Batman: Arkham Origins - 10 Coolest Easter Eggs, Secrets And References Explained

The Arkham series' first prequel offering is filled to the brim with mind-blowing secrets.

by Ewan Paterson
Batman Arkham Origins Phantasm Postcards
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Batman: Arkham Origins is the underrated gem of the Batman: Arkham franchise, and while there are legitimate criticisms to be levelled at WB Montreal's 2013 prequel, one can't help but feel that both the game and the studio have been given a raw deal in the years since.

Arkham Origins may not boast the talents of Kevin Conroy or Mark Hamill, the next-gen visuals of Arkham Knight or the answers to Arkham City's cliffhanger ending, but it's secretly the series' smartest effort. The story provides a wonderful depiction of the Dark Knight's early years, and the world is just as detailed and filled to the brim with all the easter eggs, secrets and references that made Asylum and City's open worlds so compelling.

So yes, in the spirit of my previous look-backs on the best easter eggs of Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, it's time to do the same with Arkham Origins. References to the wider DC Universe were really taken up a notch in this game, and with it taking place so early into Batman's career, there were plenty of clues and details that expanded upon the character's formative years as Gotham's vigilante.

Further still, Origins was the first entry in the series to let players explore Gotham City itself, shining a new light on Old Gotham, and the newer city towering overhead. Some may begrudge its familiarity, but there are plenty of secrets that show Montreal equalled Rocksteady's talent for environmental storytelling.

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.