Here Are All The ‘Glass Onion’ Easter Eggs And In-Jokes That You Probably Missed

With his follow-up to Knives Out, writer/director Rian Johnson not only delivered a hilarious and scathing murder mystery in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, but he packed the thing full of clever Easter eggs. Everything from the title of the film to pieces of art in the background not only hinted at Glass Onion‘s secret, but there were also some clever nods to the previous film and a Brad Pitt reference for good measure.

If you missed some of these the first (or second or third) time around, don’t worry, we got you covered. Here’s a full list of the sly little hints peppered throughout Glass Onion.

The Title

Throughout the film, Craig’s Benoit Blanc repeatedly references the literal glass onion that sits atop Miles Bron’s beach house and how its contents are hidden in plain sight. According to Johnson, he got the name from an old Beatles song and a quick Google search.

“I’m always fishing for something fun that Blanc can grab onto as an overwrought metaphor that he can beat to death,” Johnson told Tudum. “This is all in plain sight from the very start. So, the idea of glass came to me, something that’s clear. I’ll be very honest. I literally got out my iPhone and searched my music library with the word glass.”

Miles’ Knick-Knacks

Not content with just using the Beatles song as a title and metaphor for the film, Johnson also peppered the movie with little nods to the “Glass Onion” lyrics. There’s a statue of strawberries, a nod to the line “I told you about Strawberry Fields,” and a little porcelain statue of a jester, a reference to the “fool on the hill” in the song.

The “Hourly Dong”

During the film, Miles boasts that the hourly dong on his private island was composed by Philip Glass. In reality, it was performed by longtime Rian Johnson collaborator Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Daniel Craig Isn’t The Only Returning Actor

While Johnson has touted Glass Onion as a completely separate mystery from Knives Out and that Craig is the only connection to the previous film, that’s not entirely true. Throughout the film, Derol (played by Noah Segan) can be seen milling about Miles’ mansion, just having a beer and seemingly oblivious to the murder mystery unfolding around him. However, this isn’t Segan’s first Benoit Blanc mystery. The actor played Trooper Wagner in the previous film. Like Joseph Gordon Levitt, Segan is also a frequent Rian Johnson collaborator and has appeared in Brick, Looper, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Serena Williams’ Book

Tennis star Serena Williams makes a cameo in the film where she apparently offers real-time training advice to Norton’s billionaire. During her brief appearance, she’s seen holding a copy of Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow. In the first film, Benoit Blanc quipped to Ana de Armas’ Marta that no one has ever actually read the book.

Benoit Blanc’s ‘Among Us’ Crew

In the early scenes of the film, a bored and despondent Benoit Blanc can be seen playing the hit video game Among Us with Stephen Sondheim, Natasha Lyonne, and Angela Lansbury of Murder, She Wrote fame. However, the scene is more than just an opportunity for clever cameos. In the game, players have to deduce the identity of a killer among them just like the plot of the film.

More Clues In The Bathroom

The Among Us scene also contained another little Easter egg. Lying on the floor of Blanc’s bathroom is a copy of the 1930 murder mystery Cain’s Jawbone. Like the film, the story is told out of order thanks to a clever printing trick.

Benoit Loves Him Some Stephen Sondheim

The legendary composer’s Among Us appearance wasn’t just a clever cameo. In Knives Out, Blanc can be seen singing a tune from Follies while navigating the first film’s mystery.

“Fool’s Mate”

When Miles’ guests all receive their intricately designed mystery box, it appears to be an array of mentally taxing puzzles. However, one of the games is a telling reveal that Miles isn’t the genius he pretends to be. In the chess box, the pieces are set to what’s known as “Fool’s Mate,” one of the least complicated and easiest positions to score a checkmate.

“Duke Don’t Dance With Pineapple”

In yet another hint that Miles’ plot really was simplistically “stupid,” he literally asks his quests for dietary restrictions in his invitation and then uses that information to murder Duke.

Miles Is A Tom Cruise Wannabe

During one of the film’s flashback scenes, Miles can be seen looking a whole lot like Tom Cruise’s character in Magnolia. Turns out, this was intentional. According to costume designer Jenny Egan, this was a deliberate choice to show that Miles is not the most original dude, so of course, he stole Andy’s business plan.

Add Brad Pitt To That List

If the shirtless portrait of Miles looked familiar, that’s because it’s a clever nod to Norton’s role in Fight Club. The painting is actually Norton’s head on top of Brad Pitt’s body. Whether that means the movie exists inside the Glass Onion universe makes our head hurts, but is a cool little callback to one of Norton’s most famous roles.

Yes, That Was Kanye In A Toga

This little Easter egg is actually Edward Norton’s favorite. Included in Miles’ extensive portrait is a painting of Kanye West as a Roman senator, and the actor can’t believe more people haven’t pointed it out.

Have We Mentioned Miles Is An Idiot?

Despite his seemingly impressive art collection, which notably includes the actual Mona Lisa, Miles truly has no idea what any of it means. According to Rian Johnson, one of the paintings from artist Mark Rothko is actually hanging upside down because, again, Miles is a moron.

Maybe Benoit’s A Little Like Batman

During the film’s reveal that Helen (Janelle Monae) is actually Andy’s twin sister, Benoit offers to help her infiltrate Bron’s island getaway. However, he notes, “I am not Batman,” which is slightly undermined by the score. As Benoit formulates a plan to catch Miles, a small sample of Danny Elfman’s iconic score from Tim Burton’s Batman can be heard.

Andi’s Full Name Was Very Fitting

While pulling double duty as twins, Janelle Monae’s Cassandra Brand was a deliberate nod to the Greek myth of Cassandra whose prophecies were ignored despite her divine gifts. In the film, Cassandra/Andi warns about the volatile nature of Bron’s new energy project, Klear, and is not only ignored but murdered for threatening his company.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is available for streaming on Netflix.