Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart fans have already noticed a nod to Resistance in the State of Play gameplay, but clearly Insomniac is willing to reference more than its past work. For the second time, a popular MCU meme has been recreated within the world of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart.
The meme in question comes from the third episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, with the Dancing Zemo trend taking the internet by storm. The meme sees the villain dancing awkwardly in a night club during a trip to Madripoor, the fictional Marvel city that serves as the focus of the episode. As soon as the episode aired, the internet transformed the character’s fist pump into a gif, with the joke spreading like wildfire ever since. Fans quickly shared some comical demands for the Zemo Cut, a reference to the Snyder Cut of Justice League, and Marvel actually delivered via an extended cut of Zemo’s dancing.
Seeing a character as methodical and clever as Zemo goofing off on a dance floor seems to have resonated with Insomniac Games. As such, the latest interpretation of Zemo’s dance sees none other than Ratchet filling the character’s shoes. The Lombax can be seen pumping his fist in the short video clip, with Insomniac posting the custom-made animation to its official Twitter page last night. In it, the look on Ratchet’s face sees him awkwardly glancing to the side, mimicking Zemo’s appearance further.
The post also references Club Nefarious, a location in Nefarious City. A main focus of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart’s story, the area shows off Nefarious’ power in an alternate dimension. Players are also tasked with visiting the club in the main story, so it will be interesting to see if the animation occurs in the game as well. Regardless, the gif is a lot of fun, with the robots behind Ratchet serving as an excellent stand-in for humans. In the comments of the post, Insomniac thanks the developers behind the scene.
The gif’s excellent lighting comes courtesy of @Anna_Art03, with the night club feel being captured perfectly. The actual animation comes from @Binzimation, and while she nailed this Baron Zemo-inspired movement for Ratchet, it is not the first MCU reference she has animated. Just a few days ago, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart’s new protagonist Rivet was seen copying Agatha's wink from WandaVision. The hilarious reference proved incredibly popular with fans, so it is no surprise fans are happy to see Ratchet join his fellow Lombax in paying tribute to the MCU.
With Insomniac’s recent work on Marvel's Spider-Man, it is not too surprising that the developers are fans of Marvel’s live action content as well. With two great nods to the franchise already seen, it will be interesting to see if Insomniac keeps the gag going in the future.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart will release on June 11 for PS5.