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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’s ending explained

The eagerly anticipated sequel to Knives Out has arrived, and it may have even more twists and turns than its predecessor. Benoit Blanc, the detective who was at the center of 2019’s first installment, is back to reprise his role, but he’s the only returning member of the cast.

This time, he’s tasked with solving the mystery of a murder on a private island filled with self-styled “disruptors” who wield their powers in totally distinct ways. If you want to know “whodunit” — and why — keep reading.

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Warning: Spoilers for Glass Onion below. 

Glass Onion is structured around a series of reveals, the first being that Dave Bautista’s Duke Cody has been poisoned in what seems to be an accident. The drink that was poisoned initially appears to be that of Miles Bron (Edward Norton), the tech billionaire who invited them all to the island. Bron is the powerhouse at the center of this group of friends, and the one responsible for everyone else’s success.

The cast of Glass Onion gather around a table in a scene from the Netflix film.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (L-R) Edward Norton, Madelyn Cline, Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Kate Hudson, Janelle Monae, and Daniel Craig. Cr. John Wilson/Netflix © 2022.

What both we and Blanc discover, though, is that Bron’s success was built on the back of Cassandra “Andi” Brand, who did most of the work to build their tech company and was then forced out by Bron. Bron convinced the rest of his friend group to side with him in a dispute over a bar napkin that contained detailed plans for the company. Andi was the napkin’s actual author, but Bron claimed that he was the one who created.

Blanc is solving a murder that happened before the movie began

If you’ve read this far, you may be wondering what Blanc is doing on the island to begin with. No murder has been committed when he arrives on the island, at least not that we’re aware of. He claims that someone invited him, but that’s not actually the case.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery | Official Trailer | Netflix

What really happened, we discover, is that the real Andi was murdered before the movie even began. The person who has been impersonating her on the island is actually Andi’s twin sister, Helen, a humble schoolteacher who contacted Blanc after she discovered that her sister had died under suspicious circumstances. Blanc ultimately convinces her to travel to the island and impersonate her sister, as he deduces that most of Andi’s former friends aren’t yet aware that she has died.

Two women try to solve a puzzle in Glass Onion.

Ultimately, we discover that Bron is the one behind Andi’s murder, and that he’s not nearly as smart as he seems to be. He intentionally murdered Duke because Duke had discovered that Andi was dead, and knew that Bron was behind it. The whole movie was just Bron covering his tracks, and Blanc figures that out.

In the end, Helen blows up the glass onion at the center of the island, leaving only ruin in the wake of Bron’s legacy. Glass Onion‘s satire focuses on a different class of ultrarich, specifically people who see themselves as one step ahead of everyone around them. With the help of a world-renowned detective, though, a schoolteacher is able to outsmart them all, and leave only a giant explosion in her wake.

You can now stream Glass Onion on Netflix.

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Where to watch Knives Out
Lakeith Stanfield, Noah Segan, and Daniel Craig in Rian Johnson's whodunit 'Knives Out.'

In 2019, the murder mystery genre got a fresh infusion of life and a new detective for the post-modern millennium with Rian Johnson's twisty thriller Knives Out. Starring James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, as the loquacious Southern sleuth Benoit Blanc, the movie is a classic whodunit with a subtle stream of social satire interspersed between shocking deaths.

A hit with audiences and critics alike, Knives Out naturally spawned sequel talk, with not one but two sequels commissioned to follow Benoit as he solves mysteries in exotic locations with a rotating cast of A-listers and character actors. With the first sequel, Glass Onion, about to be released on Netflix, those eager to watch the original will need to know where to find it.
Where can you watch Knives Out?

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Daniel Craig in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

In the original Knives Out, the film established that Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc was a world-famous detective from the moment he was first shown on screen. Thanks to the success of that film, Blanc's one-off murder mystery has become a full-blown franchise. In the first of two Netflix-produced sequels, Blanc will return to theaters later this month in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. And unlike the previous movie, Blanc is a part of the mystery from the very first moment.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery | Official Trailer | Netflix

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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will receive Thanksgiving theatrical release
Daniel Craig stands and ponders in a scene from Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

In a historic agreement with Netflix, exhibitors AMC, Regal, and Cinemark will release Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery in theaters before it premieres on the streaming service in December. The Knives Out sequel will open in theaters on Wednesday, November 23, which falls one day before Thanksgiving.

The unprecedented deal comes with a specific set of rules -- only 600 theaters in the U.S. and Canada will screen the film with additional markets overseas. Knives Out 2 will only run from November 23-29 before its removal from cinemas. There will then be a blackout period where the film won't be screened until it streams on Netflix starting December 23. Netflix is billing the one-week theatrical run as a "sneak preview." Netflix will reportedly withhold box office numbers during the weeklong run.

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