DC fans can light the Bat-Signal on Google thanks to a new Easter egg that's perfectly timed for the release of The Batman. 2022 is shaping up to be a pretty massive year for DC's most iconic hero. Next week, Warner Bros. will release The Batman, a gritty new take on a Bruce Wayne in his second year of being Gotham's vigilante. Robert Pattinson plays Bruce for the film, and he's joined by a slew of other iconic DC characters. Based on the early box office projections, The Batman could score the biggest opening for the character yet.
That alone would be pretty exciting for Batman fans, but the year's content doesn't end there. In November, the long-awaited DCEU film The Flash will feature not one, but two different iterations of the character. Both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck will suit up as Bruce Wayne for The Flash, which is said to dip its toes into the DC multiverse in a big way. Keaton will then appear in Batgirl, while Affleck's future as Batman remains as murky as ever.
In honor of all the upcoming Batman content - and likely specifically because of The Batman itself - Google has implemented a fun Easter egg. If fans enter a search for "Bruce Wayne," "Gotham City," or "Bat-Signal," they can trigger a Bat-Signal animation that sweeps across their screen. One just has to click the little icon on the left side of the screen to see Batman swing over the Google Search. Variety notes that a Google spokesperson said Warner Bros. is not behind this Easter egg, and that fans can enjoy it for one year.
Over the years, Google has implemented some fun little animations for various searches, and this Bat-Signal trick is quite fun. Batman has been around since 1939 and still remains as popular as ever. It says a lot that this year will see three different actors play him on the big screen, yet fans aren't showing any signs of growing tired of him. The Batman in particular promises to bring something fresh to the well-trodden character, so even those who might not be as enthused could feel some renewed excitement in the coming weeks after the film comes out.
All told, this Batman mania won't be coming to an end any time soon. The Batman director Matt Reeves just confirmed early talks about a sequel have begun, and there are already two HBO Max spinoffs in development. These are all separate from the DCEU, which is where movies like The Flash and Batgirl currently take place. In other words, Google is probably smart to keep this animation going for a year, and maybe even should consider making it a permanent thing.
Source: Google, Variety
