Joker Easter eggs: 10 references to Batman (and beyond) you might have missed

Joker Easter eggs
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Joker movie isn’t all doom, gloom, and maniacal laughter. Scattered throughout are a series of lovingly-crafted Easter eggs that pay tribute to Batman’s storied history. There are even a couple of no🗹ds to director Todd Philli꧒ps’ back catalogue.

Whether it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo or a reference to the person who helped create Batman, you’ll find it all below in our thorough run-through of the biggest and best Joker Easter eggs &ndaꦰsh; with spoilers aplenty, soꦆ make sure you have watched Joaquin Phoenix’s Crown Prince of Crime take centre stage before diving in.

A night at the movies

Joker Easter eggs

(Image credit: 20th Century Fox)

The Gotham uprising in t𝔍he final act of the movie includes perhaps the most iconic moment in DC history: the shooting 𒊎of Thomas and Martha Wayne. It’s before this, when they rush out of the theater with son Bruce in tow, though, where this Easter egg is found.

On the marquee of the theater is “Zorro: The Gay Blade.” Not only does that help pinpoint the year Joker is set – most likely 1981 – but it also harken♏s back to a key component of ꧅Batman’s origin. He takes on the cape and cowl and uses Zorro as part-inspiration, depending on which origin tale you read.

Bat Pole

Joker Easter eggs

(Image credit: 20th Century Fox)

A fixture of the wonderfully silly ‘60s Batman series, the Bat Pole was maybe the last nod you'd expect to see in Joker. Still, it makes its way into the movie thanks to a shot💖 of Bruce sliding down a pole in Wayne Manor’s playground before walking towards Arthur at the ground&rsquo꧃;s gates.

Alfred's cameo

Joker Easter eggs

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Speaking of that skin-crawling scene between Bruce and Arthur, Alfred is also present in that run-in. While n🎀ever named (apart from the end credits), the British man roughed up by Arthur who leads Bruce away is none other than the stoic, loyal butler, Alfreꦦd Pennyworth, played by Douglas Hodge of Penny Dreadful fame.

A well-hidden Batman: The Animated Series reference

Joker Easter eggs

(Image credit: Warner Bros./DC)

This is a deep cut for Batman fans of a certain era. Murray Franklin’s talk ﷽show has a set complete with plenty of homages to the Golden Era of talk shows – as well as Robert De Niro’s own performance in Martin Scorsese’s King of Comedy. The skyline background, the way the stage is set up, and Franklin telling corny jokes – all straight out of the Late Night playbook. But it’s in the show’s logo itself where a Batman: The Animated Series Easter egg lies: the font for both ‘Live! With Murray Franklin’ and Batman: The Animated Series titles are exactly the same. Kudos to who꧂ever pitched that.

One character shares a surname with the Batman co-creator

Joker Easter eggs

(Image credit: DC/Warner Bros.)

One of Arthur’s earliest interactions (other than the gro🅘up of teenagers who bea𓂃t him up and swipe his sign) is with his social worker, Debra Kane.

Not only is she a character taken from the Batman novel The Ultimate Evil (which also features a detective named Burke, som�🍌�ething Joker also shares), her surname is a reference to Batman co-creator Bob Kane.

Joker's smile

Joker Easter eggs

(Image credit: DC/Warner Bros.)

From Jack Nicholson’s smirk to Heath Ledger’s scarred lips, Joker has always put its own unique spin on the clown’s beaming smile. Joaquin Phoenix continues that lineage near the very end of the film, smearinꦐg blood all over his face to create a scarlet grin. If nothing else, it’s a neat nod to the Jokers that came before him, particularly Cesar Romero’s messy makeup, which mirrors Arthur’s final smile.

One bad day

Joker Easter egg

(Image credit: Warner Bros)

Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke served as inspiration for more than a few thematic beats in Joker, with its depiction of the villain’s random and ruthless actions, but none more so than the final scene between Arthur and Sophie. He tells his (supposed) girlfriend that he&rsqu🃏o;s had a “bad day.” In The Killing Joke, Joker has his own theory that he tests out on Commissioner Gordon: “All it take﷽s is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy.”

Arthur’s words echo back through to the pages of the 1980s comic, with both moments marki🌳ng a turning point leadi🐼ng to an increasingly erratic pattern of murderous events for the supervillain.

A stand-in for Arkham Asylum

Joker Easter eggs

(Image credit: Warner Bros./DC)

Joker deals with mental health throughout its two-hour runtime, so it stands to reason that Arkham Asylum would be visited at some point. However, it’s the slightly more pleasantly-named Arkham State H⛎ospital where Arthur looks for his mother’s record. It’s also the place he was committed at the beginning and end of the movie. It’s funny what♔ a bit of re-branding can do.

Two quick appearances from famous faces

Joker Easter eggs

(Image credit: DC/Warner Bros.)

There are two cameos from actors that you may have missed &ndꦬash; one was advertised, one a surprise.

Firstꦜ, the surprise: Justin Theroux – perhaps best known as Kevin Garvey in HBO’s The Leftovers – played Ethan Chase (does that name sound familiar? More on him in a minute) during the talk show segment before Joker’s on Live! With Murray Franklin. He’s only shown on a television set, though, and has no spoken lines.

Brian Tyree Henry, meanwhile, also has a bit-part role as a clerk in Arkham State Hospital. It was just under a year ago where he played Miles’ father in 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse which makes him the first actor to appear in a Marvel then a DC film in consecutive years.

An impossibly obscure Todd Phillips Easter egg

Joker Easter eggs

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

So, about Ethan Chase. Unless you’ve been swotting up on your Todd Phillips movies, you may not realise that the name of Justin Theroux’s character is a reference to his 2010 comedy, Due Date. Zach Galifianakis’ character’s re🐽al name is Ethan Chase – and Galifianakis also played Joker in the LEGO Batman movie. Time is a flat circle.

For more coverage, check out our breakdown of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Joker ending, as well as finding out where Joaquin Phoenix lands in our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Joker rankings.

I'm the Senior Ente꧋rtainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good🐠 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.