That Weird Dictaphone in the New Superman

I was quietly watching the new Superman movie when, at the 20-minute mark, a detail literally caught my eye: a small stereo dictaphone handed by Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane). Nothing unusual so far. But looking more closely, I noticed that the two microphones were in an AB configuration, with a slight tilt… a bit clumsy. I know this kind of placement well, and here, it looked rather odd to me.

LordTech, a ghost brand

I looked at the brand name written on it: LordTech. Completely unknown. So I grabbed Google right away. But nothing. No product page, no official website, not even an old Amazon listing. Nothing at all. A true ghost.

A fictional company from the DC universe

Frustrated, I turned to ChatGPT, thinking that at worst, I’d get a clue. And bingo: it told me that LordTech is a fictional company from the DC Comics universe. Apparently run by Maxwell Lord in the comics, it sometimes appears in the background of movies related to Superman or the Justice League. A pure script invention, meant to add some consistency to the universe. This dictaphone doesn’t exist, except in Metropolis…

Other LordTech appearances

In the movie, you can actually spot several other LordTech logos: on a Metropolis building, on the LordTech Field sports ground, and even on the Justice Gang uniforms. This confirms the idea of an omnipresent company in the universe, sponsoring heroes themselves.

To put things in DC context: LordTech is based in Metropolis, owned by Maxwell Lord, and its influence even extends to sponsoring the Justice Gang (featuring Guy Gardner, Mr. Terrific, Hawkgirl, and Metamorpho). A subtle way to show that in this universe, even superheroes aren’t safe from big corporations.

Fans on Reddit quickly noticed it, suggesting this placement might hint at a critique of the commercialization of superheroes, or perhaps an allusion to Maxwell Lord’s manipulative schemes.

And as is often the case in this type of production, easter eggs abound: you can see streets named after Mark Waid, Alex Ross, or Alan Moore, as well as stores like Swan’s Books and the iconic Big Belly Burger, a recurring reference in the DC universe.

A real device

It was only a few days later that I finally managed to track down this recorder online, on Amazon for between $30 and $40, either as a white-label device or under the brand name "Garmay," model "TF-32." That said, I really don’t recommend buying such a device. Instead, check out my guide to choosing the right portable digital recorder.

What about you? Have you ever noticed an audio gadget or sound accessory in a movie that intrigued you enough to start an investigation? Share your story in the comments!