Glass Onion's Knives Out Reference Flips The First Movie's Killer Story
Robert Clark
Published Mar 29, 2026
In Glass Onion, an important detail from Knives Out returns, but it brilliantly reverses it to flip the story of the killer from the first film.
Warning! SPOILERS ahead for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
One particular detail in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery references its predecessor Knives Out, but instead of copying it, it flips the killer's story.Glass Onion is the second film in Rian Johnson's Benoit Blanc detective series, following the classic whodunit formula but with Johnson's modern twists. However, despite being a sequel to Knives Out,the two movies are surprisingly not that similar.
The settings of the two movies are different, and the only returning character is Blanc himself. The change in Glass Onion's cast, location, and broader style of comedy and satire make the film a distinct product from Knives Out. However, there are several ways in which Glass Onion mirrors Knives Out in its characters, themes, and plot.
Glass Onion's "Anonymous Invitation" Is The Reverse Of Knives Out
In Glass Onion, Blanc joins the Disruptors on a Greek island for Miles' exclusive birthday party following an anonymous invitation. This prompts Blanc to travel to Greece and investigate a murder nobody knows about yet, but the invitation does not come from Miles himself. This is not the first time Blanc receives an anonymous invitation. In Knives Out, Blanc investigates Harlan's death after being anonymously hired when the Thrombey patriarch's death was reported as a suicide. This is one of the few instances in which Glass Onion repeats Knives Out's best tricks.
However, the circumstances in Glass Onion differ from those in Knives Out. At the end of Knives Out, viewers find out that it was none other than Ransom who hired Blanc to expose Marta, a decision that quickly backfires as Blanc figures out that the person behind Harlan's death is Ransom. In Glass Onion, however, the anonymous invitation trope is reversed. This time Blanc is not hired by the killer but, instead, by a relative of the victim who poses as her dead twin sister for most of the film.
Why Glass Onion Hardly References The Events Of Knives Out
Although Glass Onion briefly mentions the events of Knives Out in one line, the latter is hardly referenced in the second film. Both movies can exist without the other installment of the series, as the two stories aren't connected except for Blanc's presence. Glass Onion adopts a meta murder mystery approach that keeps the audience interested while not falling into the detective stories clichés. The film also doesn't repeat the successful storylines and twists of Knives Out.
In the end, each movie works well as a stand-alone, with the only thing connecting them being Blanc himself. This is perfect for the whodunit genre, as, ultimately, the movies are about the crimes and how Blanc solves them. The lack of references to the events of Knives Out and Glass Onion is positive, as it makes the sequel and possible future sequels easier to follow. Viewers don't have to watch the entire series to understand one of the Blanc films.
