WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
Glass was a film full of twists and turns that most likely played tricks on your mind. Therefore, no one blames you if you didn’t catch all of the film’s references and cinematic effects. Check out this guide to help you shatter the glass and sort through everything you missed in M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film.
M. Night Shyamalan’s Cameo
M. Night Shyamalan appears in David Dunn’s security store and tells Joseph to let his dad go for a walk. Although the whole exchange seemed a little out of place, it provided an interesting reference to the rest of the films. Shyamalan tells Joseph that he used to frequent the stadium that Dunn used to work at and “did shady stuff”. This reveals that he’s the same character that David ran into in Unbreakable and accused of smuggling drugs into the stadium.
Shyamalan also tells Joseph that someone in his building was murdered which is a reference to his cameo in Split. In this film, Shyamalan played Jai, the security guard that helped Dr. Fletcher spy on Kevin while eating some delicious Hooters wings. Dr. Fletcher is the murder victim he was referring to.
The DC and Marvel References
As a superhero movie, Glass had to do some shout-outs to the greatest superhero comics of all time. The reference to Marvel showed up whenever the film mentioned the Osaka Tower. During the news reports and ads about the building, it was always referred to as “a true Marvel”.
Glass seemed to prefer the DC comics though because there were a lot of references to the comic franchise. At the beginning of the film, Dunn follows two men that record themselves beating a random stranger. When one of the men takes down the victim, he yells “SUPERMAN PUNCH!” referencing DC Comic’s Man of Steel.
Also, at the end of the film, when Dr. Ellie Staple is walking around the comic book store, you can clearly see ads for Adam West’s Batman and hear the TV show’s iconic theme song playing in the background. There are also a lot of Funko Pops in the store including the Penguin and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy’s Nebula.
Lastly, the cheerleaders that the Horde takes to feed to the Beast at the beginning of the movie are wearing the letters CHS on their uniforms. Now this likely references Central High School in Philadelphia, but it could also potentially be a reference to Central City High School, where Barry Allen’s Flash went to school.
The Colors Throughout the Film
M. Night Shyamalan has revealed that he highlighted each of the film’s main characters in a certain shade of color to represent their character arc and voyage throughout the movie. David Dunn is associated with the color green because of his life-giving properties, Kevin Wendell Crumb is given the color yellow because it is associated with religious ceremonies and his desire to help the Broken, and Mr. Glass is linked with the color purple because of its connection to royalty and significance.
Throughout the film, you might have noticed these colors reflected in the patient’s clothing and personal effects at the Raven Hill Memorial Psychiatric Hospital. David wears green, Crumb wears yellow (sometimes with a yellow shawl), and Glass is wearing purple along with a purple blanket. Dr. Ellie Staple is also seen wearing a mixture of these colors throughout their time at the hospital.
The colors are brightest and more prominent when the characters believe in their superhuman powers and then duller when the patients start to doubt themselves and accept Dr. Ellie Staple’s psychological diagnosis. This is why there is a blast of purple at the end of the film when Elijah’s mom receives her son’s videos. The curtains are purple and let in the light of belief as Elijah, David, and Kevin’s powers are about to be shared with the world. Then, when we see Casey, Joseph, and Ms. Price at the train station watching their videos spreading to the world, they’re each wearing the colors of their loved ones – Casey is wearing yellow, Joseph is wearing green, and Ms. Price is wearing purple.
Lastly, the colors are also reflected in the comic book store that Casey and Joseph both visit to learn more about their loved one’s powers. When Casey buys her book, the storeowner places it in a purple bag to reflect her belief in what Glass has been saying all along. Then, we zoom into Joseph’s time at the store and you get a closer look at the rest of the room. It’s decorated in purple and green and there’s a purple sign that says “Villains” to represent Glass and a green sign that says “Heroes” to symbolize David.
Dr. Ellie Staple Was Mentioned in Split
You might have found it odd that Dr. Ellie Staple had so much knowledge about The Horde and the events of Split. However, she has this connection because she was actually referenced in Split a year ago. When Dennis, acting as Barry, asked his psychiatrist, Dr. Karen Fletcher what would happen to him if she were no longer alive, she said, “If ever something were to happen to me, I’ve made arrangements with a colleague from Baltimore to take over”. Dr. Ellie Staple is this colleague from Baltimore and therefore has access to Dr. Fletcher’s clinical notes – even the note she left with Kevin’s full name.
The Whisper Man Comic
While most of the comics featured in Glass were real comics, the one that Joseph picks up at the store was made specifically for the movie. Entitled The Whisperman, this comic was designed to look like it was developed in the 80s to 90s to reflect the Glass storyline. It featured an entirely made up character named Whisperman who was made to look like a mastermind and puppet master to illuminate the role of Glass in the film.
The Comics in the Store Represent Each Character in the Movie
Throughout Casey and Joseph’s time in the comic book store, there are several comics that are highlighted and brought to the forefront of the scene. When Casey is checking out with the shop owner, there are three comic books on the counter. One is The Secret Voice which features psychic monks and a title that references The Horde. There’s also an issue of Tales to Demolish #1: The Glacier, which has a title that references David’s powers and a plot that mentions a car crash and discoveries in frozen water, much like David’s origin story. I wasn’t able to make out the last comic book on the shelf, but it most likely references Glass.
There are also comics laid out in the middle of the store when we zoom into Joseph’s time with the comic books. Here we see The Legion of Regrettable Supervillains and The League of Regrettable Superheroes which likely represent each of the main characters in the film.
Glass’ Carnival Flashback
When Mr. Glass sits down for his “surgery”, his mind wanders and we see a flashback of a young Elijah sneaking off to take one dangerously fun ride on the Dark Cyclone. This scene was actually a deleted scene from Unbreakable that was repurposed to fit in Glass. According to Shyamalan, the scene took two days to shoot but was ultimately deemed out of character from the rest of the movie.
This isn’t the only scene that was repurposed for Glass. In another scene, we see David entering his son’s bedroom and Joseph saying that he knows about his father’s secret identity. This scene was also shot for Unbreakable and was meant to occur after Joseph witnessed his father lifting an unbelievable amount of weights.
The Movie’s Ending
The end of the film had a lot of references that worked to bring the cinematic effects of all three movies to a close. In Unbreakable when Dunn starts to believe in his powers, Glass tells him to go to people. He then heads to the train station and stands in the crowd to test his powers and find someone to save. Therefore, it makes complete sense that Casey, Joseph, and Ms. Price head to the train station to watch as the people learn about their loved ones’ powers at the end of Glass.
The train station itself is also significant throughout all three films. The train accident caused by Mr. Glass was the moment that helped both David Dunn and Kevin Wendell Crumb dive into their powers. Therefore, it was only natural for Glass to end the characters’ journey at the train station.
If you take a look at Casey, Joseph, and Ms. Price’s outfits while they’re sitting down at the station, you’ll also notice that they’re wearing the colors that are associated with each of their loved ones. Casey is wearing Crumb’s color of yellow, Joseph is wearing Dunn’s green, and Ms. Price is wearing Elijah’s purple. This represents the fact that the survivors have taken on the responsibility of their lost loved one’s powers so that they can make things right in the world.
……………………..
Were you able to find any other references or Easter Eggs in Glass? Let me know in the comments!