The trailer for the Justice League Snyder cut includes a brief Knightmare scene stuffed with Easter eggs. Here are all the ones we found.
How many DC Easter eggs can be found in the Justice League Snyder cut's Knightmare scene? In Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Bruce Wayne envisioned a dystopian future with an evil version of Superman and a barren, desert landscape branded with the Omega symbol. Dubbed "Knightmare" after the comic arc that inspired the scene, Bruce's vision was a tease of things to come and an exciting glimpse into Zack Snyder's broader plans for the DCEU. When Warner Bros. abandoned Snyder's long-term plan, however, the meaning behind the Knightmare changed.
Flash was able to avert this grim future by going back in time and warning Bruce that Lois Lane was the key to everything, leading Batman to recruit Lois as his "big gun." Nevertheless, fans couldn't escape the feeling that there was more to the initial Knightmare plan, and few were surprised when the recent Justice League Snyder cut trailer included more shots from the Knightmare timeline. In amongst the footage of Superman's black suit, Flash rescuing Iris West and the Justice League doing battle, Snyder offers another look at his arid DC dystopia. It's not clear from the trailer alone how this scene will fit into the wider narrative of the 4-hour Snyder cut, but changing this future will involve more than just Flash muttering Lois' name in Bruce's dreams.
In the ruins of the Knightmare future, there's plenty of opportunity to hide Easter eggs amidst the rubble, and Zack Snyder takes full advantage of the camouflage. Fans have spotted a litany of secrets in the trailer's Knightmare, which bodes well for how the storyline will play out in the Snyder cut. Here are the hidden treasures we found.
Immediately, the Snyder cut's Knightmare scene draws eyes towards a huge arch with "Justice League" inscribed upon it. This is from the DCEU's version of the Hall of Justice, the League's traditional base of operations from the comic books. Most depictions of the Hall of Justice in DC's history are arc-shaped buildings, and some feature "Hall of Justice" written across the front, similar to the broken arch in this Knightmare shot. It appears that this future takes place after Bruce officially forms the Justice League and establishes their HQ, although the establishment has since been brought down by the arrival of Darkseid.
In Justice League, it's strongly suggested that Bruce plans to turn Wayne Manor into the Hall of Justice (way to keep a secret identity), therefore the ruins seen here in the Snyder cut trailer are most likely those of Batman's family home, long after the conversion was completed. It remains to be seen exactly how much time passes between the official formation of the Justice League and the construction of their eponymous hall, and the building's destruction.
After the camera swoops over the broken Hall of Justice arch, an Omega symbol is revealed, burned into the open landscape in front of a decimated Gotham City. An identical sign can also be seen emblazoned upon Darkseid's chest in the Snyder cut trailer. The Justice League's Omega symbol looks to be the very same as the one from the beginning of Batman V Superman's Knightmare sequence when Bruce Wayne emerges from his Bat-bunker and looks out across the plain with his binoculars.
DC comics fans will be fully aware of the significance behind this Omega symbol. Darkseid was originally known as Uxas, and only took the Darkseid moniker after absorbing the mysterious, ancient power of Omega. This upgrade was a significant step in transforming Darkseid into one of DC's most formidable villains and took him closer to his ultimate goal of conquering free will via the anti-life equation. Powered by the Omega Effect, Darkseid would use the corresponding symbol as his brand logo. By scorching the sign into the Earth, Darkseid is claiming dominance over the planet in Justice League.
After the Snyder cut trailer dropped, one particular Knightmare Easter egg was doing the rounds on social media - a Joker playing card. This hidden gem fluttered across the screen like comic book tumbleweed, but when paused, the familiar image of Joker's literal calling card can be made out. This would've belonged to Jared Leto's version of Joker as seen in 2016's Suicide Squad, but one of these cards was tied to Batman's machine gun in the original Batman V Superman Knightmare sequence. The Snyder cut's card could be the very same one from Batman's gun, now ominously floating in the wind, or a different Joker memento that Bruce kept in the Batcave. Either way, the abandoned Joker card shows how the villains of old have been replaced with something much worse in this dark future.
One of the more inconspicuous Easter eggs in the Justice League Knightmare is a portrait of Bruce's father, Thomas Wayne. The fallen picture can be seen to the far left of shot and depicts the Jeffrey Dean Morgan Thomas Wayne introduced in Batman V Superman. Ever since time travel in the DCEU became a possibility, fans have wondered whether Thomas Wayne would feature as a Flashpoint alternate version of Batman, with Morgan himself high on the idea. Although there hasn't been any firm indication that Thomas Wayne will return, this Easter egg could be a small nod towards a possible future role for Batman's dad. The portrait's presence also supports the idea that the Knightmare scene takes place where Wayne Manor once stood.
Poking into a fallen piece of rubble just in front of the Justice League arch is the trident that once belonged to Aquaman. The fact that Arthur Curry's weapon is among the crumbled ruins of the Hall of Justice isn't an encouraging sign for the future of the League, implying that Aquaman might've fallen during a dramatic last stand against Darkseid when the villain attacked Earth in this timeline. Interestingly, the weapon is Atlan's Trident as seen in 2018's Aquaman solo movie. Arthur uses his mother's Quindent in Justice League, and the Snyder cut will include additional scenes that explain where this original weapon came from. Seeing the most prized weapon in Atlantis abandoned is another indication of the Knightmare future's severity.
And Aquaman's trident isn't the only ancient relic lying around the ruins of the Knightmare world - slightly to the right of frame, the familiar outline of Wonder Woman's shield can be made out. As with Arthur's trident, the discarded shield is another hint that a major battle took place between Darkseid and the Justice League, with the heroes coming off much worse. The death of Diana Prince would be a bitter blow to Earth, but the image of her famous shield lying bent and broken in the ruins of Justice League HQ certainly alludes to that tragic outcome. The sorry state of Wonder Woman's shield is an omen in itself, since the item was able to defend Diana from the awesome power of Doomsday.
When Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne became an adult, he opted to move out of Wayne Manor and live in his family's luxurious nearby lake house, which also provided access to the Batcave. As the camera moves past the dilapidated Justice League arch, a small cliff can be seen on the far right, which could be the former site of the Wayne lake house. The building was situated close to Wayne manor, and there's a faint outline of ruins atop the cliff that might represent the remains of the contemporary glass structure. Without diving into natural geography too much, this could mean the gulf where Darkseid left his Omega symbol was previously the lake Bruce Wayne would look out upon each morning, giving extra meaning to the Knightmare sequence in Batman V Superman, where he looks upon the same view now ruined by terraforming. Only Zack Snyder's cut of Justice League holds the answers.
