New animated feature DC League of Super-Pets is a superhero movie that – like it’s live-action DC counterparts – is filled with details, cameos, and easter eggs for eagle-eyed comic book fans. With the following five of our favorites.
DC League of Super-Pets is a fun flick about animals who gain superpowers and team up with the likes of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart voice lead dogs Krypto and Ace, while Kate McKinnon lends her vocals to the film’s villain, a maniacal guinea pig called Lulu.
You can read our review of DC League of Super-Pets here, while Dexerto’s guide to the animals can be found here. As for those easter eggs, they follow below, so just BEWARE OF SPOILERS AHEAD…
DC jokes
Being a DC movie, there are multiple jokes at the expense of DC characters. A dog who bites a courier is asked if he’s working for General Zod, Superman listens to “I Am Superman” by R.E.M., and Lucius Fox is referenced as “whoever Morgan Freeman played” in The Dark Knight trilogy. While outside The Daily Planet a show called “Catwoman” is advertised, very much in the style of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats.
Cult film fun
When a cute cat called Whiskers is causing carnage, she sings the chilling Nightmare on Elm Street song “One-two, Freddy’s coming for you….” Then later in that same scene, Whiskers says “Super-Pets, come out to play!” – a direct reference to the above scene from cult classic The Warriors. There’s also a quote from the movie Almost Famous – “Lock the gates” – which is said by Marc Maron’s character in the Cameron Crowe classic. Maron just happens to voice Lex Luthor in DC League of Super-Pets.
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Gambit gag
While ironing his shirt, Superman lasers the creases out with his eyes, and says he should be called Iron Man. A less kind reference occurs when a character is listing pointless superpowers and mentions “throwing playing cards really hard.” A definite dig at Marvel character Gambit, who was played by Taylor Kitsch in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Musical homage
DC League of Super-Pets features music by Steve Jablonsky, but the film also includes snatches of other classic superhero scores, including John Williams’ Superman theme, Danny Elfman’s Batman theme, and a couple of Wonder Woman’s tunes – from the 2017 movie, and most memorably, from the funky 1970s TV show.
Black Adam cameo
There are two bonus scenes at the end of DC Legends of Super-Pets. We describe them in detail here, but the big news is that Black Adam cameos at the end of the credits, a full three months before he appears in his own live-action movie. Dwayne Johnson plays him in both versions, while in the animated scene, he has a sidekick dog, which also sounds like its voiced by The Rock.
DC League of super-Pets is in cinemas now.
