Many moviegoers may be shocked by how many tiny references and nods to "Glass" were in M. Night Shyamalan's earlier films, "Unbreakable" and "Split." The famed director told The Hollywood Reporter that James McAvoy's character Kevin who was first introduced in 2017's "Split" was even a part of the original script for 2000's "Unbreakable."
INSIDER recently watched each film in the trilogy and rounded up the tiny moments, pieces of dialogue, and images that all appear to have been hinting at the plot of "Glass." Keep reading to see everything we noticed.
The first limited-edition comic book Elijah Price/Mr. Glass ever receives as a child hints at a future showdown between David and The Beast.
On the surface, the comic looks like a tease of the rooftop showdown between David's hero and Kevin's villain the Beast that Elijah attempts to orchestrate in "Glass," but it's so much more than that.
Most notable here is the use of color.
In each of the three movies, director M. Night Shyamalan has used a distinct color to identify each of his main characters. Often seen in their clothes, there's purple for Elijah, green for David, and yellow for Kevin.
Despite the main fight serving as the comic cover's focal point, it's important to note the color purple. The hero and villain are surrounded by it, not only on the comic cover, but also in the tissue wrapping. On the comic cover, it's present in the background, just as Mr. Glass is an omniscient presence ultimately presiding over major events in both David and Kevin's lives.
It's Mr. Glass who brings the two together in the movie because of the train derailment in "Unbreakable" and then who wants to orchestrate a fight between the two on top of a new building in Philadelphia.
That same scene between Elijah and his mother may contain another reference to "Glass."
When a young Elijah discovers the limited edition comic waiting for him in "Unbreakable," his mother tells him, "They say this one has a surprise ending."
If you think about that line now, maybe it didn't refer to the ending of "Unbreakable," but the ending of "Glass," which kills off all of its three main characters. That was certainly a surprise.
Mrs. Price asks her son in "Glass" if their story is a limited edition. Elijah tells his mother it's not, and instead responds that it's an origin story, suggesting there is more to come despite their deaths.
Another comic later in "Unbreakable" appears to hint at the connection between Mr. Glass, David Dunn, and the Beast as well.
Touchstone Pictures, Universal Pictures
While in a comic-book store, Mr. Price/Glass stumbles upon a comic called "The Adventures of Sentryman." It shows a Captain America-type going up against a group of villains.
At first glance, it looks like the comic simply illustrates the relationship between Elijah and David as archenemies where Elijah is the purple villain the supehero (David) approaches. But lurking in the right corner is a third character, which appears to hint at the Beast introduced in "Split."
A black creature with red eyes towers behind the purple villain. In "Split," also seen above, drawings made by one of Kevin's personalities depict the Beast as a black creature with red eyes. Not only is it fascinating to see a beast creature on the magazine cover, but it's notable that he's in the purple villain's corner.
In "Glass," Price convinces The Beast to team up and serves as his protector.
Elijahs mother predicts the events of "Glass" 19 years before it happens.
Toward the end of "Unbreakable," David visits Elijah's art gallery, Limited Edition. As he looks at a piece of artwork that's never shown on screen, Elijah's mother starts to discuss the work with David. She then mentions her son's theory on villains.
It sounds exactly like a description for "Glass."
"He says there's always two kinds; there's the soldier villain who fights the hero with his hands; and then there's the real threat the brilliant and evil archenemy who fights the hero with his mind," says Mrs. Price.
Mrs. Price may as well have been talking about James McAvoy's Beast (the soldier villain) and Samuel L. Jackson's Mr. Glass (the brilliant archenemy). In "Glass," Price takes The Beast under his wing so he can fight David's strong man (the hero).
You shouldnt have been surprised to learn David nearly drowned as a child. We heard all about it in Unbreakable.
In "Glass," Dr. Ellie Staple tries to find out if there's a traumatic moment from David's past that may have made him believe he has superpowers.
A flashback eventually reveals David nearly drowned in a school swimming pool while young.It may come across as a big reveal to those who have never seen "Unbreakable," but the event was heavily discussed in the 2000 movie.
While visiting his son's school, a woman tells David she sent him to the hospital when he was young for nearly drowning. He tells Elijah he stayed there for a week while he had pneumonia.
This time around, we get to see David's traumatic childhood event lived out on screen.
Elijah warned that David could die in "Unbreakable."
When David visits Elijah in "Unbreakable," there's more to the scene than first meets the eye.
"I never said you couldn't be killed," Elijah tells David about his superpowers. We later see the death of the unbreakable David Dunn in "Glass" when he drowns in a puddle.
In the photo above, viewers can also see the conversation takes place with a drawing of a hero threatened by a beast-like creature sits in the background.
David's ultimate demise in "Glass" comes during a fight with Kevin's beast. It just comes at the hand of a different monster.
Davids son plays with two action figures. One hints at his fathers future hero cloak worn in "Glass."
Touchstone Pictures/Disney
In "Unbreakable," Joseph plays with two action figures. The hero is noticeably wearing a green cape, which fits in line with the green color scheme of David's character throughout the three films.
Whenever he goes on a hero mission and noticeably in "Glass" he wears a dark green poncho that resembles a long, hooded superhero cloak.
At the end of "Unbreakable," Elijah was put in an institution for the criminally insane.
Touchstone Pictures/Disney
"Glass" puts all three main characters in the same institution, Raven Hill Memorial Psychiatric Research Hospital. According to the film's production notes, Price has been held there for the past 16 years.
In "Split," Dr. Fletcher drops a line that hints the film may be part of a bigger universe.
"We look at people who've been shattered and different as less than," says Fletcher while speaking of patients. "What if they're more than us?"
Fletcher's use of the word shattered immediately conjures an image of Mr. Glass, who suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta. Her reference may not simply be a subtle nod to Samuel L. Jackson's "Unbreakable" character.
Near the end of "Glass," it's revealed that more people with super abilities are believed to be out there in the world and Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson) asks her secret evil group, as she refers to them, for permission to move onto the next city to find and rid of more.
Read more: The end of 'Glass' teases a potential sequel Here's what it could be about
Its suggested in "Split" that Kevins father died from a train accident.
Dennis is seen bringing flowers to a train station platform to pay respects to his dead father.
We're never told in "Split" how Mr. Crumb dies, but some fans thought this might indicate that Kevin's father was killed on the very same train that crashed in "Unbreakable."
They were right. Near the end of "Glass," it's revealed Kevin's father was on the very same train as David that crashed in "Unbreakable." David was the sole survivor who came out unharmed.
Another hint about Kevins dad is revealed briefly in "Split."
John Baer/Universal Studios
While Dennis visits Dr. Fletcher for a therapy session she notes that the Beast "resides at a train yard because Kevin's dad left on a train."
We now know the Beast was created because of the train wreck that killed Kevin's father.
Dr. Fletcher hints at the arrival of Ellie Staple in "Split."
Jessica Kourkounis/Universal Pictures
Barry asks Dr. Fletcher what would happen to him and Kevin's other identities if she ever wasn't there.
The doctor says if something were to happen to her, she made arrangements with a colleague from Baltimore to take over for her. Fletcher gets killed by the Beast near the end of "Split" and we see Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson) arrive at the start of "Glass" to track down both Kevin and David Dunn. We never learn whether or not Staple is from Baltimore or if she ultimately has any ties to Fletcher.
