Superhero names and secret identities: these are ubiquitous in the comic book world of heroes and villains. M. Night Shyamalan's Glass is quite unlike other superhero movies, devoid of bright colors and capes, but its heroes and villains are still getting cool new codenames. Bruce Willis' David Dunn, who we first met in 2000's Unbreakable, gets a name that reflects his watchful heroism. Take a look:
The Overseer is a cool codename, but I am somewhat surprised he isn't just 'Unbreakable' or 'The Unbreakable Man'. However, The Overseer speaks to what he does as a protector and his extra-sensory perception. Bruce Willis' The Overseer will be facing off once again, with Samuel L. Jackson's villain, who gets his own new codename below.
You would think that Samuel L. Jackson's Elijah Price would just go by his Mr. Glass moniker, but the codename 'The Mastermind' is more like a traditional supervillain name, denoting a malevolent genius who pulls all the strings behind the scenes. That is exactly who he is, which makes extra sense considering that he was the one who believed in superheroes all along.
In the trailer for Glass, we hear Samuel L. Jackson's character saying his name is Mr. Glass, so I'm wondering if these names are what the heroes and villains are calling themselves or what the authorities, public or media are calling them. It could also be that these aren't official codenames at all, but just descriptions of these characters and their roles in the film. In that instance, their actual hero and villain names may be something else that we've either heard before or not.
The Glass Twitter account also shows James McAvoy's character Kevin Crumb is still called 'The Beast,' the name of his 24th personality, the villainous one with super-human abilities. The ending of Split, which tied this universe together, showed a news report where the media was calling Kevin Crumb 'The Horde,' so these heroes and villains may have multiple monikers in addition to their real identities.
What's cool about the different codenames revealed here is that it sort of shows the evolution of this untraditional superhero series. In a world where superheroes are not believed to exist by more than a select few, Glass may see these characters become more public figures with their own nicknames and titles. That makes them more mythic in a way, much like how Kal-El/Clark Kent is also Superman, the Man of Tomorrow and the Man of Steel.
We'll get to see more of the battle between The Mastermind, The Beast and The Overseer soon, as these motion posters tease that a new trailer for Glass is arriving tomorrow.
Glass breaks into theaters on January 18, 2019. That's just one of the big films kicking off next year in a year full of hugely anticipated movies. Check out everything to look forward to once the calendar turns in our 2019 release schedule.
