Rocksteady’s Batman games are more than just perfect Batman simulators. They’re also filled with numerous nods to the history of the franchise, from across a wide variety of media.
Arkham Knight is no different, as it contains a treasure trove of Easter eggs to Batman lore. Here’s just some of the stuff uncovered so far.
The Ghost in Gray
You’ll see plenty of posters dotted around Gotham City, but it’s this particular one which will strike the nostalgia parts of your brain, if you grew up on Batman cartoons. The Ghost in Gray is a clear nod to The Grey ghost, a character that popped up in the 1990s Batman animated series, a movie vigilante which inspired Bruce Wayne as a child.
The Gray Ghost was also voiced by the 1960s caped Crusader, Adam West. The episode itself is actually pretty damn good. Watch a snippet of it here if you have the chance.
LexCorp
Wayne Industries isn’t the only business in Gotham. Superman’s arch-nemesis Lex Luthor also has divisions within the city, with LexCorp billboards placed everywhere. If you listen to your answering machine in Lucious Fox’s office in Wayne Industries, you can even hear a few calls from Luthor himself, wondering why Bruce Wayne has been avoiding him lately…
Birds of Prey
Check out the computers in the base of the Clock Tower where Oracle operates from: you’ll see a logo pertaining to the other crime-fighting group that she manages, the Birds of Prey. Usually made up of the Black Canary, Huntress and a rotating cast of extras, they help police Gotham and the rest of the world from super-powered threats.
Queen Industries
And right there in Gotham, is a reference to another DC hero. Green Arrow may fight crime at night, but during the day he keeps a public profile in check as Oliver Queen, the current CEO of Queen Industries. Or that fella from the TV series that isn’t half-bad.
Martian Manhunter
Over in the GCPD, you can see the usual names on the shift list. As well as one John Jones, the human alias of Justice League founding member, the Martian Manhunter
Kairi Tanaga
Another Batman animated series reference! In the show, Kairi Tanaga was a potent martial artist who studied with Bruce Wayne under the guidance of their sensei, Yoru. This was during the time that Wayne travelled the world and acquired the skills necessary to become the Batman.
There was an unspoken attraction between the two, as well as a mutual respect. In fact, Wayne respected her so much, that he sent his successor Terry McGinnis to learn martial arts from her in the spin-off show Batman Beyond.
Metamorpho
On the Stagg industries airship, you’ll come across research notes for the Morphogenetic procedure. An experiment which eventually produced Metamorpho, reluctant hero who would end up joining Batman and his Outsiders team in the future.
Hellblazer
Looks like another detective has set up shop in town. Better watch out for John Constantine however. He’s not the kind of guy you want watching your back.
Batman 1966
If you ever watched the classic Batman live-action series that starred Adam West, then you’d remember his Bat-Cave. A Bat-Cave that was accessible by decapitating a bust of famed wordsmith William Shakespeare and activating a button in his neck cavity. And in Arkham Knight, the tradition continues!
Arkham Asylum: Hell on Earth
If there’s one comic book that provided some key influences in the original Batman: Arkham Asylum game, it has to be Arkham Asylum: A Serious House. There’s plenty of graffitti on the walls of Gotham. And this masterpiece is a clear reference to that comic.
Clayface
Before he was a gigantic spa day mud pit, Basil Karlo was also one of the finest actors of his generation! A pity that he became something else in Arkham City.
The Dark Knight
Looks like Christopher Nolan’s Batman is getting some attention, as PC players found the files to a Dark Knight batsuit inside the game.
There’s most likely a TON more references hidden within the game. If you listen to thugs, you can hear them rattle off locations from around the DC Universe, such as Keystone City and Santa Prisca. And I’m going to hunt every single reference down, when I play this game.
Last Updated: June 29, 2015
Hammersteyn
June 29, 2015 at 15:46
Warner Brothers with egg on their faces should be an Easter egg as well.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 29, 2015 at 15:56
Console players are enjoying their easter eggs while PC players would be happy with an xmas pressie heh.
Hammersteyn
June 29, 2015 at 16:04
Not me though, GOTY or bust
DrKiller
June 29, 2015 at 16:57
So much for the “Master Race” 🙂
Admiral Chief's Adventure
June 29, 2015 at 15:56
Hahahaha
adampoole
June 30, 2015 at 11:43
there’s the Black Canary Club that you see at the beginning of the game and there’sa movie poster in the Clock Tower called Dark Interlude that says stars “Matthew Hagen and Stella Bates” .. Matt Hagen..aka Clayface on Batman TAS and Stella Bates aka the woman that helped Clayface on the Batman TAS episode “Mudslide” where Clayface was falling apart