Ready Player One: 135 Easter Eggs & References Explained

By Simon Gallagher /

96. Excalibur

Warner Bros.

When I-R0k recites the defensive spell designed to spot Parzival from completing the third task, the incantation he uses is "Anál nathrach, orth’ bháis’s bethad, do chél dénmha!"

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That's The Charm of Making from John Boorman’s 1981 film Excalibur. That also ties into the fact that Wade chooses to name his avatar Parzival in honour of the knight of the round table who was the original hero in the quest for the Holy Grail (he was later replaced by Galahad in later versions of the story).

95. Beetlejuice

As Beetlejuice was one of the movies that Warner Bros used for their Ready Player One parody posters, it's only fitting that the character himself appears as a game avatar at one point.

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94. Greatest American Hero

There's a logo for early 80s comedic superhero series Greatest American Hero on Parzival's first headset.

93. Krull

Columbia Pictures

One of the combatants in the final battle has a Glaive from fantasy epic Krull (1983). It's a boomerang ninja star, basically.

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92. War Games

Another Matthew Broderick Easter Egg here: the computer in young Halliday’s room appears to be an IMSAI 8080 - the very same unit Broderick and Ally Sheedy use to almost start a war in 1983's WarGames (1983), which plays a bigger role in the book.