The newest season of Fortnite has been out for a little under a week now, and fans are still exploring exactly what Chapter 2, Season 3 has in store. The latest update of the game plunged a huge portion of its map underwater, creating a wildly different ecosystem for players to do battle in. That aquatic setting has inspired a whole lot of other changes, including a ton of new cosmetics and emotes, a crossover with Aquaman, and the appearance of sharks throughout the game. The “loot sharks” prove to be a pretty formidable foe, jumping out of the water to hit players that shoot at them. If you keep out of harm’s way while shooting the loot sharks, you might end up getting some extra weapons or ammunition — and, eventually, a pretty awesome Achievement. Once you do exactly 1,966 points of damage on any loot shark in Fortnite, you’ll unlock the “Shark Repellent” Achievement, which provides an endearing Easter egg to Adam West‘s iteration of Batman.
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West’s onscreen portrayal of the Dark Knight began in (you guessed it) 1966 with the first episode of the Batman TV series, a year that has been associated with that iteration of the character ever since. The “Shark Repellent” of it all is a reference to an iconic scene in the 1966 movie, in which Batman uses a can of Shark Repellent spray to ward off an attacking shark. (That also, actually, isn’t the first time Batman has canonically used the spray, as he did the same in the 1958 comic Batman #117.)
While some of Fortnite‘s players might not catch the significance of the “Shark Repellent” reference, it still is an endearing allusion to one of the weirdest and most delightful Batman scenes in the Caped Crusader’s history. And given the game’s existing relationship with DC – including doing a whole in-game crossover event with Batman in the fall of 2019, and offering playable skins for Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn – it feels pretty fitting.
What do you think of Fortnite‘s Batman ’66 Easter egg? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
