'Birdman' Toy Parody Actually Reveals His Arch-Nemesis
Superhero movie culture has us so used to searching for clues in any scrap of video, sometimes we just can’t stop. Such is the case with this Birdman spot put out by Fox Searchlight after Alejandro González Iñárritu’s biting backstage dramedy took home a slew of Oscars on Sunday, including Best Director and Best Picture.
The ad in question: A very ’90s-style parody commercial for an action figure of Birdman, the superhero identity that Michael Keaton’s character, fading movie star Riggan Thomson, is trying to shed. The spot is fun on its own, but here’s where the revelation comes: Thomson is haunted by his alter ego throughout Birdman, and at one point, hallucinates an action sequence, which includes visions of a gigantic, fire-breathing bird on the top of a building.
Watch the moment in the trailer:
The audience is never told who or what that monster bird. But backstory nerds will notice that it appears in this parody commercial, and that the little Birdman fans are none too pleased by its arrival, shooting it with imaginary lasers. Further, in the description of the video, Fox Searchlight identifies the beast, calling it “Birdman’s arch-nemesis The Condor.”
Mystery solved. You’re welcome, fan fiction writers.
