'Batman v Superman' totally tweaked Marvel, and you probably missed it
LOS ANGELES -- DC v Marvel: Since the Dawn of Time.
Ask anyone at Warner Bros./DC or Disney/Marvel about the other shop, and they'll totally downplay the spirited comic-book competition they've been engaged in for nearly a century. But you better believe it: The rivalry is real.
Is it friendly? Not ... quite. But it's fun!
You May Also Like
I caught Batman v Superman twice -- and didn't hate it as much as the consensus. The second time around, I was able to scan the frame a little more freely. And I spotted something.
There's a moment when Bruce Wayne is looking at his cork-board, where he's pinned up a newspaper clipping about the time he saved Wallace "Wally" Keefe (Scoot McNairy) from the wreckage of the film's opening scene.
Being the career editor I am, I scanned the lead to see whether it needed any punching up.
And it read:
Billionaire, playboy and philanthropist Bruce Wayne ...
Which, of course, is a reference to one of The Avengers godfather Joss Whedon's best lines. Who could forget ...
The words are nowhere near the center of the frame and appear onscreen for maybe two seconds (which is why I didn't get to read the whole thing), so it was just dumb luck that I happened to spot it.
Whoever is responsible for that little Easter Egg clearly meant it as a shot at DC's rival. It's as if the film is saying, "We've got comics' OG billionaire, playboy, philanthropist right here." (Although, Bruce Wayne is clearly a genius -- why would the film leave that word out? Plausible copyright infringement deniability?)
What's not in question: whether this was intentional. Call it a tweak, call it shade, call it ~waves~ -- just don't call it unnoticed. Not anymore.
Any reaction, Marvel?
BONUS: How to draw Batman v Superman as those two hand holding emoji
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Josh Dickey is Mashable's Entertainment Editor, leading Mashable's TV, music, gaming and sports reporters as well as writing movie features and reviews.Josh has been the Film Editor at Variety, Entertainment Editor at The Associated Press and Managing Editor at TheWrap.com.A finalist for the Los Angeles Press Club's Best Entertainment Feature in 2015 for "Everyone is Altered: The Secret Hollywood Procedure that Fooled Us for Years," Josh received his BA in Journalism from The University of Minnesota.In between screenings, he can be found skating longboards, shredding guitar and wandering the streets of his beloved downtown Los Angeles.
