There is a newspaper headline about the Themyscirian Queen visiting the pope, a reference to Wonder Woman's mother, Queen Hippolyta.
Belle Reve, the name of the detention facility, is also the name of the prison in the DC comics universe where many supervillains were kept and the home of the Suicide Squad, a covert team made up of villains offered parole in exchange for performing "Mission: Impossible"-type operations for the US government.
The book Adam is reading is "The Midwich Cuckoos", a science fiction novel written by English author John Wyndham.
The alliance between Ian Randall, Van McNulty and Eric Summers for the purpose of revenge against Clark Kent is similar to the Superman Revenge Squad.
A guard calls Lex 'Curly', alluding to the Three Stooges' bald Curly.