Although there is a bright future ahead for the DC Extended Universe, the controversial franchise finds itself at a crossroads at the moment. The Warner-led comic universe has been suffering a bit of an identity crisis as of late as the studio attempts to shed what had been set up in the Zack Snyder-led entries to the series.
Now in 2022, the first fruits of those efforts will come to bear. On one side of the coin, the interconnected universe will continue with titles like Batgirl and The Flash, while elsewhere, totally separate from the canon, projects like The Batman will happen.
On that canon side of things for the DCEU, Batgirl looks like it is going to help serve as a bit of a bridge from the Snyder-era of this universe to the new direction it's headed in now. This can be seen in the introduction of Batgirl herself played by Leslie Grace, as well as the potential inclusion of Micheal Keaton's Bruce Wayne.
Keaton's Caped Crusader recently made an appearance on a mural seen on the Batgirl set, and if the rumors of Keaton serving as a guiding hand to this next generation of the Justice League are true, then it makes sense as to why his masked mug would be making an appearance in the film.
But Batgirl doesn't seem to be all about the future; as a recent photo shows, the film is also honoring what came before in the DCEU.
Lex Luthor on the Batgirl Set
A reference to Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has been spotted on the Batgirl set.
As posted on Twitter by @BatgirlFilm, a magazine emblazoned with the headline "BILLIONAIRE VILLAIN LEX LUTHER HIRES NEW LAWYER TO APPEAL SENTENCE." This is a direct reference to the Superman villain Lex Luthor who was played by Jessie Eisenberg in Dawn of Justice and seen entering a jail at the end of that film.
The cover also features the following sub-headlines:
- We get his story from INSIDE Arkham Asylum
- Extraordinary Genius or Psychotic Maniac?
- On his time as CEO of LexCrop Industries
See the full image below:
A Batman v Superman reference on the set of #Batgirl! The Gotham Tattler makes reference to Lex Luther & the Capital Building bombing! #GrannysPeachTea [📸 @pepsicereza] pic.twitter.com/VilM13ThV2
Is Lex Back in Batgirl?
While Snyder seemed to have been setting up Lex Luthor for a much bigger role in the DCEU's future, this is likely just some set dressing and not anything to read too deeply into. Looking closely, the Gotham Tattler issue doesn't even spell the famed villain's name correctly. This looks to simply be an Easter Egg that will be there for eagle-eyed fans who will see Batgirl sometime later this year.
But if one were to put on their best-fitting tin foil hat, this small headline could have some interesting possibilities, especially for a Batman-related hero. It's no surprise that in the DCEU Lex is still stuck in a cell, but the idea of him hiring a new lawyer does open up quite an interesting can of worms.
And it just so happens that one of the Bat-family's greatest foes also just happens to be one of DC's most famous lawyers, Harvey Dent (aka Two-Face)!
Could this mean that in Batgirl audiences are introduced to this universe's Harvey Dent before he has broken bad? Perhaps Leslie Grace's Deborah Gordon meets Dent in passing and fans get a quick mention of him representing a new high-profile client who goes by Mr. Luthor.
This seems unlikely, as it feels like WB would be saving these big names of Gotham City for their Matt Reeves The Batman universe. But who is to say that they couldn't have two versions of the same character causing mayhem in their various verticals of the greater DCEU?
Well, all will be answered when Batgirl swoops onto HBO Max sometime in 2022.
