Batman: Caped Crusader has an incredible Superman deep-cut from 80 years ago – and quietly introduces an unexpected Justice League hero

Batman: Caped Crusader has arrived – and hardcore fans of DC Comics are in for a treat.

The new animated series, which stars Hamish Linklater as the voice of Bruce Wayne, is largely inspired by the neo-noir Batman stories from the 1940s and 1960s – but features some Easter eggs that span the entire DC Universe. In episode 4, fans were quick to notice a Superman reference that dates all the way back to 1941.

Clark Kent made his first animated appearance in 1941, in a series of short films now known as the Fleischer Superman cartoons. In the fourth episode, one scene features a crowd of reporters – and one in particular looks strikingly similar to Max Fleischer's rendition of Lois Lane. If you look a bit closer, the photographer standing behind her appears to be none other than Jimmy Olsen.

In Caped Crusader, Batman links up with a photographer from the Gotham Gazette named Eel O'Brian – voiced by Spongebob Squarepants actor himself Tom Kenny. Bruce and Eel work together to dig up some dirt on Selina Kyle aka Catwoman (Cristina Ricci). But if that name sounds familiar...it's because Patrick 'Eel' O'Brian is also the name of a lesser-known Justice League hero named Plastic Man. 

Kenny has become the regular voice actor for Plastic Man, first voicing him in an unaired pilot for an animated series based on the hero basic in 2006, and again in 2015's Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League and 2018's Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold. He's yet to make a live-action appearance, but we reckon anything is possible in James Gunn's new DC Universe.

All episodes of Batman: Caped Crusader are now streaming on Prime Video. For more, check out the best shows on Prime Video and our guide on how to watch the DC movies in order.