Brandon Routh teased a reference to Back to the Future coming up on Legends of Tomorrow. There has always been a love of pop culture on The CW time travel series. References to movies, books, and TV are often made by the characters. Ray and Nate even got to meet George Lucas -- the man who inspired their career paths -- and live out the garbage scene from Star Wars all the while inspiring him to be a director.

Of course, Legends of Tomorrow has a lot of leeway when it comes to storytelling. Since the characters travel in time -- and have recently damaged time so badly that it is no longer working properly -- the show has gotten away with some pretty zany stories and situations. To the point where the show's Christmas episode last season aired in February. As the characters themselves pointed out, they can celebrate the holidays whenever they want, since time for them is not linear.

So it is no surprise that the fourth episode of the upcoming third season -- which will air on Halloween -- is promising something pretty fun. At least actor Brandon Routh is, he took to Instagram to drop a pretty fun hint about the episode. In the picture, Routh's character, Ray Palmer, can be seen sitting inside a DeLorean.

Doc! It's an #80s banana here on set for #ep304! #Halloween #ET #BackToTheFuture #RaysMom #Dolorean #Legends @cw_legendsoftomorrow ?: @nickzano A post shared by Brandon Routh (@brandonjrouth) on

Routh's attached comments make it pretty clear that the choice of car is no coincidence, the show is specifically making a reference to Back to the Future. Nor is that the only 1980s pop culture reference in the episode -- which is titled 'Phone Home' in honor of another movie from that decade. Though it should be noted that in Back to the Future the DeLorean is not just a car -- it is a time machine. And Ray now lives on a time machine -- time ship technically -- so there might be some extra meaning to this moment in the episode.

Of all the hashtags Routh used, possibly the most telling is #RaysMom, who will be played by Jessica Jones actress Susie Abromeit. Not much is known yet about Ray's family -- though season 1 did reveal he has a brother named Sydney who he does not seem to get along with. Many of the team's family members have been introduced on the show, though the time travel aspect of the story means they usually meet at ages where they do not always recognize their own children or grandchildren. Jax got to meet his father, who died when he was an infant. Kendra got to know her own son when he was older than her. Since Routh was born in 1979 -- Abromeit is three years younger -- and the episode seems to take place in the 80s, this version of his mom will probably be as he remembers her from his childhood.

So far, two references to '80s films have been revealed about the Halloween episode, the fourth of the season. Perhaps there will be even more. There are dozens of popular films from that era which could pop up. It looks like the episode will be a fond blast from the past for those who remember the 1980s.

Next: Legends of Tomorrow Episode Title Features Spielberg Reference

Legends of Tomorrow season 3 premieres Tuesday, October 10, on The CW. Source: Brandon Routh