Warner Bros. dropped the final trailer for Todd Phillips' Joker earlier this week. Since then, DC fans have been trying to figure out what to make of the movie, which reinvents the Clown Prince of Crime's origin story. Phillips has said more than once that the movie takes place outside of the DCEU and is something brand-new. However, that doesn't mean he didn't add a few subtle nods and Easter Eggs to the DCEU in the upcoming thriller.

One eagle-eyed DC fan noticed the DCEU Batman Easter Egg in the latest trailer for the Joker movie. There's one shot in particular that shows a bunch of men in clown masks running away from a movie theater. If you look closely, there's a movie poster promoting 1981's Excalibur, which so happens to be the same movie advertised in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. The scene in question is a flashback where Martha and Thomas Wayne were killed. They were leaving a theater that featured Excalibur on the theater marquee.

Excaliber was released April 10, 1981. This gives us a good indicator of exactly when Joker takes place, with the Clown Prince roughly around 44 years old. That would mean this version of Joker would be roughly around 70 years old when Batman V Superman takes place. Is this all to indicate that Batman V Superman and Joker take place in the same universe, around the same time as the BVS prologue? Most likley not. Different actors are playing Thomas Wayne, with Walking Dead star Jeffrey Dean Morgan taking on the role in Batman V Superman and Brett Cullen playing him in Joker. The elder Wayne was originally supposed to be played by Alec Bladwin, but he jumped out right before shooting was set to begin.

The Excaliber Easter egg is probably nothing more than a clever nod to the DCEU and what Zack Snyder helped create. With that being said, there might not be too many more Easter Eggs like that in Todd Phillips' Joker. The director recently defended his decision to take the Clown Prince of Crime in a new direction with Joaquin Phoenix playing the iconic villain. Phillips had this to say in response to the backlash he has received.

"There are always going to be naysayers, but from what I gather about the momentum of the movie and the response to the teaser we put out, the majority of fans seem to be excited about going down a different road. But also, this will not be the last Joker movie ever made. It might be the last one Joaquin and I do, but someone else is going to come along and do another one, just like with Spider-Man. So if you don't like this one, don't worry - it'll get reinvented again."

Joker has been marketed as a reimagining from the start. Both Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix have talked about this dozens of times, with Phoenix announcing that the movie is a character study. The actor has turned down numerous comic book movies over the years. So, there had to be something special about what Phillips pitched him, otherwise he wouldn't have taken the movie on in the first place. The same can be said for comedian Marc Maron, who has a role in the movie and has been an outspoken critic of the comic book movie genre.

While comic book fans are a bit skeptical about Joker, others are looking forward to the bold new direction. The movie has already gained substantial early praise with some claiming that it might be able to change the comic book movie genre forever. For now, we'll just have to wait and see how everybody reacts to what Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips have created. The DCEU Easter Egg was originally found on Reddit.