DC movies haven't always gotten the best reviews. Sometimes they tried to shove too many characters without any of the proper legwork or just had a tonal confusion throughout the story. However, DC movies are far from bad in every aspect. One thing they've always known how to get right is packing in so many awesome references and nods to other DC Comics properties or their own history on television and film. Some of the best moments in DC movies came from their excellent and exciting easter eggs. Easter eggs aren't just an occurrence in modern movies either. These clever nods go back several years, even when superhero movies were still trying to find their footing. These easter eggs can provide deep cut references into the comics, suggesting that certain characters exist in those worlds without ever having to use them. Other times, they can just reference seriously "meta" moments for their own film series, potentially even hinting at things we recognize in the real world.

With so many DC movies and so many easter eggs, we thought it was time to rank the best of the bunch. With so many hidden details to uncover, how can you know which ones are worth looking for? Well, sit down for a while, because we have you covered with the 25 best DC easter eggs ranked. We will only be citing live-action DC movies. Aquaman will also be included on this list, so expect minor spoilers at some point if you haven't seen it.

25 JIMMY OLSEN - BATMAN V SUPERMAN

jimmy olsen batman v superman

There were a lot of characters in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and some of them went strictly under the radar. That was the case for Jimmy Olsen, who was with Lois Lane at the beginning of the film. It was nice to see modern DC movies paying homage to a more classic character.

Unfortunately, his time on the big screen was short-lived, as he was simply the target for some assassins. He was written out of the DCEU before he even got the chance to shine.

24  CAROL FERRIS - GREEN LANTERN

Blake Lively as Carol Ferris

Green Lantern lacked a lot of things, but easter eggs wasn't one of them. The film had some subtle and not-so-subtle references mostly to Green Lantern lore. One of them was Carol Ferris, a character in the film. Comic readers will better know her as Star Sapphire, who opposed the Lanterns a few times.

This newer identity was teased through the star symbol on Ferris' helmet. Perhaps the writers were planning to use Star Sapphire in a future Green Lantern movie?

23 KGBEAST - BATMAN V SUPERMAN

kgbeast batman v superman

Jimmy Olsen wasn't the only character in the background of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. There were some hired guns working to try and take down Supes once and for all, the leader of which was the man known as KGBeast.

Fans will know him as one of the best hired guns in DC Comics, though he usually sports a lot more gear in the process. KGBeast didn't pose a serious threat in the film, but he was in it long enough to at least warrant a spectacular action sequence with Batman.

22 SINESTRO - GREEN LANTERN

Green Lantern Sinestro

Sinestro was a character used in the Green Lantern movie, but was one of the Green Lanterns that helped train Hal to use his ring. However, the writers had bigger plans for Sinestro. He had a post-credit scene where he found a Yellow Lantern ring and was granted a yellow suit.

This is a nod to his legacy in the comics as the leader of the Yellow Lantern Corps. Often the foil to the Green Lanterns, Sinestro became one of the biggest threats in the galaxy. Unfortunately, the reception of the first film meant that we'd never see Sinestro in action.

21 NIGHTWING - BATMAN FOREVER

Robin Batman Forever

Batman Forever was the first live-action Batman movie to feature Robin since the days of Adam West and Burt Ward. When Dick Grayson finally joins the Caped Crusader, he jokes around saying that perhaps his name should be Nightwing. While he eventually settles for Robin, Grayson is more associated with his role as Nightwing in the comics.

After Grayson decided to go down his own path outside of Batman, he created a new identity for himself and began protecting the streets of Bludhaven.

20 DR. BURTON - BATMAN FOREVER

There is a scene in Batman Forever that takes place in Arkham Asylum. In there, we meet a doctor who goes by the name of Dr. Burton with messy, black hair. This in reference to Tim Burton, who served as the director for both Batman and Batman Returns.

Despite the change in actors and director going into Batman Forever, both that movie and Batman and Robin serve as sequels to Tim Burton's films. While Joel Schumacher didn't quite understand how to handle the Dark Knight, at least he paid respect to those that came before him.

19 LEX LUTHOR SR - BATMAN V SUPERMAN

Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor

When Lex Luthor was revealed as a younger figure with long hair in Batman V Superman, most people were confused. That was nothing like the Lex they knew from the comics or even past films. However, this version of Lex wasn't actually the same character.

Lex in Batman V Superman makes a few references to his father and how cruel he was. His father was Lex Luthor Sr, better known as the Lex we know famously for fighting Superman. Jesse Eisenberg's character was simply Alexandar Luthor, the son.

18 WONDER WOMAN AND AQUAMAN - AQUAMAN

justice league wonder woman cyborg aquaman header

Wonder Woman and Aquaman have some playful lines in Justice League, but those interactions led to a bit more in the eyes of the public. During the post-credit scene, we see a newspaper on Dr. Stephen Shin's wall with the headline "Wonder Woman Nixes Aquaman Dating Rumor".

It seems that the few times they were together led to some speculation in the public eye. It also makes sense, seeing that those two characters are the only older superheroes left after both Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck left their roles.

17 GREEN LANTERN - JUSTICE LEAGUE

In Justice League, we get some more background details about Steppenwolf and his war against Earth. Thousands of years before Batman formed the League, Steppenwolf came with an army to Earth. However, we was fought back by the Amazons and Olympians.

There was someone else who came to help the battle, though, a Green Lantern. While this Lantern is never named, the costume and powers are as clear as day. The Lantern loses his life during the battle and the ring shoots in the sky, presumably to find another wearer.

16 BLAZE COMICS - MAN OF STEEL

When Superman fights Zod in Metropolis, there are a few easter eggs. One of our favorites comes when they're about to clash on the side of a building. If you blink, you'll miss a building in the distance with the "Blaze Comics" logo on the front.

Blaze Comics is a reference to a publishing company that Booster Gold started when he came from the future. He used these comics to become famous, suggesting that perhaps Booster Gold already existed in the DCEU before even Batman got his time in the spotlight.

15 WAYNE ENTERPRISES - DCEU

Wayne Enterprises is famously known as the company that Bruce Wayne inherited from his parents. Essentially the source of all his wealth, Wayne's footprint is seen all over the world, in shipping crates and satellites. There were a few Wayne objects in Man of Steel, but our favorite Wayne easter egg goes a little beyond that. The Wayne Enterprises logo seems familiar.

The reason for that is the logo is the same one used in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy. Believe it or not, that logo led to some crazy theories about Batman V Superman.

14 ROBIN - THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

robin dark knight rises

At the end of The Dark Knight Rises, Bruce has decided that he spent enough of his time protecting Gotham as Batman. He hatches a plan to fake his death and restart his life from scratch with Catwoman at his side.

However, he didn't plan to leave Gotham unprotected. He sent Officer Blake to the old Batcave, whose real name was revealed to be Robin. This is obviously a reference to Blake becoming that universe's version of Robin. It's worth noting that he doesn't have one of the iconic Robin names like Dick Grayson or Jason Todd.

13 BATMAN - WATCHMEN

Watchmen was Zack Snyder's first foray into the superhero genre, but he had respect for the Dark Knight even back then. During the opening credits sequence, we can see some posters on the wall of old Batman comics (we're talking from the '40s old).

There's also a long poster on the left side that references Gotham City. Perhaps Watchmen takes place in some sort of alternate version of the DC Universe? We'll get more on that a bit later, though.

12 RACE - JUSTICE LEAGUE

Superman and Flash race in Justice League

Despite its mixed reception, Justice League did have some fun post-credit scenes. One features both the Flash and Superman preparing for a race. They joke around about Flash being removed from the League if he loses before speeding toward the camera.

A race between the Scarlet Speedster and the Man of Steel is something that the comics have teased more than once. Usually their races end in a draw, though it seems more likely that Flash would win, having access to the Speed Force.

11 ZEUS - JUSTICE LEAGUE

During the flashback scene where the Amazons were fighting Steppenwolf, some of the Olympian gods came to help them as well. While none of them were explicitly named, their powers were clear enough. One particular character stood above the soldiers and channeled lightning before blasting it straight at Steppenwolf.

This is clearly a reference to Zeus, who was revealed to be the father of Wonder Woman in the Wonder Woman film. It's probably the best look of Zeus we'll have in a DC movie as well.

10 MICHELLE PFEIFFER - CATWOMAN

Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman in Batman Returns

The Catwoman movie is so famously bad that it's won awards for being one of the worst superhero films of all time (even Halle Berry has acknowledged its mediocrity). However, there still seemed to be more intent from the writers to at least try to pay their respects to previous versions of Catwoman.

One shot shows some pictures on the floor, one of them being of Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman in Batman Returns. Unfortunately, this easter egg just made us wish we were watching that movie instead.

9 RIDING A SEAHORSE - AQUAMAN

aquaman-riding-seahorse

Before his days as Jason Momoa, Aquaman was the butt of just about every joke. Most would tout that he was only effective in water, and the image that most often came to mind was him in a bright orange costume riding a seahorse.

That came from the Super Friends cartoon, but it still stuck. However, the Aquaman film homages this in a way by having Arthur ride a seahorse that is much more menacing than the one he rode in Super Friends.

8 ROBIN SUIT - BATMAN V SUPERMAN

A Robin costume with "Ha ha Joke's on you Batman" spray painted across the chest in Batman v Superman

One of the most interesting easter eggs in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice was the Robin suit in the Batcave. With the words, "Joke's on you, Batman" spray painted over it, it suggests that this version of Batman already lost one of his Robins to the Joker.

There was a chance that this meant that Jason Todd existed in the DCEU with the writers having plans to incorporate Red Hood in a future film. The easter egg is so good simply because of the questions it raised and the effect it seemed to have on Batman.

7 FLASH'S APPEARANCE - SUICIDE SQUAD

flash suicide squad

It's sad that the best parts of Suicide Squad came when other characters had a cameo for a scene or two. One of the best moments came when Captain Boomerang was robbing a bank. It wasn't long after he arrived there that he was met by Ezra Miller's Flash.

This marked the first time we saw Miller properly on screen (no, that weird dream sequence in Batman V Superman didn't count). He makes a smart joke before zooming toward Captain Boomerang. It made us want to see a Flash movie all the more.

6 DEATHSTROKE - JUSTICE LEAGUE

Zack Snyder Deathstroke post-credit Justice League

The other post-credit scene in Justice League brought a fan favorite character to the silver screen for the first time: Deathstroke. Having a sleeker design than what we've seen in other interpretations, it was just nice to see him finally make his debut.

He talked with Lex Luthor about forming a "league of their own" before cutting to black. It suggested that we would be seeing Deathstroke again and that he would be a part of perhaps a live-action Legion of Doom. Unfortunately, those plans seem gone at this point.