Over the last fifteen years we've seen studios go from carefully dipping a toe into comic book movie waters (think: the fairly reality-based/played-straight first X-Men) to chucking everything and the kitchen sink in (Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, for example). Easter eggs have been a part of those comic adaptations from day dot. In a business-minded arena like Hollywood, where sequels aren't always a sure thing, filmmakers often enjoy peppering their adaps with nods to additional characters from the source material. Be it to set things up for the hoped-for sequel or to simply provide something for true fans to chew on, these characters are fun to spot and figure out, often appearing in their civilian guise or with some subtle alteration, crying out to be noticed. They're included so that the director can wink at you and say 'Look, we get it. There is a bigger universe here and this is a taste of it for you.' There's just never the ability to adapt every character and storyline all at once, so instead we get tasty morsels to hold us over until maybe next time our favourites can make a proper appearance. Villains tend to merit this kind of inclusion as their interactions with the hero are more interesting when tempered with the knowledge that however things currently stand between these characters, it can only get worse, considering who they really are. In this list you're going to see some sly easter egg-style appearances from notable villains over the years; some blatant, some subtle, and some which are tinfoil hats personified.
Cinephile since 1993, aged 4, when he saw his very first film in the cinema - Jurassic Park - which is also evidence of damn fine parenting. World champion at Six Degrees of Separation. Lender of DVDs to cheap mates. Connoisseur of Marvel Comics and its Cinematic Universe.
