Everything You Need to Know About the End of ‘Glass’

Glass, starring James McAvoy, Samuel L. Jackson, and Bruce Willis, comes to theaters this week, hoping to complete the Shymalanaissance while simultaneously expanding the loved-then-hated filmmaker’s cinematic universe. And once you have enjoyed 129 minutes of these semi-superheroes and semi-supervillains facing off to battle for the fate of Shymalan’s career comeback, you will likely find yourself faced with one question: Is another sequel coming or is this definitive ending to Shyamalan’s superhero-ish trilogy? We have the answer.

WARNING: Obviously, there are some major plot spoilers for Glass coming your way so if you haven’t seen the film already, you’re probably going to want to stop reading.

First off, we should make it clear that the ending to Glass does not appear to set up the possibility of a sequel in any way. While it’s become commonplace for blockbusters to have ambiguous endings that leave room for future adventures, Shyamalan seems to be wrapping up this superhero-adjacent trilogy, as (ONCE AGAIN SPOILERS!) all three of the main characters are dead by the end of the end of the film. So what exactly happens that causes David aka The Overseer, Kevin aka The Horde, and Elijah aka Mr. Glass to kick the bucket? Let’s explain.

The three spend most of the movie in a mental institution with Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson), who tries to convince them that they are not superheroes or supervillains because neither exist. However, Mr. Glass, who is intent on revealing that superhumans exist, is able to secretly unleash “The Beast” from Kevin and the two attempt to escape with David hot on their trail. But just as the unstoppable force (The Beast) is about to take on the immovable object (David), Dr. Staple appears with a legion of armed guards and reveals that she is a part of a secret anti-superhero society that works tirelessly to keep the world from discovering the existence of superhumans and hopes to wipe out all superhumans, regardless of whether they are good or bad.

Dr. Staple’s armed men are able to capture David and drown him while Kevin is enraged to learn that Mr. Glass caused the train crash that killed his father, which ultimately led to the development of his multiple personalities. The Beast kills Mr. Glash in a fit of anger and then Kevin is killed by Dr. Staple’s men, seemingly keeping the secret of superhumans from reaching the outside world. Except, in a final twist, it is revealed Mr. Glass orchestrated all of these events in order to have David and Kevin’s fight be captured on the mental institution’s security cameras, as Glass had previously hacked the cameras and released the footage to the world, confirming the existence of superheroes and supervillains.

Will this become a classic Shyamalan ending or be mocked among the likes of The Happening or Lady in the Water? Only time will tell but regardless of its reception, this does seem to be the clear conclusion of the 20-year trilogy, as there is no sign of a post-credits scene that would set up a sequel down the road. Considering the film isn’t exactly getting a ton of love from critics – it currently has a not-so-super 37 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes – Glass is unlikely to have many fans craving anymore from the Shyamalan Superverse anytime soon.