A murder mystery game on a private island in Greece is not exactly the best way to beat the pandemic blues. But Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery on Netflix did it while leaving viewers craving for more. It was a second shot for fans who enjoyed Daniel Craig’s spy stint in Hollywood as the iconic 007. Yet, what many may have missed out on is the often direct parallels Glass Onion drew with a select few real-world celebrities and leaders.

That said, not every character in A Knives Out Mystery has a direct celebrity connection. However, some are clearly entwined with real events, and the setting of the film itself attests to that. The characters who share a semblance with one or more real-life A-listers include Miles Bron, the eccentric co-founder of Alpha, who looks like a tech-titan clone, Duke Cody, a men’s rights streamer and alt-curious questioner, and Lionel, an eerily similar figure to Steve Wozniak.

But that’s not all. The characters, described as “Disruptors”, have several other links to existing celebrities you might know. These resemblances are not confined to Hollywood. In fact, the inspirations come from various walks of life.

So, if you couldn’t pinpoint, we’ll help you crack the code of the Glass Onion.

Miles Bron or Elon Musk?

The most apparent celebrity counterpart in the film is Miles Bron’s uncanny similarities with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and other billionaires of his ilk. Bron is a synthesised tycoon cocktail—part Muskian prototype, part Silicon Valley magnate, with a dash of legacy empire heir. He co-founded the technology company Alpha, much like Musk, whose technological investments back up the majority of his net worth. Bron’s style also nods to Steve Jobs, evident in his iconic black turtleneck, though the Musk comparisons take centre stage.

Glass Onion cleverly satirises Bron’s eccentric pitches and business ventures, eerily mirroring Musk’s unpredictable and often tumultuous entrepreneurial pursuits, like his then-acquisition of Twitter, now X. Bron also embodies the tech-savvy personality, flaunting his wealth and intelligence while frequently name-dropping other celebrities. It draws striking parallels to Musk’s public image, marked by arrogance and condescension.

Birdie Jay is the atypical Tinseltown ‘It Girl’

Unlike Miles Bron, it’s difficult to box Birdie Jay with a direct celebrity parallel. But she does fit the bill of a Hollywood “type”, that of an ‘It Girl’. Birdie’s character is defined by her beauty lines, modelling career, and, of course, controversies. But when you look closer, it’s a scathing satire of celebrities like the Kardashians. The film introduces Birdie while she is partying lavishly in her apartment at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, where social distancing is an afterthought.

The film uses this scene, complete with Covid-19 briefings on the news, to mirror the real-life criticisms faced by the Kardashians for flouting lockdown rules for a birthday vacation. Her arc takes another jab at celebrity culture with her clothing line controversy, eerily reminiscent of Kim Kardashian’s own fashion missteps, such as the debate around cultural appropriation surrounding her ‘Kimono’ clothing item. There is also a subtle nod to Lana Del Rey with Birdie’s first appearance on the island, which sees her donning a bejewelled mesh mask, reminiscent of the singer in 2020, for which she had faced severe backlash online.

Duke Cody is a Joe Rogan archetype

Duke Cody in Glass Onion is a men’s rights activist (MRA) who’s also a Twitch streamer. Despite his social designation, Duke’s career is not short on controversies. The most obvious name that comes to mind while watching this character play out is that of the podcaster Joe Rogan, who has been dubbed an MRA over his perspective on certain political issues, minorities and especially the treatment of women by men.

Like Duke, Rogan is a controversial figure whose online presence has stirred quite a few debates, specifically during the Covid-19 pandemic, a timeframe the movie addresses head-on. Having said that, critics have also found similarities between Duke and Andrew Tate, but the Rogan comparisons take the cake.

Claire Debella reflects the corrupt political landscape

Similar to Birdie Jay, Claire Debella falls under a type: political corruption. In every country, political leaders are the default flagbearers of right and wrong. But what happens when they blur the lines themselves? The pandemic wasn’t exclusive to race, wealth, gender, or class. So, when Claire broke the lockdown rules to visit Miles on his private island, despite urging citizens to stay in and maintain the protocols, A Knives Out Mystery highlighted the ingrained corruption and hypocrisy that proliferates from the apex of social hierarchy.

In reality, many politicians were criticised for breaking lockdown protocols, but how Claire came to her political position uncovers a bigger ruse at play. She even endorses Klear, Mile’s unstable and unpredictable alternative fuel source, despite the risk it poses to humankind, robbing her of the virtues and clean public image she and many politicians bend over backwards to maintain.

Lionel Toussaint has the makings of Steve Wozniak

The parallels between Miles Bron and Elon Musk might be unmistakable, but the thread that solidifies Miles’ connection to Steve Jobs is the similarities between Lionel Toussaint and Steve Wozniak. Lionel served as the primary scientist for Alpha, who pulls the strings from behind to breathe life into Miles’ ideas. He is morally compromised, and no amount of prior knowledge of the dangers behind what he seeks to develop as progress stops him in his pursuit as long as the money keeps trickling down from Miles’ brand into his hands.

The relationship resembles somewhat the equation Jobs and Wozniak shared, where the former was the face of the Apple brand and the latter served as the technical circuit. They were famously known to have been friends turned business partners who became estranged over creative business differences.