an assistant and personal bodyguard that was extremely loyal to him. This woman is Mercy Graves, who first appeared in Superman: The Animated Series and ended up becoming a fan-favorite. Too bad Luthor killed her when he blew up the Capitol Building.
13.President Orm — Batman v Superman
While Patrick Wilson has appeared in the DCEU as Aquaman's evil brother, Orm, he actually appeared much earlier. Wilson starred as the President of the United States in Batman v Superman, where he is only heard talking to General Swanwick over the phone during the battle with Doomsday. This isn't the first time Wilson worked with Snyder, as he starred as Nite Owl II in his adaptation of Watchmen.
12.Kryptonian Ship A.I.
Whenever the characters enter the Fortress of Solitude, the ship's artificially intelligent computer is frequently heard talking to them. The A.I. is voiced by Carla Gugino, who fans know as the first Silk Spectre in Watchmen (and who was also Snyder's choice to portray Catwoman in the DCEU).
11.Remains of the Justice League — Zack Snyder's Justice League
When the Justice League attempts to revive Superman, Cyborg is given a vision of a future in which Darkseid brainwashes the Man of Steel and takes over the Earth. At the end of it, we see the remains of the Hall of Justice, along with Aquaman's trident, Wonder Woman's Shield, Batman's cowl, and a dead Green Lantern. You can even see pieces of the playing card Joker gave Batman fluttering in the wind.
10.Death and Rebirth — Zack Snyder's Justice League
As the Flash speeds through the Fortress of Solitude to revive Superman, we see the Mother Box slowly fall into the waters of the Genesis Chamber, along with a photo of Clark's father, Jonathan. But due to the Flash's time-reversing powers, we see both objects rise back up, symbolizing the death and rebirth of the Man of Steel.
9.1938 — Batman v Superman
When Clark argues with his boss, Perry White, he states that the Daily Planet stood for something when it was founded. White responds by saying Clark could stand for something, too, if it was 1938, but that "it's not 1938 anymore." This is a reference to Superman's first appearance in the same year, which adds to Zack Snyder's argument that the pure and idealized Man of Steel people knew and loved back then can't exist in the modern world.
8.Horses — Batman v Superman
These animals are a recurring symbol of death in Batman v Superman. Clark's father recounts how he inadvertently killed the horses at the neighboring farm, a horse is seen screaming after the Capitol Building is bombed, and they are seen during Superman's two funerals. There is even a rocking horse onscreen when Steppenwolf appears in Russia in Zack Snyder's Justice League.
7.Sword of Alexander — Batman v Superman
When Bruce encounters Diana at an art gala, he sees her looking at a replica of the Blade of Alexander, which he used to cut the Gordian Knot. This is a clever callback to Watchmen, as the villain Ozymandias planned to save the world from nuclear war by faking a terrorist attack by Dr. Manhattan. This was his way of cutting the Gordian Knot, and Lex Luthor tries to do the same by killing Superman. In fact, his creation of Doomsday reflects how Ozymandias created an alien monster to fulfill his goal in the comics.
6.Keys — Zack Snyder's Justice League
Keys are repeatedly seen in Zack Snyder's Justice League. The terrorist that Wonder Woman battles uses a key to activate a bomb; a woman that Cyborg helps was locked out of her apartment; the Flash uses a key to enter his secret hideout; and Cyborg uses a makeshift key to activate the Genesis Chamber. Lois Lane is even called the key to Superman's heart after Bruce recounts the warning the time-traveling Flash gave in a dream. The fact that Lois's death is what allows Darkseid to brainwash the Man of Steel implies that all these keys are meant to build up to his turn to the dark side.
5.Excalibur — Batman v Superman
Fans of Zack Snyder may know that his favorite film is the King Arthur epic Excalibur, which he actually referenced in the film. At the start of Batman v Superman, a young Bruce Wayne is seen leaving a theater screening the film with his parents before their untimely deaths. This film is also referenced when Superman and Doomsday fatally stab each other during their final battle, as their positions mirror that of Arthur and his evil son, Mordred, when they kill each other in the same way.
4.The Kryptonian Thrones — Man of Steel
Everyone knows that Superman's homeworld blew up after he was born, and in the DCEU, it was destroyed due to the government's mining of the planet's core. This fact is symbolized by the design of the thrones for the planet's supreme council. They match the pillars of fire seen shooting out from the ground as Krypton blows up, emphasizing how this apocalypse was their fault.
3.The 1% Quote — Batman v Superman
When Bruce argues with Alfred about the threat Superman poses, the former claims that if there is a 1% chance he could hurt the human race, that it has to be taken as an absolute certainty. This quote was actually inspired by one from former US Vice President Dick Cheney concerning the War on Terror, emphasizing the film's allegory about said war and the political divide surrounding it.
2.Flash Forges His Own Path — Zack Snyder's Justice League
Probably the most beloved scene from Zack Snyder's Justice League was when the Flash used the Speed Force to run back in time to undo the destruction of Earth. As he rushes back to his friends inside Steppenwolf's fortress, the road beneath him begins to build itself back together. This is an ingenious reference to his father's speech about how he should "make [his] own future." In this scene, the Flash is literally making his own path forward as he runs to create a peaceful future for all of existence. Seriously, how did we not get to see this in theaters?!
1.The League in the Sun — Zack Snyder's Justice League
In Man of Steel, an A.I. of Superman's father, Jor-El, states that he "will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive for," and that eventually, they will "join [him] in the sun." This prophecy comes to fruition at the end of Zack Snyder's Justice League when Superman and his five allies stand together in the sunlight after their victory against Steppenwolf. Let's just pray that audiences will get to see more of them and that Warner Bros. will #RestoretheSnyderVerse.
