10 Major DCEU Hints That Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Dropped

Unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which had a bunch of solo films for its heroes before The Avengers, DC’s version – most commonly dubbed the DC Extended Universe – only really has Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice to lead the way before the two-part Justice League movie event arrives in the next few years. As such, BvS is packed to the rafters with call-forwards and hints at what is to come in the DCEU. Some of these are small and easily-missed, while others might as well be accompanied by a neon sign coming up on screen saying “this will be important later.” The weight of what the movie had to do was a big reason why it was so highly-anticipated – but also a big reason why people have reacted negatively to it. But, forgetting how well they were inserted, it is hugely exciting to see these upcoming events teased. So, on that note, here are the 10 biggest hints that Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice dropped about the future of the DCEU. Did you catch them all? 10) Bald Luthor It wasn’t much of a surprise when Lex Luthor had his head shaved before being put in jail at the end of BvS - thereby completing the character’s classic bald-headed look. The change of appearance though suggests that, when the character next turns up, he might be a lot closer to the usual image of Lex (a formidable criminal megalomaniac) than the version that we saw here (a twitchy rich kid). This might not be the case, of course, as Jesse Eisenberg doesn’t really alter his performance in the scene where Batman interrogates him. However, we still think it’s a strong possibility – certainly after the hate the character is getting from some quarters. Speaking of that scene, the fact that Batman does not 'bat-brand' Luthor hints that the superhero will also alter his ways to his usual 'no killing' rule in future films, rather than the ultra-violent approach he takes in Batman V Superman. 9) Bruce And Diana The bulk of Wonder Woman’s screen time in BvS (though she still didn’t get nearly as much as she should have) saw her share scenes with Bruce Wayne, as the billionaire investigates who Diana Prince really is after meeting her at Luthor’s party. Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot’s chemistry in these scenes, plus the character’s playfulness with each other, hints that the two superheroes might become romantically-linked in future films. The fact that the end of the movie seems to suggest that they will be the ones to bring the Justice League together (more on that later) also teases that the pair will grow closer. The Batman/Wonder Woman romance is a long-time favourite of many fans, with a ‘will they/won’t they’ aspect given to the characters in the popular Justice League animated series. If the DCEU did go down this route, then, it would probably get a lot of fan-support. 8) Wonder Woman’s Photo Before the grand reveal of Wonder Woman helping Bats and Supes to defeat Doomsday (thanks again for spoiling that, trailers!), we got to see Diana suited up in an old grainy photo of her from World War I – taken from Lex’s hacked files. The photo sets up the plot of the Wonder Woman solo film that's due to be released in 2017. The movie, directed by Patty Jenkins, will take place during that period of history. Diana tells Bruce in the final scene that she retreated from Man’s World for the whole of the 20th century, and in her solo film, we'll presumably find out just what pushed her into doing that. At least, we hope we will. Likewise, next to Diana in the photo you can clearly see Star Trek’s Chris Pine, who has been cast in Wonder Woman as the Amazon's usual love interest, Steve Trevor. 7) Luthor’s Metahuman Files Many have mocked the fact that Luthor – in between manipulating Batman and Superman and creating a Kryptonian abomination – had time to devise superhero logos for the four metahumans he has detected. To be fair, though, the guy is clearly obsessed with superheroes. Convenient it may be, but the scenes in which Bruce and Diana go through Lex’s files neatly introduce each of the members of the soon-to-be Justice League. There’s security camera footage of the Flash foiling a store robbery, a recording of Cyborg’s creation and clips of Aquaman swimming around a shipwreck. The scenes give us our first glimpses of Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher (though he is mainly in pain in the background) and Jason Momoa in action, teasing the heroes’ proper arrivals later down the line. And, as we all know, this isn't our only look at The Flash in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. 6) Flash’s Cameo Batman V Superman makes the interesting decision to repeatedly feature dream sequences throughout the narrative, thereby nabbing the movie a few more cameos (such as getting Kevin Costner back as Jonathan Kent). The best of the bunch, however, is The Flash’s appearance in one of Bruce’s dreams. Or visions of the future. Or whatever they are. While the character doesn’t sport the Flash’s costume and/or resemble Ezra Miller from the CCTV footage, the fact that he seems to have travelled back in time means it has got to be the Flash. As fans of The Flash TV series know, this is something the guy can do. The character apparently heralds from a terrible future where Superman has gone bad, just as Bruce feared he would (he also talks of Lois Lane being “the key”). We don't have too many answers on what exactly's going on just yet, but we've got a feeling he has just come from the dystopia witnessed in the following scene… 5) Bruce’s Knightmare A sequence that was heavily featured in the trailers saw Batman decked out in trench coat and goggles in the desert. In context, the scene merely appears to be a dream of Bruce’s – fans are calling it "the Knightmare scene." However, a few details suggest that it is actually a vision of the future. Most significantly, Superman has gone rogue here, commanding an army of soldiers (they have the S insignia on their uniforms) and hunting for the Bat. When the Man of Steel captures him he tells Bruce how “she was my world, and you took her from me.” Matching this with the fact that Clark later tells Lois “you are my world” and Flash’s talk of her being the key, it seems that things are not going to turn out very well for Ms. Lane in the future of the DCEU. 4) Robin’s Costume After we saw a shot of an old Robin costume with laughing graffiti all over it in the trailer, fans were hoping that the Joker would turn up in the movie. Sadly, this wasn’t the case (couldn’t you have chucked him in a post-credits scene, DC?), but that glimpse of Robin’s outfit still gives us enough to chew on. The defaced costume heavily hints that a big reason why this older Batman is so embittered is because his sidekick Robin has been killed by the Joker. As comics fans will know, when the Joker killed the second Robin, Jason Todd, Bruce put his costume on display in the Batcave as a monument to his fallen partner. The same thing seems to have happened here. No doubt this tragic event in the past will be more explored in Batman’s upcoming solo film – or perhaps even in Suicide Squad, which we know will feature Jared Leto’s Joker and a cameo from Batman. 3) Clark’s Coffin One of the big shocks of the film was the death of Superman at the climax. Though the presence of Doomsday should have told us it would happen, it was still a surprise when Superman gave his life to defeat the monster. It was also an act that seems to have had the effect of bringing the other superheroes together in his honour. Of course, we all know that Supes isn’t really dead, and the final shot of the film - a lingering look at Clark Kent’s coffin - does nothing to persuade us otherwise. Earlier in the film, we saw the Man of Steel heal himself after being blasted with a nuclear bomb, so a stab wound in comparison is a pretty minor thing to recover from. In the comics, Superman’s 'death' at the hands of Doomsday actually results in him falling into a deep healing coma, and we're willing to bet that the same thing has happened to him here. 2) The Demons In The Sky Lex Luthor’s main motivation in his quest to bring down Superman is that he fears the unknown power that the hero represents, repeatedly comparing him to the demons in a painting he owns. When Batman visits him in prison, he mentions the demons in the sky again – and warns him that the film's events have got the attention of something big. Quite how he knows this isn’t clear – but then again, Bruce himself has also had a similar premonition. His aforementioned dream scene featured winged creatures reminiscent of those in Lex’s painting. What’s more, Bruce sees an Omega symbol burned into the desert. A symbol associated with one very important character in DC lore... If you put all these clues together it becomes clear that these are some heavy hints at the arrival of Darkseid. A big blue alien overlord, it has been rumoured for a while now that the villain will be the big bad of the Justice League movies. 1) “We Have To Stand Together” As previously discussed, after Superman’s demise during the climax, Bruce and Diana chat at his graveside about what happens next. Completely the opposite of his opinion at the start of the film, Bruce decides that they need to track down the other metahumans that Lex had been watching and form a team. He now realizes that people like them need to stick together, not fight. Obviously, this is a direct lead-in to the creation of the Justice League. In contrast to what you might expect (not to mention comic book lore), it seems that the most famous loner of the team – Batman – will be the one to bring them all together. However muddled Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice may be, then, the enormous amount of hints at what is to come at least present a lot of hope that things will get bigger and better in future. Bring on the Justice League, DC!