‘Justice League’ Footage Reveals Nod to ‘The Dark Knight Returns’

Justice League has yet to make its official debut, but fans are already spotting some of its comic book homages, including a subtle Batman one.

While the Justice League marketing team is currently celebrating “Batman Week”, the Easter egg was actually spotted in a Wonder Woman-centric featurette from the week before. In it, Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is shown talking with Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) in front of a lake. And as some fans have pointed out, Batman’s street clothes look pretty similar to an outfit he wears in The Dark Knight Returns.

The iconic comic book storyline saw Bruce in plenty of different outfits, including a tan jacket and black shirt at the tail end of the book. While the character is seen wearing a different color shirt in the Batman: The Dark Knight Returns animated film, the green setting does make both shots look pretty similar.

Seeing Justice League homage The Dark Knight Returns certainly shouldn’t surprise some, as the book has been a huge inspiration for director Zack Snyder’s DCEU footprint. The concept of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice essentially spun out of The Dark Knight Returns‘ final act, and the film itself included plenty of visual Easter eggs for fans to notice.

Justice League‘s debut is officially two weeks away, and it’s safe to say that hype is growing for the upcoming Warner Bros. film. And according to Affleck, the portrayal will provide fans with a new, more heartfelt side of The Dark Knight.

“For Bruce, he’s having to open up and play well with other because he knows he needs them,” Affleck reflected in an interview last month. “So while he doesn’t lose sight of how serious the threat is, he’s humanized by the Flash’s earnestness, Diana’s warmth, even Aquaman’s needling.”

Justice League will debut in theaters on November 17th.