An inside joke with fellow creators or a love letter to fans. Easter eggs in a movie are always a treat to spot. And among the creators who have a penchant for choosing the best Easter eggs of all time, there is Blue Beetle director Ángel Manuel Soto. And his recent one-of-a-kind shoutout to a Mexican filmmaker has impressed many.
While Blue Beetle’s second post-credit scene revealed an exciting future for the franchise by hinting at the second Blue Beetle Ted Kord, the first one paid homage to a Mexican filmmaker.
Blue Beetle director’s clever Easter Egg pays homage to Guillermo del Toro
Ángel Manuel Soto’s Blue Beetle featured two post-credit scenes. And in the first one, the filmmaker paid an animated tribute to El Chapulín Colorado, a seventies Mexican superhero show director Guillermo del Toro.
However, apart from that Toro’s 1992 feature debut Cronos took center stage, which was a sly Easter egg, paying homage to the Mexican filmmaker. Cronos, that surprisingly shares thematic similarities with the Blue Beetle was discreetly included in the movie by Soto.
In a brief moment, when the character Nana Reyes is seen flipping through television channels, for a few seconds, the viewers are able to catch a glimpse of footage from Toro’s Cronos. And this subtle reference to the Mexican filmmaker pointed out the surprising similarities shared by the two works.
Does Del Toro’s Cronos and Blue Beetle share a common ground?
Guillermo del Tor’s uniqueness lies in the way he treats the monsters in his work. Laced with a sense of empathy, Toro’s exploration of his characters has captured the attention of many. His Cronos follows the story of Jesús, a man who gets hold of a scarab-shaped object that he can affix to his body. And this object helps in conjuring supernatural abilities while triggering an insatiable need for blood.
Although the movie does traverse into the vampire genre, it strays away from the typical vampire story. And while some might wonder how this story shares a common ground with DC’s Blue Beetle, then the scarab-shaped object that grants powers to the protagonist Jamie played by Xolo Maridueña answers the question. Having the ability to bestow extraordinary abilities like strength and flight by affixing to the body, the scarab is the common thread shared by the two narratives.
However, at the same time, Jamie’s adventure as a superhero is quite different from Jesús’ tragic trajectory, even though the shared foundation of a scarab links these two narratives in unexpected ways. And it looks like Soto’s inclusion of the Cronos Easter egg pays homage not only to Toro’s contribution to modern cinema but also acknowledges the thematic similarities in the two works.
Source: SlashFilm
