With 2017 in our rearview mirror and our eyes set on the new year, it’s time for us to look back at the amazing movies that rocked the box office during the last 365 days.
2017 was an extraordinary year for movies. Over the past 12 months, moviegoers drooled over buckets of popcorn while watching captivating new blockbusters, reminiscent remakes, and over-the-top sequels. From preventing the end of the world in Thor: Ragnarok and Justice League, to narrowly escaping death in It and Get Out, we were all constantly glued to our screens.
But were you really paying attention behind those 3D glasses and tubs of butter?
Every movie released this past year came jam-packed with gripping edge-of-your-seat drama and light-hearted comedic releases. However, they also included many quirky references and hidden Easter Eggs that added to the main storyline.
Read on to test your knowledge and see just how much you noticed behind all the action and drama. Don’t worry though. If you were too busy stuffing your face with popcorn or staring at Thor’s new haircut, we won’t penalize you.
So, get ready to have your mind blown, because here are the 20 Things You Completely Missed in 2017 Movies.
Avengers References in Spiderman: Homecoming
There’s no doubt that you noticed Captain America’s cameo in Spiderman: Homecoming, but did you catch the references to his other fellow Avengers?
In Peter’s chemistry class, there are black and white pictures of famous scientists hanging above the blackboard. If you look carefully, you can catch a glimpse of Bruce Banner’s portrait on the right side.
Then, next door to the Thai restaurant that Aunt May and Peter went to, there is a church called “Korean Church of Asgard.” This oddly named church clearly references the mighty God of Thunder.
At the end of the movie, Peter’s gray shirt may also seem familiar to you. It’s because we saw Pepper Potts wearing it in Iron Man 3. Maybe Peter wore her old shirt after spending the night at the Avengers HQ, or maybe they’re both just huge science nerds.
The Order the Loser's Club Leaves the End Scene in It
At the end of this movie, the children make a blood pact, swearing to return to Derry as adults if Pennywise ever returned. After they make their pact, pay close attention to the order that the children leave the circle. It foreshadows the order of their death as adults.
Stan leaves the circle first saying, “I'll see you later," and Eddie follows closely behind him. When they leave, they even disappear into thin air just like ghosts.
In the book, Stan commits suicide to avoid having to face Pennywise again and therefore, he never sees the Losers Club again. Eddie is then killed during the last battle between Pennywise and the Losers.
This scene could be good news for Bill and Beverly though, as they are the last two to leave the circle.
Catwoman Easter Egg in Justice League
Justice League is filled with Easter Eggs and references. However, one Easter Egg that most people missed is Catwoman’s hidden cameo.
At the end of the movie, after Flash zips through traffic, there is a scene of Diana outside of a museum. Before we see Diana though, the camera focuses in on a couple of police officers escorting a handcuffed woman in shades and a classy red dress.
This Audrey Hepburn-styled woman is assumedly being arrested for an attempted theft at the museum and has been identified by some fans as the cunning Selina Kyle.
To solidify this Easter Egg and justify that the woman is indeed Catwoman, the camera zooms out to show Wonder Woman returning a statue of a cat to a crate.
Toy Story Easter Eggs in Coco
Pixar is notorious for planting Easter Eggs throughout its movies and Coco is no different.
In the beginning of the movie, Miguel opens a window to look outside and a truck whizzes past him. It’s traveling extremely fast, but if you pay close attention you can see the familiar “Pizza Planet” logo on the truck's roof. This is a nod to the space-themed restaurant in the Toy Story movies.
There is also another Toy Story reference when Miguel runs through his village market towards the central plaza. During this scene, Miguel zips past a stand selling Woody and Buzz piñatas. Behind these piñatas, there is also a one-eyed monster that resembles Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc. and a turquoise piñata that looks like Sully.
MCU Closing Their Biggest Plot Hole in Thor: Ragnarok
For years, the MCU has been beaten and battered by fans over the appearance of an Infinity Gauntlet in Odin’s Vault in Thor.
Back in 2011, this Infinity Gauntlet was likely just an Easter Egg and a nod to one of the Marvel comic’s biggest storylines. However, as the MCU expanded, the Infinity plot made its way to the movies and we saw Thanos acquiring the gauntlet in the end-credits scene of Avengers: Age of Ultron.
This sparked outrage amongst fans as they wondered why there were two Infinity Gauntlets in the MCU. Therefore, to stop the hate mail and close the biggest plot hole in their universe, MCU added a quick scene in Thor: Ragnarok.
As Hela looks for the Eternal Flame in Odin’s Vault, she spots the Infinity Gauntlet, calls it a fake, and pushes it over.
In about 10 seconds, the mystery of the two gauntlets was resolved.
Quicksilver's Tomb in Logan
In the beginning of the movie, Logan is at a cemetery waiting to drive funeral members back home. During this scene, there is a grave in the background that reads “Peters,” which many fans have taken to be a grim reference to Evan Peters, the actor that plays Quicksilver.
The cemetery itself is also a huge Marvel Easter Egg. Known as Greenwood Cemetery, the burial ground is referenced many times throughout the Marvel comics. Greenwood Cemetery is the place where Sue Storm was buried in the Old Man Logan series of Fantastic Four.
It is also home to Captain America’s WWII memorial in The Ultimates storyline. The memorial was created in Steve’s honor when he was presumed to be dead, and Steve Rogers and Bucky frequented it whenever they needed a private place to talk.
Anime References in Kong: Skull Island
Kong: Skull Island is littered with anime references from start to finish.
For example, the Japanese soldier named Gunpei Ikari, is a nod to the Ikari family in Neon Genesis Evangelion.
In the movie, John Rielly’s Hank Marlow wears a leather jacket with the phrase “good for your health” on the back. This is a tribute to Akira Kaneda’s jacket in the 1988 anime, Akira. In Akira, the jacket reads, “good for your health, bad for education.”
Anime characters were also a huge influence on the creatures that inhabit Skull Island. The giant water buffalo was inspired by the forest spirit in Princess Mononoke and, according to the director, the Skullcrawlers are based on No-Face from Spirited Away, the first angel from Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Cubone from Pokémon.
Walking Dead Easter Egg in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
In the sixth season of Walking Dead, Rick and his gang had to convince the Saviors that they killed Gregory by finding a head that resembled him. One of the heads considered in their lineup was actually a mold of Johnny Depp’s head.
Since Johnny Depp made a cameo in The Walking Dead, Disney returned the favor by adding Andrew Lincoln’s head in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
When Captain Jack Sparrow gets locked in the guillotine, he has no idea what the machine is capable of. However, he gets a clear picture when he looks inside the basket in front of him and finds it filled with severed heads.
Although the shot is extremely brief, one of these heads in the basket looks very similar to Andrew Lincoln.
Michael Caine's Cameo in Dunkirk
Michael Caine has been in the last six Christopher Nolan movies from Batman Begins to Interstellar. Therefore, fans were upset when Dunkirk’s acting roster was announced without Caine’s name. Don’t fret, as Caine does make an uncredited cameo in the movie. You probably just missed it.
In the beginning of the movie, Caine’s voice can be heard giving orders to Tom Hardy’s Royal Air Force Pilot over the radio. The audio is actually a nod to Caine’s character in Battle of Britain (1969).
However, many fans completely missed the cameo and didn’t spot Caine’s voice until Nolan revealed it to the public. According to him, “It’s shocking to me that a lot of people haven’t [noticed him] when he has really one of the most distinctive voices in cinema.”
This just goes to show that no Christopher Nolan movie is complete without the infamous Michael Caine.
Illumination References Past Movies in Despicable Me 3
In every Despicable Me movie, Margo wears a shirt that references one of Illumination Entertainment’s feature films. She wore a Lorax shirt in the first movie and a Wangan-kun one in the second. For this movie, Margo is wearing a green shirt with a picture of the Grinch.
There are also multiple Sing! Easter Eggs in the movie. The most obvious one is when the minions end up on the Sing! competition. However, that isn’t all. Gru’s brother, Dru, raises pigs that look exactly like the ones in Sing as well as the pig named Tattoo in Secret Life of Pets (2016).
Interestingly, Tattoo has a tattoo of a unicorn in Secret Life of Pets which resembles Agnes’ unicorn in Despicable Me.
The new minion boss Mel is also a nod to Chris Meledandri, the founder and CEO of Illumination Entertainment.
Nods to the Original in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Welcome to the Jungle would not be a true sequel without a couple of nods to the original Jumanji.
The Jumanji game was found on the same beach scene as in the first movie and, although it’s now digital, it still entices its players with the sound of beating drums.
You may have also noticed that Alex’s treehouse home was once inhabited by Alan Parrish, Robin Williams’s character from the original and that Professor Shelley finds an elephant game piece much like the ones from the first movie.
Welcome to the Jungle also brought to life some of the characters we loved from the original movie. The antagonist in the film is a hunter named Van Pelt, just like the Wild Thornberrys-looking man that portrayed the bad guy in the first film.
David Alan Grier’s Officer Carl Bentley is also revived in the movie as Brantford High School’s Principal Bentley.
Nostalgic Advertisements in Blade Runner 2049
Coca-Cola ads were added to the original 1982 Blade Runner because Ridley Scott thought “that even in a futuristic dystopian world, Coca-Cola is everlasting." Therefore, the neon red sign was once again part of the cityscape in Blade Runner 2049.
Dennis Villeneuve also brought over other advertisements from the original such as Pan Am and Atari – both of which ironically haven’t lasted since 1982. Pan Am went under in 1991 and Atari was bought out by Hasbro in 1998. Therefore, these advertisements wouldn’t have been in a 2049 cityscape.
However, Blade Runner 2049 added another company to their futuristic world: the movie’s international distributor, Sony.
In the movie, K tracks down Deckard in Las Vegas. While there, he puts a coin into a jukebox and conjures a hologram of Frank Sinatra. If you look closely at the front of the machine, you’ll notice it was built by Sony.
Monstrous Mementos in The Mummy
The Mummy (2017) pays tribute to some monstrous monster movies that came before it.
Dr. Jekyll’s lab has two items on display that serve as mementos of some of the greatest monsters in history. One is a human skull with vampire fangs, which represents Dracula, and the other is a severed fin displayed in a large glass case. This was likely removed from the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
After these relics are shown on screen, Dr. Jekyll starts to transform into Mr. Hyde and attacks Nick. Jenny tries to gain access to the room to help him but is stopped by a Prodigium employee.
The two start to fight, but Jenny eventually grabs a book and knocks him out. The book that she grabs is the Book of the Dead from the 1999 Mummy.
James Bond References in Kingsman: Golden Circle
Both Kingsman movies have referenced James Bond numerous times. However, Golden Circle does it with an American twist.
Halfway through the film, Eggsy and Whiskey are falling down a mountain in a ski lift. Thinking on his feet, Eggsy uses Whiskey’s parachute to slow them down and avoid catastrophic disaster.
Since Whiskey is a Statesman, his parachute opens up to reveal a giant American flag. Some fans may recognize this as the scene from The Spy Who Loved Me, where Bond skis off a cliff and opens his parachute. However, rather than a Betsy Ross-styled flag, Bond soars above the skies under the Union Jack.
The machine briefcase Eggsy uses in the Poppy Land scene is also a shout out to James Bond’s weapon in From Russia with Love. Although Sean Connery’s briefcase isn’t as advanced as Eggsy’s, the movie does an updated tribute to one of Hollywood’s biggest spies.
Superman Tribute in Wonder Woman
The scene in Wonder Woman where Diana and Steve fight German spies in an alleyway holds references to many different events.
The entire scene itself is a homage to the original 1978 Superman where Clark Kent saves Lois Lane from a mugger’s bullet. However, in Wonder Woman, the gender roles are reversed and Wonder Woman saves Steve Trevor from the bullet.
In this same scene, Chris Pines has said that he shakes his hand after punching the assassin as a tribute to Indiana Jones, and Wonder Woman’s pose after catching the bullet pays homage to Rosie the Riveter.
There is also another sneaky Superman reference in the opening scene of the movie. Shortly after Diana enters the Louvre, a Wayne Enterprises van pulls up with the license plate, “JL 828 VZM”. This may represent Justice League #82, where Superman returns.
Could this hint at his return in Justice League?
Jokes About the DCEU in The LEGO Batman Movie
The Lego Batman Movie was full of hilarious jokes and it didn’t shy away from making fun of the DCEU.
When the Joker entered the Phantom Zone, the gate-keeper introduces herself as Phyllis. The Joker then exclaims, “that was my mother’s name!,” throwing shade at the overly criticized “Martha” scene in Batman v Superman (2016).
There’s another BvS joke during the scene where the Joker says he’s Batman’s nemesis. When Bats says his nemesis is actually Superman, the Joker says it’s impossible for superheroes to fight, once again mocking the plot of BvS.
Suicide Squad (2016) was also another target of Lego Batman’s jokes when Batman says that criminal fighting criminals is a dumb idea. Killer Croc is also seen in the movie saying, “I did something!” which references the fact that the character did absolutely nothing in Suicide Squad.
Maurice's Trinkets in Beauty and the Beast
In the live-action Beauty and the Beast, Belle’s dad, Maurice is no longer an inventor but rather a creator of music boxes.
On his desk, Maurice has a music box that looks a lot like the windmill of his old home in Paris. This windmill is seen later on when Belle learns about her mom.
There is also a music box with an elephant and a palace on its back. The building looks a lot like Agrabah Palace from Aladdin and the elephant is a nod to the elephant that the Genie transformed Abu into so that he could carry Prince Ali.
As the camera pans out, you can also see a canoe with a man and woman holding hands. This trinket resembles the scene from The Little Mermaid where Eric and Ariel row through the waters during the song “Kiss the Girl.”
Hidden Cameos in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Just like any other Star Wars movie, The Last Jedi is full of cameos. However, some of them were harder to spot than others. Did you catch them all?
Joseph Gordon-Levitt has appeared in three of Rian Johnson’s feature films, so it was only fitting that he made a cameo in The Last Jedi. You can hear his voice as Slowen-Lo, the alien that busts Finn and Rose for illegally parking their shuttle. The name Slowen-Lo is even an Easter Egg, referencing the Beastie Boy’s song, Slow and Low.
Mark Hamill also had a hidden role in the movie. His name appears twice in the end credits – once as Luke Skywalker and another as Dobbu Scay. Dobbu Scay is the alien who thought BB-8 was a slot machine, and an anagram for Bob Duscay, the movie’s editor.
Hamill’s kids also appeared in the film as three Resistance fighters.
All the Hidden References in Get Out
Get Out clearly highlights racial tensions and issues in America. However, Jordan Peele added some subtle references that you might not have picked up on. When Chris is ripping the stuffing out of the leather chair to use as ear plugs, Peele is referencing slavery and the cotton industry. Chris is literally picking cotton to save his life.
There is also a scene in the movie where Rose’s dad goes on a rant about his hatred of deer and bucks. He says that every dead deer is a win for mankind. This scene might have seemed out of place, but it actually references the “Black Buck” racial slur that was used in post-reconstruction America.
The car used to abduct Andre in the beginning of the movie was also white and had a knight’s helmet hanging from the rearview mirror. This represents the White Knights of the Klu Klux Klan.
MCU Connects All of Stan Lee's Cameos in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Stan Lee makes a cameo in nearly every MCU movie. However, his appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is probably the most important.
During this particular cameo, Stan Lee is in space wearing an astronaut’s suit with three mysterious beings. These three beings have been confirmed to be Watchers, an alien race that observes everything that happens in the universe.
This scene confirms the theory that all of Stan Lee’s cameos are connected and that he’s actually playing the same character in each movie. Lee is an operative spying on the Universe and keeping tabs on the Avengers for the Watchers.
In the cameo, he’s even telling the Watchers about a time when he went undercover as a FedEx employee, referencing his appearance in Captain America: Civil War.
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Did you catch any other memorable Easter Eggs in 2017 movies? Let us know in the comments!