The Army Of The Dead Easter Egg That Makes A Massive Connection
"Army of the Dead" is a Zack Snyder film in every sense. With slow-motion action sequences and political commentary, fans of the director's work were undoubtedly pleased with what they saw on Netflix, and Snyder rewarded the most eagle-eyed viewers with Easter eggs referencing his previous work. The audience could most readily see this with film canisters that held the reels for "Justice League" inside the casino vault the characters find.
Not only that, but if you also look at Vanderohe's (Omari Hardwick) chest tattoos, you'll notice an Omega symbol. While the symbol dates back centuries, most people recently affiliate it with the DC villain Darkseid, who played a prominent role in the Snyder Cut of "Justice League." It's hard not to view the symbol as a nod to the character, especially in light of "Zack Snyder's Justice League" coming out just a few months before "Army of the Dead."
Of course, this isn't Snyder's first zombie movie. He broke out as a feature film director with 2004's "Dawn of the Dead," and audiences could view "Army of the Dead" as a spiritual sequel of sorts. There's an Easter egg in the new movie that hints the two films could have more connections than we initially thought.
A news story references the events of Dawn of the Dead
There's a point in "Army of the Dead" where Marianne Peters (Tig Notaro) looks up a news story about how the government plans to nuke Las Vegas within the next couple of days. However, if you were to look directly underneath that story, you'll find another headline that reads, "New Information Released About '04 Zombie Outbreak in Milwaukee" (via Twitter). Snyder's "Dawn of the Dead" came out in 2004, and it primarily takes place within a mall in Milwaukee. It's hard not to think it's the same event, and it suggests this isn't the first time zombies have run rampant in the United States.
It may indicate how "Army of the Dead" and "Dawn of the Dead" exist within the same universe. It would make sense for a zombie outbreak to have taken place before as the government was quick to isolate the infestation to Las Vegas, walling it off from the rest of the world so that the undead couldn't spread to other cities. Maybe officials had to do something similar in Milwaukee to curtail a catastrophe nearly 20 years earlier.
It's also interesting to ponder what this new information about the outbreak is. Perhaps the zombies came about under similar circumstances to what we see in "Army of the Dead." Considering how "Dawn of the Dead" didn't have any alpha zombies, it's possible the two sets of creatures arose out of entirely different circumstances. Of course, it could just be a fun nod to Snyder's previous zombie outing, and the two movies have no connection. With a prequel film and TV series in the works, the exact link could become much more evident soon.
Army of the Dead includes other Easter eggs to Dawn of the Dead
Zack Snyder has some motifs he likes to bring across his filmography, and a reference to the events of "Dawn of the Dead" isn't the only Easter egg you'll find connecting the two movies. 2004's "Dawn of the Dead" opens with a montage depicting the main characters living amongst a horde of undead monsters set to a cover of "Down With the Sickness" from Richard Cheese. For those not in the know, Cheese has made a career of making lounge covers of everything from heavy metal to hardcore rap songs. The jovial-sounding music playing over horrific scenes makes for a nice juxtaposition, and "Army of the Dead" has something similar happen to kick things off.
The audience sees the zombies taking over the city while a cover of "Viva Las Vegas," performed by Cheese yet again, plays. We again see Snyder's penchant for messing with tonality and offering a fun montage that makes you tap your toes as you watch zombies consume the masses.
This isn't the only thing Snyder borrows from his own work. "Dawn of the Dead" has a scene where the main characters cram into an elevator after barely escaping a zombie attack. Snyder pairs the tense moment by having the elevator music be "I'm All Out of Love" by Air Supply. It makes for a moment of ironic detachment as the song doesn't gel with the moment we just experienced. A similar scene occurs in "Army of the Dead" as two survivors get inside an elevator while "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" by Culture Club plays. These moments of levity help make the horror go down easier, and if Snyder ever decides to venture back into zombie territory for a future film, you should keep an eye out for these trademarks.