I will hold my hands up and say I did not expect Lego Batman: The Legacy of the Dark Knight to be this good, or to throw so many references to the Caped Crusader’s vast history into your adventure around Gotham.
Even if you’re just bashing through the main story or are a casual Batman fan, there are plenty of moments in the game that will make you stop and go ‘Hey, wait a moment, I know where that’s from!’. So, as someone who’s spent her childhood growing up with Batman – and who’s spent a great deal of time in the game working on our big Lego Batman walkthrough and other guides – here are my favourite references I’ve found so far in my time as the Dark Knight.
Please be aware that this page contains spoilers for the story and, of course, the references themselves.
After Hours with Conroy – The Voice of Gotham’s Knight
This billboard on the side of one of the many buildings across Gotham made me stop the Batmobile, get out, climb up to the nearby roof and simply admire it for a moment. As I’ve grown up I’ve seen many different actors lend their talents to Batman, but there are three that remain my favourite – and Kevin Conroy is one of them.
Conroy is arguably the most famous voice of Batman – you think of Batman, you’re probably going to hear Conroy’s voice. For me, it was growing up with Batman: The Animated Series and watching his Dark Knight face off against Mark Hamill’s Joker – a relationship that continued throughout my childhood until Conroy sadly passed away. Also, seeing as Conroy lent his talents to the Rocksteady Arkham Trilogy, it would have been surprising to not see a tribute to this actor somewhere in-game. He was quite literally the voice of Gotham’s Knight.
Miller and Moore poster
This poster for ‘Miller and Moore Accountants’ is plastered on the side of a building on Gotham, and the names may not be too familiar if you’ve not followed the comics or graphic novels. This is referring to Frank Miller, the writer and illustrator of the 1986 Dark Knight series and Batman: Year One (and much more). Moore is referring to Alan Moore, who I know mainly for writing the 1988 graphic novel – Batman: A Killing Joke. This is one of the first Batman graphic novels I have ever owned and it’s still my favourite to date. Seeing these two referred to in a Batman game just feels right.
Taken… Batman?
‘I have a specific set of skills, skills that make me a nightmare to men like Falcone’ – Ra’s Al Ghul
Now, this is a double-layered reference which made me chuckle. Liam Neeson played the infamous Ra’s Al Ghul in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. His portrayal of the character is one of the most spine-chilling ones I’ve seen to date, showing how pivotal Bruce’s choice to be Batman is, as he could have just as easily become as dark as the League of Shadows wanted him to be. Neeson is also, of course, famous for his role in the Taken movies. This line is a large nod to both!
Missing Cat posters
Around Gotham you can find a variety of Missing Cat Posters. The names of some of the Cats are references to previous Catwomen. ‘Julie Mewmar’ is one example, with Julie Newmar the first actor to bring Catwoman to life, starting as the feline felon in the 1960s Batman series. ‘Meowchelle’ is another, this one pointing at Michelle Pfieffer’s casting as Catwoman opposite Michael Keaton’s Batman. I’ve also spotted ‘Halle Purry’ too.
Putting a play on their names onto a missing cat poster? It’s purr-fect. (Sorry.)
I simply cannot sanction any more of your buffoonery!
When you’re battling Two-Face’s men at the Circus, this comment is said very quickly, so quickly you could miss it, and that’d be a shame. This is, according to a story from Jim Carrey (who played the Riddler), a direct quote from Tommy Lee Jones (who played Two-Face). Apparently Jones is not Carrey’s biggest fan…
This one was also spotted before launch, as it turns out – along with a nod to a very funny tweet from Michael Caine.
Tricorner Cinema Listings
If you head to the cinema in Tricorner and have a look at the ‘now playing’ board outside, you may find the movies as amusing as I have. The listings are for ‘The Smiling’ – which I’ve taken as a parody of ‘The Shining’. This, of course, is another movie where Jack Nicholson (my favourite Joker) shines.
But, it doesn’t end there, on the side of the listing is another movie called ‘Cop School’. I’ve taken this as a hint towards one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s movies – Kindergarten Cop. I have opinions about the George Clooney Batman’s, I do, but I cannot deny that Schwarzenegger was an iconic Mr. Freeze. Also, later on Mr.Freeze himself drops another hint about his real-world self with ‘Is it movie time? Action movies? They are my favourite’.
In Shreck’s Department Store – Selina’s Office
Selina Kyle became Catwoman in Batman Returns after Shreck threw her out of the window in her office, when she then swore on revenge. I mean, if my boss tossed me out a window, I’d be mad too. Anyway, if you look behind the desk in her office during the ‘Mimes’ Mission when you’re in Shreck’s Department Store you’ll see the broken window with police tape around it. Just a very brief nudge at the brutal origins of this femme fatale.
Man-Bat the Musical
Oddly enough, I had been saying to Eurogamer’s Lottie that I was surprised they’ve not referenced this character yet – and then BAM. There’s the poster, right in front of me. Now, this is not a musical I would go to see, mainly because Man-Bat just gives me the creeps. As a quick cover, Dr. Langstrom developed a serum to give a human that Bat’s sonar ability. Spoiler alert, he failed and became a feral half-human, half-bat hybrid. I was only a kid when I first saw Man-Bat in the Animated Series and yes, I hid behind my elder sibling, I was not loving it. However, I do think this poster for a musical is a decent nod to one of Batman’s more terrifying enemies.
Ledger’s Legacy as the Joker
These posters do not appear until the late game but they really are worth it. Ledger is one of my top three Jokers (alongside Jack Nicholson and Mark Hamill), and his legendary portrayal of Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime is worth all the praise it gets. The ‘Why so serious’ posters found strewn across the walls is an ode to the thing that most people remember from his iteration.
Also, Ledger gave Joker one of his most memorable habits from a costume issue. Licking his lips while speaking adds to the Joker’s fear-factor, for some reason, but this little habit is said to have come from Ledger finding it difficult to keep the prosthetic scars around his mouth in place. If you watch closely when Batman confronts Joker later in the story, you should notice that this Joker mimics this.
Flugelheim Partyman
When Catwoman and Batman track the Joker Cards to the Flugelheim Art Gallery, there’s a scene where Joker is dancing through the Museum causing, well, Joker-esque fun. If this feels very familiar to you, then there’s a good reason for that. This is a homage to the museum scene in the 1989 Batman movie where Joker, played this time by the icon that is Jack Nicholson, takes over Gotham Museum to the Prince’s ‘Partyman’ – which plays throughout the scene and via the boomboxes in the following mission. Yes it’s a very obvious take-on of that scene and can very loosely be called a reference but I don’t care, it made me happy!
Honourable Mentions
I couldn’t fit all of my choices into a top 10, but in some effort to wrangle my thoughts I’ve been allowed to spill over into an ‘Honourable Mentions’ category.
Catwoman and the Mannequins
When you first meet Catwoman at Shreck’s Department store, she uses her whip to knock the head off a mannequin that Batman is hiding behind. This is a callback to Michelle Pfeiffer’s infamous scene from Batman Returns. Also, it’s well-known that she did this stunt herself in a single take, whipping the heads off four mannequins in succession, surprising both cast and crew.
Trusty Shark Repellent Spray
There’s a moment where Batman has to use a Shark Repellent Spray to stop a Lego Shark munching on him, in a callback to one of the Adam West Batman episodes where Batman is hanging from a ladder above a hungry shark and, lo and behold, he then uses a ‘Shark Spray’, from an array of animal-repelling mists he conveniently has on him, to get away from the angry jaws. All of the 1960s Batman episodes had quirky moments that have almost become a meme of themselves, and the shark is one of the more memorable ones.
The Evolving Bat-Signal
I’ll admit it, this is something that it took me until starting Chapter Five to realise. The Bat-Signal evolves Chapter by Chapter, keeping in-line with your progression in the story. Not only does it evolve, but the Bat-Signal is used to reflect the era of Batman that specific Chapter has taken inspiration from. For example, Chapter Five’s one is from the Nolan era Batman. It’s small details like this that keep my interest in fighting crime around Gotham.
There are so many more moments I could put in here – but doing so would ruin the fun for you. If you’re playing over the weekend and do want to read much more on the game though, our Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight walkthrough will keep you very well covered.
