Wake Up Dead Man Officially Continues a Secret 6-Year Knives Out Tradition

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Following the popular films Knives Out and Glass Onion, the latest installment presents a new thrilling mystery for Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc to unravel. This third film in the series refines the classic “whodunnit” format, taking inspiration from other well-known impossible crime stories as Blanc teams up with a new partner he meets during the investigation. The movie also begins a curious pattern when it comes to revealing the killer’s identity.

Each film in the Knives Out series centers around a murder mystery, with detective Benoit Blanc teaming up with one of the suspects to solve the crime. Like many mysteries, the films feature a cast of famous actors, and some viewers have pointed out that several of these actors also appear in Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films. The latest installment, Wake Up Dead Man, continues the trend of casting MCU stars as the murderers in these whodunits.

Knives Out Keeps Casting MCU Heroes as Killers

The mystery series began with Knives Out, featuring a wealthy and spoiled character, Hugh Ransom Drysdale, played by . When excluded from his grandfather’s will, Hugh attempted to kill him by tampering with his medicine, and later murdered the housekeeper, Fran, to hide his crime. The second film, Glass Onion, starred Edward Norton—known for his role as Bruce Banner/Hulk in The Incredible Hulk—as tech mogul Miles Bron. Miles killed his business partner, Andi, after she opposed his development of a risky new fuel.

Although the initial two events seemed like chance occurrences, Wake Up Dead Man establishes a clear pattern involving multiple killers. It’s revealed that two of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks’ assistants conspired to murder him, but then turned on each other. Jeremy Renner, known as Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, plays Dr. Nat Sharp, the one who committed the murder. Glenn Close, famous for her role as Nova Prime in Guardians of the Galaxy, plays Martha Delacroix, the mastermind behind the plot who later killed Nat when he attempted to betray her.

Besides Lana Parrilla in Nova Prime, fans of Knives Out have noticed something fun: every killer so far has also appeared in an Avengers movie. Some viewers even said they figured out who did it in Wake Up Dead Man just because of this casting pattern, though it’s unclear if they predicted both killers or just Jeremy Renner’s character. It seems the show’s creators will need to be mindful of who they cast to keep the mystery alive.

The Knives Out Franchise Is Full of Marvel Actors

While it’s notable that Knives Out uses actors from the Marvel universe, it’s not just about casting them as the bad guys. Glass Onion included Dave Bautista (known as Drax) as a victim, and featured Kathryn Hahn (Agatha Harkness) and Jessica Henwick (Colleen Wing) as suspects. The film also had a brief appearance by Natasha Lyonne, who later played Rachel Rozman in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Several actors from the Marvel Cinematic Universe also appear in Wake Up Dead Man, including Josh Brolin (who played Thanos) and Thomas Haden Church (Flint Marko, also known as Sandman). Jeffrey Wright, the voice of Uatu the Watcher, and Annie Hamilton, who had a role in the Hawkeye series, are also in the cast. It’s especially funny that the characters in trouble in this movie are both villains from the MCU.

It’s become common to see actors from the Marvel Cinematic Universe pop up in the Knives Out movies, but it doesn’t seem like the filmmakers are intentionally casting them as villains. They appear to be offering these skilled actors a chance to play a variety of roles, and sometimes those roles are very different from their Marvel characters. The frequent overlap actually highlights just how talented these actors are.

Knives Out 4 Could Break With Tradition

While Netflix hasn’t officially announced more Knives Out movies, the writer and director, Rian Johnson, may be thinking about what Benoit Blanc’s next investigation will be. He hasn’t said if he has any actors in mind yet, but fans have noticed some trends in his casting choices, which he could potentially use to surprise them. As the many unexpected turns in Knives Out show, Johnson enjoys defying expectations.

In the next Knives Out movie, director Rian Johnson could create a fun connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe by casting an MCU hero in a significant role – perhaps as Benoit Blanc’s new assistant. While he already featured Dave Bautista (from the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy) as a murder victim in Glass Onion, he could cast another hero. Bautista’s character, Duke Cody, was the first to die, with Andi Brand’s death revealed later in the film.

Rian Johnson isn’t obligated to include actors from the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the next Knives Out film, but it might be tricky. The MCU has become so large with so many actors that avoiding them completely could be difficult. While fans have loved the Knives Out casts so far, they’ve now noticed a trend and will likely be watching closely to see if any MCU stars appear.

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2025-12-14 02:16