It’s also an important location in Batman: Arkham City. In the comics, the fancy upmarket bar first appeared in 1995’s Detective Comics #683. Though it’s hardly surprising seeing as this is a story about the early days of the Penguin, we get a new vision of the Iceberg Lounge here. The controversial character was added to the comics and the TV series to make the notion of two men living alone less homoerotic… seeing as Reeves is a big ’66 fan, this is likely a nod to Harriet. Fans of Batman ’66 likely immediately made the connection to the series’ Aunt Harriet. The elder woman is named Dory and seems to act as a housekeeper and secretary. In the beautiful and unexpectedly gothic Wayne manor, Bruce and Alfred live alongside a third party. Good creepy stuff from Reeves who is clearly a huge fan of horror cinema. As he strangles the DA from behind, the car begins to fog up. Then, when the nefarious criminal kidnaps Gil Coulson in his car, we get another nod. In the opening murder, the Riddler steps out from the darkness, emerging from the shadows just like the Shape. Keeping it spooky, The Batman also features two direct references to the iconic John Carpenter movie Halloween. Another interesting thing that the film takes from The Long Halloween is the friendship between Bruce’s father and Carmine Falcone after Thomas Wayne saved the mob boss’ life. Although the movie is in no way a direct adaptation, it’s clear that The Batman is taking inspiration from the thrilling mystery. The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale tells the tale of a series of killings in Gotham. It’s an appropriately eerie moment that also nods to one of the big comic book influences of the movie. The Long Halloweenīruce reveals that the murder took place on Halloween. The former of which played a large part in shaping Matt Reeves’ vision for The Batman. But it also references the classic Batman: Year One story arc and its less well known follow up, Year Two. That’s made text in the film by showing his notebook that says “Gotham Project: Year Two.” It’s a nice way to let people know where Bruce is at. Instead, it follows Bruce in his second year as Batman. Lots has been made about how this film is not an origin story. This is a Batman who regularly fights multiple foes at once and uses whatever’s around him. When Batman begins his brutal beatdown, the melee style fight feels really Arkham. But that’s not the popular game franchise’s only impact. If you’ve played the Arkham games then you might have noticed the gang looks similar to the Joker gangs that roam the streets. And they have another likely inspiration too… The Influence of the Arkham Games The crew also looks a lot like the Mutant Gangs from Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley’s iconic The Dark Knight Returns. The gang immediately evokes Walter Hill’s classic street gang movie, The Warriors. But soon out of the shadows steps vengeance. Attempting to initiate a new gang member into their crew, they corner their victim. A group of face-painted youths follow a man off a train. One of the big Batman action scenes comes early on in the movie. Does he really make things better? Or does his presence inspire more crime and chaos? Mutant Gang, Come Out to Play It’s a great acknowledgement of one of the biggest and most constant conversations about Batman. As Batman describes his burgeoning time as the hero, he realizes a brutal truth: since he took on the mantle things have only gotten worse. This little moment is one of our favorite kinds of references. In the issue, Harvey Kent (nee Dent) is the DA prosecuting Moroni (nee Maroni), who throws acid in Harvey’s face and creates his villainous alter ego. First debuting in 1942’s Detective Comics #66, Maroni played a key part in the origin of another famed Batman villain, Two-Face. On the wall of Don Mitchell’s home we see a newspaper celebrating a huge drug bust on “Maroni.” Bat-fans will know that Boss Maroni is a long running foe of the Caped Crusader. This was one of the first Easter eggs/clues that eagle-eyed fans caught in the first trailer for The Batman. It’s a clear homage, and just like Zodiac it immediately unsettles the audience and sets up the harrowing tone of the film. ![]() Speaking of Zodiac, The Batman echoes that film’s opening as it begins with a brutal murder set to unsettlingly peaceful song. Not only is the Riddler based on the real life Zodiac Killer, but Fincher’s Zodiac movie about that crime and his serial killer thriller Se7en are both clear influences. David Fincher’s fingerprints are all over The Batman.
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