A small detail in Knives Out's ending shows Harlan's portrait has changed after Benoit Blanc solved the case of his murder. Rian Johnson's 2019 murder mystery assembled an all-star cast of actors to bring a twisting plot to life. While Daniel Craig's detective Benoit Blanc and Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas) were at the center, Knives Out's story revolved around Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). The mystery novel writer's death after his birthday party made all of his family members suspects, with Blanc left to collect all relevant information about the Thrombey household and what happened the night Harlan died.
Although Marta believed she accidentally gave Harlan the wrong medicine that would lead to his death, the reality was his nephew Ransom (Chris Evans) was the killer. Blanc eventually puts all the pieces together to unearth this truth, resulting in Marta taking over Harlan's estate - much to his family's chagrin. This allowed Marta to truly claim Harlan's house as her own and watch as the Thrombey family had to vacate as she sipped her coffee. However, it is only after Harlan's murder is solved in Knives Out's ending that part of his decor changes.
Throughout the entirety of Knives Out, a portrait of Harlan is hanging on the wall of his house featuring the successful and wealthy novelist looking very professional and serious. However, Knives Out's ending changes Harlan's portrait to give him a slight smirk. The reason for the change is that it reflects Harlan's happiness that his murder has been solved. Rian Johnson's movie made it quite clear that he became unhappy as he got older because of his family and how they treated him and wanted his money. It is only after his death and knowing that Marta will rightfully inherit his belongings and fortune that Harlan's portrait changes to reflect his desired outcome.
How Did Knives Out's Portrait Change? (Is Harlan Alive?)
The reason why Knives Out changed Harlan's picture in the ending is clear, but there is a question of how this is possible. To be clear, it is not literally meant to mean that the painting is somehow alive or that an alternate portrait was put up. The change in Harlan's expression in the picture is intended to symbolize Knives Out's happy ending. However, that does not mean that other such explanations are not also valid. Harlan knew that he wanted Marta to own all of his possessions, so it is possible an alternate portrait was included that reflected his happier state, and she hung it up afterwards.
There is a much less likely scenario that Harlan's new portrait in Knives Out's ending could be a tease that he is still alive. The mystery novel writer and lover of games could have faked his death in a highly complex fashion, which would include convincing Marta and everyone he had died. Harlan's portrait changing could be a secret sign to Marta that he is still alive and happy with this outcome. However, this would completely change Knives Out's ending and make Benoit Blanc look like a worse detective if he could not figure out that Harlan had faked his death.
