Batman V Superman: 34 Easter Eggs & References You Must See

31. The Phantasm

At one point, Lex Luthor mentions Superman being a "phantasm", which is a fairly throw away line, but it does bring to mind Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm. And given the narrative similarities, it doesn't look accidental. In both cases, the stories rely on the hero being framed for murders, struggling to balance their romantic lives and crucially, wondering whether they should be for the world or for their families. There's also something of a nod to another tonally significant DC title around the same point: Luthor and the news both refer to Superman doling out "dark justice", which feels like a reference to Justice League Dark, which is still apparently in some sort of state of production as a movie. Obviously we aren't going to see ghosts and vampires in this Justice League, but the shift towards more supernatural-like elements (particularly in the form of Doomsday do suggest a blur of the two).