12 Die Hard Easter Eggs You Probably Missed

1. Val Verde Links Die Hard 2 Too A Load Of Other Films

Die Hard Easter Eggs
20th Century Fox

Who needs the Marvel Cinematic Universe when you have the Dumb Eighties Action Movie Cinematic Universe? The first two Die Hards have a lot of connections to other action films. The first film was directed by James McTiernan, who was also behind the camera of Predator; Commando writer Steve E de Souza scripted the first two films.

Which is a fun bit of trivia, but not really an Easter Egg. What provides a stronger link between those films is the fictional country of Val Verde, a stand-in for any number of politically compromised Latin American states which is referenced in Die Hard 2, is a location in Commando, and is the location of the jungle in Predator.

That means that Die Hard takes place in the same universe as Predator (and also Alien, presumably), and – far more difficult to explain – in a world that involves two separate people who look like Arnold Schwarzengger, since he starred in that killer alien movie and Commando. Wait, but the actor himself is referenced in the first Die Hard...

Okay, so the ultimate Die Hard Easter Egg: the revelation that its fictional universe is a place where Commando and Predator are historical documentaries starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, alien-killing-commando extraordinaire. Sorry, John McClane.

Contributor
Contributor

Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/