10 Easter Eggs And Nods In Joker That You Might’ve Missed

Joker is finally in cinemas, meaning fans can now make their own judgements on what must be one of the most controversial comic book movies in recent years. Once you set aside the arguably overblown debate about the dangers of making a film from the supervillain's point of view, though, it's best to judge it on its own merits. And Warner Bros. must be pleased that most have judged it to be a success, with a certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a big opening weekend haul in store at the box office. It's also a movie that'll please film fans due to its very cinematically literate direction and script, which pays homage to many classics. What's more, this being a DC film, there are naturally a few easter eggs to the wider Batman mythology in there, too. If you've seen Joker, feel free to read on and discover some of the most notable easter eggs and references that you may have missed the first time around. If you haven't seen it yet, though, you might want to come back later as I'll be touching on some pretty big spoilers from start to finish. The King Of Comedy Callbacks It's never been a secret that Joker is more influenced by Martin Scorsese movies than DC comics. After all, Scorsese was originally attached to produce before he became too busy with The Irishman. Well, sure enough, the callbacks to the director's works are very obvious in the film. The King of Comedy is probably the biggest influence on Joker. In the 1982 movie, Robert De Niro plays a mentally-disturbed failed comedian named Rupert Pupkin who idolizes Jerry Lewis' successful TV host, Jerry Langford. In Joker, Joaquin Phoenix plays a mentally-disturbed failed comedian who idolizes TV host Murray Franklin - played by, guess who, Robert De Niro! The similarities go further than just the premise, as well. Arthur Fleck's habit of imagining himself on Franklin's show and being adored by the crowd echo Pupkin's own delusions of much the same nature. At some point early on, Fleck even dons a plaid blazer that recalls a similar item worn by Pupkin. "You Talkin' To Me?" Another Scorsese influence on Joker is Taxi Driver, which again stars De Niro as an unhinged character. Even if you haven't seen the movie, you're no doubt familiar with the famous scene in which De Niro's character Travis Bickle practices with a gun while standing topless in front of a mirror in his dingy apartment. This gave us the famous "You talkin' to me?" line. Joker features an homage to this scene, with Fleck doing much the same while topless in his own dingy living room. There's no mirror involved, but like Bickle, Fleck is pretending to threaten someone and practicing appearing intimidating with the weapon. The depiction of Gotham City, home to riots and rising crime rates, is also similar to the presentation of a burned-out, morally-decaying post-Vietnam New York in Taxi Driver. What's more, Thomas Wayne reimagined as a mayoral candidate Fleck obsesses over recalls Harvey Keitel's role in TD as a presidential candidate that Bickle plans to assassinate. Alfred Pennyworth As You've Never Seen Him Before Speaking of the Waynes, this is Joker, so we don't spend a lot of time with them, but there is one sequence set in the grounds of Wayne Manor that'll please Batman fans. After he discovers his mother's belief that he's the illegitimate son of Thomas Wayne, Fleck visits the stately home of Gotham's richest family. He briefly plays with young Bruce, before a British employee pulls the boy away and has an altercation with Fleck. This character isn't named on-screen, but you probably guessed who it was even before the credits confirmed it. Yes, this is indeed Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce's faithful butler. Playing him is Douglas Hodge, who you might know from his roles in the likes of Black Mirror, Lost in Space and Red Sparrow. Much like Thomas Wayne, this isn't the typical portrayal of Alfred we're used to. Sure, he's just trying to get the kid he cares for away from this creepy intruder, but he still comes across as a bit of a jerk in his interactions with Fleck. Young Bruce Wayne Sticking with this scene for a moment, we can perhaps infer something from the identity of the young actor picked to play the young Batman in Joker. Little Bruce is portrayed by Dante Pereira-Olson, who previously starred as the child version of Joaquin Phoenix's character in 2017's You Were Never Really Here. It's possible the actor was simply cast because Phoenix could vouch for him from their previous collaboration, but the fact that the two have played the same character before definitely creates a connection between Bruce and Fleck. Is this supposed to hint that the pair are actually brothers and Arthur's mother was telling the truth about his parentage? What's more, when Arthur calls the kid over from his treehouse, Bat-fans will probably take notice of how Bruce slides down a pole to get there. This has to be a nod to the Bat-pole that led to the Batcave in the 1960s Batman TV show. Modern Times When Arthur Fleck sneaks into a theater to confront Thomas Wayne, he disguises himself as an usher and slips into a showing of Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times. The film was deliberately chosen by director Todd Phillips as it was another of his influences on Joker. In Modern Times, Chapin's Tramp character struggles to keep up with the way the world is today and, by the end of the movie, elects to get himself locked up in prison. This is essentially Arthur Fleck's arc in Joker. The last time we see him, he's been incarcerated at Arkham due to admitting to his murders on TV and killing Franklin live on air. "I think you'd have to watch Modern Times because we believe there is some Chaplin in Arthur that I think is really important," Phillips explained to IGN. Cameos There are numerous cameos from famous faces that you might've missed in Joker as they only feature in minor roles. Let's go through a few of them. One of the most notable is the administrative clerk at Arkham State Hospital who gives Arthur the file on his mother. He's played by Brian Tyree Henry, who's previously voiced Jefferson Davies, Miles' father, in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. He'll soon play Phastos in Marvel's The Eternals. So, this role means he's now turned up in three different superhero universes. Elsewhere, remember when Arthur watches a clip of fictional actor Ethan Crane on Murray Franklin's show so he can copy the relaxed demeanour of the star? Well, Crane is actually played by Justin Theroux in a silent cameo. GLOW star - and outspoken comic book movie hater - Marc Maron also drops by for a short role as Franklin's manager, who warns against letting Arthur on the show in his clown make-up. Minor Comics Characters Joker isn't the sort of movie to fill its cast with characters from the comics, but a couple of supporting figures do share names with some very minor figures from the pages of DC. First of all, Arthur's social worker is named Debra Kane. You might think her surname is just a nod to Batman co-creator Bob Kane. That it may be, but the character was previously featured in the Batman: The Ultimate Evil storyline in which she's depicted as a social worker Bruce Wayne went to see after the death of his parents. Secondly, the two detectives who are on the tail of Fleck for the subway murders are named Garrity and Burke. There's no Garrity in the world of Batman comics as far as I know, but a Detective Thomas Burke was introduced in Detective Comics #748. He's described as the comedian of GCPD, which is ironic considering his no-nonsense attitude in the film. He doesn't appear on screen, but Penny Fleck's psychological evaluation was conducted by Dr. Benjamin Stoner, according to her Arkham file. Stoner was an Arkham doctor in numerous 1980s DC comics. The Killing Joke/The Dark Knight Returns If there are two comic book influences on Joker, it's The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight Returns, which also previously inspired the Dark Knight trilogy. The Killing Joke reveals that Joker was once a struggling stand-up comic who was living a poverty-stricken existence, which is a concept that Joker runs with, too. TKJ, however, has it taking just "one bad day" to turn this innocent man into the Joker while the movie paints it as the accumulation of an entire lifetime of bad days that transforms him. That said, Arthur does say he's "had a bad day" at one point, calling back to Alan Moore's graphic novel. As for The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller's seminal comic features a scene in which an apparently benign Joker appears on a talk show before ultimately revealing his sinister plans to kill the entire studio audience. Fleck doesn't go that far, but the way his initially harmless act devolves into killing Murray definitely recalls that moment. Real-World Criminals In keeping with Joker's more grounded depiction of a flamboyant supervillain like the Joker, there are a couple of references to real-world killers and criminals in the film. First of all, Arthur's murder of three Wall Street bankers who assault him on the subway recalls the actual case of Bernie Goetz, who shot four young men who he claimed were bothering him on the New York subway. Goetz's actions stirred up controversy but also made him something of a figurehead for vigilante justice, much like Fleck's murders whip up the "Kill the rich" hysteria in Gotham. More subtly, the comedy club that Arthur plays at - clips of which later appear on Murray Franklin's show - is called Pogo's. Pogo was the alias used by serial killer John Wayne Gacy who, like Fleck, had a career as a professional clown. The Importance Of Zorro By the end of the movie, chaos reigns on the streets of Gotham, whipped up by Arthur Fleck's actions. When the scene cuts to a movie theater which is showing Zorro, The Gay Blade, fans will immediately know what happens next - the riot is going to result in the deaths of the Waynes. You see, in most versions of the event, the Waynes have been to see a Zorro movie when they emerge and get killed by Joe Chill in Crime Alley. It's typically the classic The Mark of Zorro from 1940 but, to fit the timeframe of Joker, the movie changes it to 1981's The Gay Blade, which is a parody of the usual storyline. In fact, the choice of this version may tell us exactly when Joker is set. Posters for other movies on display at the theater include Wolfen, Arthur and Excalibur which - guess what? - also released in 1981. Interestingly, Excalibur was also on the marquee when young Bruce and his parents left the cinema at the beginning of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, creating a neat tie between Joker and the last time we saw the Waynes perish on the big screen.