Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Batman.
One of the best things about The Batman is that it’s more interested in story, tone, and character development than setting up a franchise or squeezing in fan-pleasing Easter eggs and cameos. But, obviously, it does all of those things, too, as fans would be disappointed if it didn’t. The Batman‘s references to the character’s past or to the wider DC universe are generally pretty subtle, though — like one unlikely nod to Batman’s campiest incarnation that you might have missed.
Spoilers incoming!
Just before Alfred (Andy Serkis) is caught in the explosion Riddler has set up for Bruce Wayne in Wayne Tower, the faithful family butler is working on decoding the serial killer’s cipher code. As pointed out by Syfy Wire, a statue can be seen to Alfred’s left on-screen. It’s only briefly featured, but this appears to be a bust of William Shakespeare, which must surely be a callback to the statue of the Bard that dwelled in Bruce Wayne’s study in the 1960s Batman TV series.
Whenever Adam West’s Caped Crusader wanted to access the Batcave (“To the Batcave, Robin!”), Bruce would lift up Shakespeare’s head to reveal a big red button which, when pushed, revealed the concealed Batpoles that led to the hero’s hideout underneath stately Wayne Manor. While The Batman‘s recreation of the bust appears to be made of marble or stone instead of bronze, like the original, this has to be a little wink to Batman ’66.
The Batman offers another parallel with West’s version, except this time on a more macro-level. As we all knew going in, the film sees Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight come up against the Riddler (Paul Dano), the Penguin (Colin Farrell), and Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz). What’s more, the Joker (Barry Keoghan) appears for a brief cameo, too. This mirrors the fact that these four villains starred in 1966’s Batman: The Movie, the big-screen spinoff of the show and the Bat’s very first feature-length outing.
Though you might not think it, then, The Batman has more connections to Batman ’66 than it initially appears. Holy unexpected development, Batman!
