Legacy of the Dark Knight’s Batman 1989 mission is full of Easter eggs

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is filled to the brim with Easter eggs, like a tribute to the iconic Kevin Conroy, the voice actor behind the Dark Knight’s animated adventures for three decades. It’s also full of in-jokes, like Alfred quoting Michael Caine’s infamous “Batman Begin” tweet.

Each section of the game takes inspiration from a particular Batman film. The first chapter remixes parts of 2022’s The Batman and parodies Batman and the Penguin’s iconic car chase scene. Chapter 2 draws from the original dark and gritty Batman film, 1989’s Batman. Just like in the film, Joker and his goons go to the Flugelheim Museum and vandalize it.

They paint over Lego recreations of artwork like the Girl with a Pearl Earring painting. (“Pearls… just like my… hmm… never mind,” Batman says when admiring it.) The sequence is more than just a recreation of an iconic film, however. It’s a celebration of Batman’s history.

One painting is a homage to Frank Miller’s classic The Dark Knight Returns cover featuring a silhouette of Lego Batman against a lightning strike. (“Pulled a hamstring trying to strike that pose,” Batman says.) Another painting showcases a Lego-ized cover of Detective Comics #27, the comic Batman debuted in. However, instead of Lego Batman on the cover, it features the Gray Ghost.

The Gray Ghost originated in Batman: The Animated Series and was voiced by Adam West, who starred as the Caped Crusader in the ‘60s Batman show. He served as an inspiration for a young Bruce Wayne, and the opening moments of Legacy of the Dark Knight find Bruce getting his Gray Ghost costume together before going to the movies with his parents. (You can guess what happens next.)

Image: TT Games/Warner Bros. via Polygon

The Flugelheim Easter egg I appreciated most was a painting of Lego versions of Bob Kane and Bill Finger — “The man behind the proverbial cowl,” as Batman says. For decades, Finger wasn’t credited as a co-creator of Batman since he was hired as a ghost writer for Kane, who was the contract holder with DC Comics and viewed as the character’s sole creator. It wasn’t until the mid-2010s that Finger began receiving credit in media, like Gotham and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The 2017 documentary Batman and Bill chronicled the fight to posthumously get Finger his deserved recognition.

There are more winks and nods in the Flugelheim Museum, including mentions of other DC heroes, as there are throughout the game. Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is also full of juvenile humor befitting a Lego game; a lot of its early jokes revolve around bat poop. However, it’s reassuring to know it takes the “legacy” part of its title seriously and is full of heartfelt tributes to Batman legends.