Foreshadowing / The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part

• During a short glimpse into the real world early on, Finn is arguing with his sister and specifically mentions creating a "storyline [involving] time travel..."
• When the DUPLOs invade Apocalypseburg, a lot of their dialogue is strangely complimentary to the citizens; one heart DUPLO even compliments Batman, "You're so handsome!" This seems out of place, but it hints that the DUPLOs actually just wanted to play with and be friends with the citizens of Apocalypseburg.
  • It's also a hint to the fact that Queen Watevra Wa'nabi wants to marry Batman.
• Pay very close attention to the heart that Emmet makes for the DUPLO aliens as a peace offering, and if you recognize that it's in Queen Watevra's color-scheme, you can figure out the central plot twist of the movie a whole hour beforehand.
• During a talk between Lucy and Emmet at the latter's house, it's shown that Lucy hates Everything is Awesome, and Emmet notes that she was "always a dark, goth rebel", to which she responds "of course I was" before hastily changing the subject. The Reveal at the end of the movie shows Lucy with her original hair colors as a member of A POPular Band, the group that sung the song she hates.
• Way back in the first movie, Wyldstyle was ashamed of her old name, "Lucy", because she didn't think it was sufficiently heroic. Turns out that her old name wasn't the only part of her past she was ashamed of.
• Mayhem was aware of Lord Business' defeat but was unaware that Emmet was the one responsible for it and didn't believe it was him when told. By contrast Rex not only knows of Emmet's role in thwarting Lord Business but is apparently a fan of his for it, despite being just as distant from Apocalypseburg as the Systarians. This is a hint that he knows much more than he lets on to Emmet.
• Rex has the same matte Black Bead Eyes as Emmet. Because he is Emmet.
• When Emmet is explaining to Rex that his mission is to save his friends, look very closely at Rex's face when he crushes a coffee cup and throws it away; he looks angry. This foreshadows that Rex doesn't think much of the concept of friends.
• Rex says that Emmet is the reason he started wearing vests. While we're led to believe this means Rex was inspired by Emmet's adventures in the first movie, the literal meaning is that Rex traveled back in time specifically to find Emmet, his idealistic past self—right after changing his vest to match his hardcore new personality.
  • Look closely and you'll realize the design of Emmet and Rex's vests are exactly the same except for color. As are the rest of them, turns out.
• Among the multiple titles Rex gives of himself there is "Has chiseled features previously hidden by baby fat" Of course, these are chiseled parts that he drew on himself in an attempt to be "more mature" compared to when he was Emmet.
• Some of the advice Rex gives to Emmet seems irresponsible, such as when Rex advises Emmet to just pick a random planet as a destination and then act like he's sure it's the right one, because that's "leadership". This foreshadows that Rex has a very warped idea of what being a grown-up actually means.
• While he and Emmet are being attacked by the aliens on the first planet they visit, all of Rex's raptors get taken by the enemy, but he seems more upset to see them dancing later on than the possibility that they might have been killed by the enemy. A pretty good sign that Rex isn't that good of a guy, and his priorities aren't in quite the right place.
• Although Emmet's "Piece" Offering is eaten by the DUPLO aliens, the pieces are then beamed into one of the ships, but never actually destroyed.
• Rex keeps breaking the things Emmet builds, almost casually, without regard for how he feels. These are pretty clear hints that Rex isn't exactly a good guy.
• During her Villain Song when she's offering the Apocalypseburg residents things to convince them she's not evil, Queen Wateva offers Batman "half of everything". This takes on a new meaning when it's revealed she wants to marry him, and she even lampshades that he accepted her earlier offer to get half of everything.
• Queen Watevra misunderstands the Apocalypseburg residents' reaction to her horse form and changes into something they'd be more comfortable with... which has the complete opposite effect she's going for, as the new form has three eyes and lots of tentacles. It's a subtle hint that she and the other Systarians have seriously misunderstood how to communicate effectively with the Apocalypseburgers and believe that acting tough and intimidating is the right way to get through to them.
• When Emmet first sees Rex's ship he calls it an enemy ship. As it turns out, he's not wrong.
• The Rexcelsior spaceship is shaped like a human fist, which hints at Rex's endgame for the Systar System and what Finn in the real world is going to do to his sister's playsets.
• The first time Rex explains his backstory to Emmet, he describes it as a galactic mission that was more than he bargained for. This was the same situation Emmet was in on the way to save his friends from the Systar System, right before Rex showed up to save him, which in turn subliminally foreshadows the revelation that Rex is Emmet from the future.
• Emmet and Rex are both voiced by Chris Pratt. It turns out that Rex is Emmet.
• While Rex tells his backstory to Emmet the first time, his voice briefly drifts into sounding like Emmet's, because that's who Rex actually is.
• Wyldstyle specifically mentions that she definitely didn't darken her original hair color with sharpie because she was ashamed that she wasn't tough enough. Turns out she wasn't the only one who modified herself (including a marker) to fit a better idea of what "toughness" is.
• Rex wears a dark outfit, sports stubble, and pilots a black clenched fist-shaped ship manned by a crew of velociraptors. Many clues hinting he's actually a villain.
• Doc Brown was the first person Rex stole a time machine from. Later on, when Emmet decides he's never going to grow up to be Rex, the latter starts vanishing from existence in the same fashion as the rules of time travel in that franchise. He even specifically refers to it as "Back-to-the-Future-ing."
• When Emmet and Rex meet up with Lucy, Rex appears to be angry and distrustful of her. Considering that the version of Lucy from his timeline kept partying in the Systar System instead of trying to look for him after he got stranded under the dryer, it makes sense that he would be angry at her.
• Also when Emmet and Rex meet up with Lucy, when she asks "Who is this guy?", Emmet comments that he's glad Lucy noticed him because he thought Rex was an image he imagined on how manly and grown up he'd like to be. He is right, but not in the way he thinks.
• Rex has raptors as members of his crew. This is because Rex can time travel.
• "Don't thank me, thank yourself." Either way, Emmet's directing it towards Rex.
• After Lucy escapes and hides from the others, Benny realizes Lucy is missing while on a party bus to the wedding, causing everyone to pause for a moment concerned, with Metal Beard even asking about Batman's whereabouts, only for the bus driver to turn the music back on, immediately causing them to go back to partying without a second thought. In Rex's timeline, he was trapped in Undar the Dryar for years because his friends had been too distracted partying to even realize he was in trouble.
  • The above also foreshadows that they weren't really being brainwashed.
• When Wyldstyle meets up with Emmet again during the wedding she notices the stubble he drew on his face, which he then wipes off. Turns out, this is what alternate Emmet did when he became Rex.
• From the first movie, despite Wyldstyle having a disdain for the "Everything is Awesome!" song, she somehow can recite it perfectly. Turns out she was part of the song group that sung it in the first place!
• When Lucy tells Emmet that he needs to act more grown up, he tells her that he "cultivated a totally hard edge side that's super tough" before getting distracted by a supposed shooting star. Rex, in a way, turns out to be that hard edge, super tough side of him.
  • What's more, what can shooting stars do? Grant wishes. It granted his wish to become "totally hard edge(d)" and "super tough".
• Rex tells Emmet that if he tries hard enough, he can pull off a massive brick-shattering punch that can take down the Space Temple, shields and all, assuring him he'll be able to do it, since he has the power inside him. Is he just being a wise mentor believing in his student? Or is it because he knows Emmet can do it, because he IS Emmet?
• During the scene where Queen Watevra convinces Batman to marry her, she sings a song taking advantage of his rivalry with Superman instead of simply brainwashing him into wanting to marry her. After all, the Systarians aren't actually brainwashing people.

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