Batman v Superman promises to be loaded full of Easter Eggs and hints at things to come in the DC Cinematic Universe. If Lex Luthor's Fortune profile is any indication, we may be on the DC Easter Egg hunt of our lives.
Like it or not, we are in the middle of an incredible war between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Cinematic Universe. DC has come to the game a bit late, and will no doubt be trying to follow in the footpath that Marvel has already laid. This is not necessarily a bad thing. That means that although each studio is taking a different approach to their properties, they are collectively going out of their way to pepper their films with a multitude of Easter Eggs and hints connecting their greater universes. This is a great time to be a comic book fan.
As the viral campaign begins for Zack Snyder's upcoming Batman v Superman, Fortune has brought us an interesting interview with one of the villains from the film, Lex Luthor Jr. There is not much known about the well-known hero from the film, except that he is played by Jesse Eisenberg. We also know that in the film, the villain will still have a full head of hair, not the smooth baldness of the character from the comic books. The interview is detailed, and to the keen observer, starts to reveal Lex Jr.'s motivations in the film, and unloads a ton of back story.
This campaign began yesterday afternoon, with Lex Luthor tweeting about his interview with Fortune:
.@FortuneMagazine Looking forward to reading about #LexCorp. Father would be proud. https://t.co/esCqzVAaAz
— Lex Luthor (@alexanderluthor) October 5, 2015
This was the first stone cast. The interview went live immediately after, and fans read about a profile of a driven businessman who they will no doubt hate in the future. The interview was a basic run-of-the-mill interview, but hosted some great hints at Lex Luthor Jr.'s past. There is a lot to take in.
The first big thing that jumped out at me was the mention of Kord Industries as one of the "top three charitable corporations in America." For comic book fans, this was a big shout out to Ted Kord, the second Blue Beetle. We know that a Blue Beetle and Booster Gold movies is in its early stages, so could DC be setting up the foundations for this?
Lex Luthor's German ancestry is hinted at in the article, as Lex talks about his father, and where he is from. There isn't much here other than a reference to his father, which is as much as the comics ever gave the founder of LexCorp, according to CinemaBlend. There is a slight bit of possible foreshadowing though. Lex makes the comment that Germany used power and protection to gain" absolute control over the citizens." He laments that he hates that. I am sure that this will change in time. LexCorp feels like a Silicon Valley company. It hosts things similar to EA, Google and Microsoft. This represents the shift that the company had to make from oil and machinery to tech. It seems that tech in this film is more based in the world of computers rather than robotics. When will we get Lex in the robot suit?
The interview goes on to say that Luthor has a collection of meteorite crystals. I shouldn't have to spell this one out for you, but this means that Lex Luthor might already have Kryptonite. This is bad news for Superman. We already saw Lex sitting in front of a display case holding the glowing green crystals in the trailer. Man of Steel circumvented the use of Kryptonite in its plot, much to the outrage of fans. It looks like Batman v Superman will be sporting the famous rock.
LexCorp is in direct competition with Wayne Enterprises. Actually, they are number two, according to the interview. Lex says that he attributes the success of LexCorp the fact that they will take military contracts, something Wayne Enterprises will not do. Lex says, "It's a necessity, we live in the most dangerous point of time in all of human history. Statistically speaking, it's a near certainty that another world-changing crisis is hurtling toward us like a speeding bullet. We have to be ready to defend ourselves. No civilization was ever conquered by having a strong military."
The last little bit is a hint at things to come. Lex has promised that soon, LexCorp will unveil "a technology that will change the world forever." What technology could this be? Is this a powered suit that will prevent all meta humans from harming normal humans? What is this game-changer? I say that LexCorp actually makes the armored Batman suit, but this is just an assumption. Lex boasts that this technology will also prevent any future threat. OK, you have my attention now Lex. I think we may find out soon, according to Lex Luthor's latest tweet.
Where will you be when the future begins? #LexCorp Oct 8-11
— Lex Luthor (@alexanderluthor) October 7, 2015
I have stressed my doubts about the DC Cinematic Universe's dark and gritty approach to their source material in the past. As their films begin to establish themselves, we are beginning to see how (if done right) this might help them stand out among the vast sea of superhero films and begin to trump Marvel at their own game.
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