The days of Warner Bros.' DC Extended Universe (DCEU) are over thanks to the rebooted DCU from James Gunn and Peter Safran at DC Studios, but a new Batman project isn't hesitating to poke a bit of fun at the old days. TT Games' LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight was released on May 22, and since then, fans have been diving into the Batman homage and uncovering all of its secrets and Easter eggs. The game pays tribute to as many aspects of Batman's legacy as possible, including the character's time in the DCEU.
As is the way with LEGO games, the team at TT Games isn't afraid to have fun with the source material, often putting a fun or comedic twist on iconic moments. This remains the case in LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, which features several callouts to the DCEU, often as the butt of jokes.
In one instance, the game blends the storyline of The Dark Knight with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The scene sees Talia al Ghul and Batman interrogating the Joker in Arkham Asylum, with a close resemblance to the scene in The Dark Knight. However, throughout the interrogation, some of the moments parody those from the DCEU.
One section shows Talia intimidating the Joker by showing his friends in Arkham an embarrassing picture of him, which she then pulls out to reveal a depiction of Jared Leto's Joker from Suicide Squad. The image is recognizably Leto's Joker, as he has the facial tattoos scrawled across his minifig's face.
TT Games then continues by adding in references to some of Batman v Superman's lines. The game replaces Batman's line to Superman from the movie "Tell me, do you bleed?" with "Tell me, do you concede?"
The game then doubles down on the joke, referencing the infamous Martha scene, which became a popular meme after the release of Batman v Superman. In the movie, Batman hesitates to kill Superman after Superman utters the name "Martha," a reference to both of their mothers.
In LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, as the interrogation of the Joker gets more heated, Batman finds himself repeatedly roaring at the Joker, "Where is Bane?", until he slips up in the heat of the moment and says "Martha" instead:
Batman: Where is Bane?! Martha! Wait, what?
Joker: Why'd you say that name?
Batman: Sorry, I mean Bane. Where is he?
Another subtle reference in LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight mocks the DCEU film Black Adam, one of the final releases in the old cinematic universe.
At one point, while sitting on a throne, not unlike the one Black Adam perches atop in the movie's poster, Batman says, "The hierarchy of power in Gotham is about to change." This parallels Dwayne Johnson's infamous statement about Black Adam, in which he said, "the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe is about to change" thanks to his character's arrival.
These references are just a series of jokes LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight makes about not just the DCEU, but all of Batman's past appearances. The LEGO universe is renowned for putting a funny or family-friendly spin on iconic characters and stories, and poking fun at the DCEU is just one of the many inside jokes the game makes about the Caped Crusader's history.
The DCEU Lives on in LEGO Batman
While the DCEU never quite lived up to the heights of its rival, the MCU, the cinematic universe, often dubbed the Snyderverse thanks to director Zack Snyder's frequent involvement, still released 16 films over 10 years before it was scrapped. The DCEU was controversial at times, but still managed to introduce big-screen versions of characters who'd never received them before, like Blue Beetle, The Flash, and Shazam.
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight pays homage to Batman's DCEU time, as it does all his other eras. The game lets you wear Ben Affleck's Batsuit (including his Knightmare suit) and drive his Batmobile.
TT Games' new LEGO installment is the latest title featuring the Dark Knight, ahead of his return in the new trilogy, Batman Knightfall, as well as other projects including The Batman: Part 2, Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2, and the eventual Brave and the Bold adaptation for the DCU.
