Summary

  • Miles is revealed as the killer at the end of Glass Onion, murdering Andi and Duke to protect himself.
  • Miles pushed Andi out of their company due to disagreements over their hydrogen cell plans.
  • Miles' friends turn against him after realizing he only cared about himself and his reputation.

As a murder mystery, Glass Onion is all about the big twists revealed at the ending, and how they are explained — here's a breakdown of every Knives Out 2 twist, and the meaning of the Glass Onion ending. Written and directed by Rian Johnson, who helmed the first Knives Out, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery brings back Daniel Craig’s Detective Benoit Blanc to solve another grisly murder (or two) in this latest movie. Moving from New England to a lavish island in Greece, Johnson once again redefines the whodunit mystery subgenre of crime drama. Glass Onion introduces a slew of new characters who are attending an exclusive party — any one of whom could be the killer.

Miles Bron (Edward Norton) was surprised to see Daniel Craig's Detective Benoit Blanc because he wasn’t formally invited to attend the murder mystery party, a twist that wasn’t revealed until midway through Glass Onion. The sequel is focused on a group of friends, rather than family, whose personalities are incredibly disparate, but who are still close for reasons that primarily involve money. While the murder mystery party weekend doesn’t begin with any deaths, things quickly take a turn after Duke is killed, and it’s revealed Cassandra "Andi" Brand, Miles’ ex-business partner, died. Like the titular vegetable, Glass Onion has a lot of layers that are peeled back throughout the film.

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How Andi & Duke Really Died (& Who Killed Them)

glass onion duke andi died

Despite "Andi" (Janelle Monáe in the Glass Onion cast) being at the party, audiences learn that she died by apparent suicide days before Miles planned the murder mystery party. The actual attendee is Andi's twin sister Helen, posing as Andi. Before everyone gathered on the island, the tech billionaire had met with Andi, and roofied her drink, before taking her to her car, unconscious, and leaving her in there with the engine running and the garage door closed until she died. It was staged as a suicide so no one would suspect Miles was the culprit.

Meanwhile, Duke (Dave Bautista, once again showing audiences he's more than Drax) died after drinking what was seemingly a poisoned drink meant for Miles. The drink was dosed with pineapple juice, which immediately killed him because he’s deathly allergic to pineapples. However, as the twist-filled Glass Onion ending explained, Andi and Duke were both murdered by Miles — the former because Andi knew his secrets and might damage his credibility, and the latter because Duke had learned of Andi’s death and wanted to negotiate with Miles for a payout. Despite claiming that he’s always there for his friends, and the majority of his friends standing by his side, Miles is quick to turn against them to protect himself.

Why Miles Pushed Andi Out Of Their Company

As the Glass Onion ending explained, Miles was more of a con-man than an inventor, and he believed himself to be a genius, although he used other people's ideas to find success. Miles ultimately pushed Andi out of Alpha, despite the fact that she co-founded the company, because he had plans regarding the hydrogen cell that she didn’t approve of. Andi knew that Klear, the new power source they were working on, was incredibly dangerous, but Miles was determined to launch it anyway. Claiming that he came up with the idea for the company and then bribing their friends to testify against her, Miles was able to take complete control of Alpha with no one to stop him or his terrible ideas.

The Murder Mystery Twist (Why Miles Decided To Kill At His Party)

Miles with Duke and Whiskey in Glass Onion

While Miles planned a murder mystery party for fun, and Benoit Blanc believed his friends had a motive to kill him, it was Miles who ended up being the killer at the end of Glass Onion. Miles murdering Andi was premeditated, as was nearly killing Helen (who was shot during the party), but killing Duke was something he did spontaneously because the fear of being found out as Glass Onion's killer was greater than anything else. Miles trying to pin Duke’s murder on his friends was a way for him to remain a victim. Who would think Miles killed Duke when he was the one who invited them all to his private island? It was a twist that maintained Miles’ innocence — at least for a while before being named the Glass Onion killer.

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Miles Bron’s Full Alpha Plan Explained

glass onion miles bron alpha plan

Miles Bron is not the smartest person, and that is made apparent in his haphazard plan to kill Duke and hide Andi’s napkin rather than destroy it. Carrying on with terrible ideas, Miles’ Alpha plan was to sell his hydrogen fuel cell to various companies and countries. His home on the Greek island proved that this new energy source could power a vast space without creating any pollution.

Klear was simply a way for him to make a ton of money and be remembered in the “same breath as the Mona Lisa.” His plan was simply about fame and fortune - which says a lot about the character, as he already had both, but wanted more. While the hydrogen fuel plan was sound on paper, it was highly unstable and, as Glass Onion’s ending explained, was incredibly unsafe.

Cassandra 'Andi' Brand Twist: Why Helen Took Her Sister’s Place

Cassandra looks behind her in Glass Onion

To fully have the Glass Onion ending explained, the Cassandra Brand twist needs to be covered — that Andi who came to the island was actually her twin sister Helen. She wanted to take down Miles and prove that he killed her sister, and that she didn’t die by suicide. Despite not knowing Andi’s friends very well, she braved all and posed as her sister in a bid to help Benoit Blanc find clues that would confirm he was guilty. What’s more, Detective Benoit Blanc needed someone on the inside, especially since he wasn’t directly invited to attend the murder mystery party. He hoped that Helen posing as Andi would rattle the friend group and provide them with the information they needed to avenge Andi’s death.

Why Miles’ Friends Finally Turned Against Him

Glass Onion's ending explained that Miles had his friends under his thumb. By giving them money or getting them out of any trouble they found themselves in, Miles had enormous power and influence over all of his friends. They didn’t always like it, but they benefited from Miles bankrolling their endeavors. However, after Helen smashed all of Miles’ stuff, blew up his home, and burned down the Mona Lisa painting, they realized they didn’t need to defend him anymore and turned against him.

They might have felt some fear before, but they were finally seeing that he didn’t really care about them — Glass Onion's tech billionaire only cared about himself and would do anything in his power to protect his own reputation. Killing Andi and Duke showed them that Miles believed they were dispensable, and they were no longer willing to play his game anymore. Glass Onion’s characters had had enough of Miles and would no longer let him control them or the narrative to the public. At long last, they were finally doing the right thing.

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Why Benoit Blanc Encourages Helen To Take Down Miles (& Why He Can’t)

Benoit with Peg and Helen behind him in Glass Onion

To be sure, Benoit Blanc is an excellent detective, and he rightly figured out how Miles was able to kill Andi and Duke. However, after Miles burned the Glass Onion napkin with Andi’s plan on it, the brilliant detective no longer had any evidence to pin the blame on Miles. Detective Benoit Blanc could only do so much, and the rest was outside his jurisdiction and control. Helen, on the other hand, could do so much more, and Benoit was convinced that she would do what needed to be done to take down Miles.

Helen had the gumption, motivation, and spirit to do what Benoit couldn’t within the law’s limitations. Helen’s actions proved her capable of destroying Miles Bron, to the point that his entire hydrogen fuel cell plan, along with the Mona Lisa, literally went up in flames. Benoit’s work is great, but it’s always useful to have some help with certain aspects outside his scope. Similar to working with Ana de Armas’ Marta in Knives Out, the Glass Onion ending explained that Benoit Blanc is even better with the help of sincere do-gooders like Helen who can elevate a whodunit case to new heights.

Rian Johnson Prioritizes Endings In His Movies

Rian Johnson & Janelle Monáe - Glass Onion

Director Rian Johnson made it abundantly clear with Knives Out that endings are the most important parts of the movie to him, as the Glass Onion predecessor's ending took audiences on quite a wild ride. The same goes for the sequel, and with the Glass Onion ending explained viewers can appreciate just how deep it truly is, thanks to the murder mystery thriller leaving everything a secret until Benoit Blanc's closing deductive monologue. In an interview (via Roger Ebert), Rian Johnson discussed his love for movie endings and how they've affected his impressive repertoire so far. When asked about what it is about mysteries that people find so fascinating, movie director Rian Johnson had this to say about their endings: "Endings are my favorite thing about movies. And it's like Hitchcock said, there's very little actual satisfaction to be had from a surprise being the payoff at the end of the movie."

What Rian Johnson says about endings is definitively true for his movies in particular. Rather than hit audiences with a shocking surprise, he carefully curates suspense throughout which leads to a satisfying conclusion. With the Glass Onion ending explained the many layers of his plan can be seen in motion. While the finale is somewhat shocking, the breadcrumb trail that Johnson leaves behind is easy enough to follow to its source, but the suspense of what audiences will find on the other side is what keeps people watching until the final act. In terms of making sure his twisty Knives Out murder mystery films keep a healthy level of suspense throughout, Rian Johnson had this to say, "I think what gets you to a successful ending is something that is dramatically satisfying. And that suspense as opposed to surprise, and the release of suspense in a satisfying way at the end, as opposed to, “Oh my God, I never could have guessed that.”

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Will Glass Onion Get A Sequel?

Daniel-Craig-Glass-Onion-Knives-Out

Knives Out 3 has already been greenlit by Netflix. Both Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig will be returning, with Craig reprising his titular role as Benoit Blanc. Netflix offered Johnson a deal to the tune of $450 million to split between Glass Onion and Knives Out 3. While Glass Onion had a week-long theatrical run before hitting streaming, it's unclear if Knives Out 3 will make it to theaters before premiering on Netflix, but based on how Glass Onion was released, it's doubtful Knives Out 3 will get a theatrical release. In addition, both Johnson and Craig have stated that they're interested in more than just a third installment, so it's likely that there will be more Knives Out movies to come in the future. Since Daniel Craig is the only recurring cast member in the franchise, the cast for Knives Out 3 remains unknown. As well, there's no release date set for the sequel, but it's likely that Netflix will want a quicker turnaround than there was between Knives Out and Glass Onion. The Glass Onion ending explained Rian Johnson's formula for a perfect ending, one he'll surely carry on to Knives Out 3's story.

Glass Onion Knives Out Poster
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery follows Detective Benoit Blanc's continuing detective work in Greece. When tech billionaire Miles Bron invites his friends to his private island, Benoit Blanc must step in to solve the case when one of them is killed.

Release Date
December 23, 2022
Director
Rian Johnson
Cast
Dave Bautista , Daniel Craig , Edward Norton , Janelle Monae , Kathryn Hahn , Leslie Odom Jr. , Jessica Henwick , Madelyn Cline , Kate Hudson , Ethan Hawke
Runtime
139 minutes