Aquaman has a Man of Steel reference which is easy for the naked eye to miss.
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While Aquaman nor Man of Steel outright call to each other, some off-screen moments indicate a connection between both movies. The first came in Man of Steel when Clark Kent attempted to save employees on a burning and collapsing oil rig. After his efforts came up short, he was later discovered alive and well with a whale and its child, while the oil rig’s employees had been rescued. Later, Man of Steel director Zack Snyder confirmed this was the work of Aquaman, who had not yet debuted on the big screen.
Then came a reference to the moment in Aquaman. During a sequence which saw Arthur Curry’s half-brother Orm lecturing him about the actions of surface dwellers, polluting their seas and therefore world, they became surrounded by holograms. Among the holograms was an image of the oil rig burning down, a reference to the moment which saw Aquaman coming to Superman’s rescue.
Superman and Aquaman did not actually meet each other until Justice League brought them together, which could mean Arthur saved Clark without knowing he was saving Superman. Though Snyder may have had plans to reference the moment in his expansive universe, his efforts with DC movies were cut short after he transitioned out of the directorial role on Justice League. His interconnected films only extended to Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and parts of Justice League.
Whether or not Snyder intended for the sequence to be a factor in the overall narrative of the Aquaman movie villain’s motives is unknown. If so, he deserves a round of applause for such an impressive ability to plan ahead. It wouldn’t be surprising, considering Snyder seemed to have a well-though-out road map for the DC movie world which would have included time travel and other Easter eggs from prior films paying off further down the line.
Aquaman is now playing in theaters.
