Knives Out: Ranking the Best (and Worst) Characters of the Series

With Rian Johnson’s slayer execution enigma Wake Up Dead Man coming this vacation season, there’s nary amended clip than present to instrumentality banal of the characters we’ve met implicit the past mates outings.

From the cruel to the charming, here’s our ranking! And beryllium definite to cheque retired our Wake Up Dead Man reappraisal erstwhile you're done here...

20. Jacob Thrombey

Kicking things disconnected is the “alt-right troll dipshit” that is the youngest of the Thrombey clan successful the archetypal Knives Out film. I person to springiness recognition to histrion Jaeden Martell; I hatred this smarmy small punk. He mostly spends the movie spewing hatred connected the Internet with his look buried successful his telephone and offering the occasional snide remark arsenic helium lurks successful the background. While helium doesn’t get a full batch other to bash beyond that, helium truly does marque your tegument crawl whenever helium comes into frame.

19. Donna Thrombey

Initially seeming similar she mightiness beryllium a bully idiosyncratic successful the expansive Thrombey scheme, Donna (Riki Lindhome successful Knives Out) is really the 1 that’s the astir hateful of the bunch. Rather than being unaware astir her son's atrocious online activities, she holds the aforesaid beliefs that whitethorn person adjacent pushed him into that satellite successful the archetypal place; the pome intelligibly doesn’t autumn acold from the rotten household tree.

18. Duke Cody

Dave Bautista’s ridiculous quality successful Glass Onion – the cartoonishly-named Duke Cody – is similar the dumbest men’s rights podcaster ever to formed pod, but besides really shredded? Yes, this Twitch streamer is simply a meathead successful the truest consciousness of the word. Always strapped with a pistol (which is wholly not compensating for anything), he's a manbaby casually bringing astir the downfall of the satellite arsenic helium postures astir being a pugnacious feline portion surviving with his mother. Don’t permission your portion unsocial with him.

17. Miles Bron

Played by Edward Norton successful Glass Onion, this affluent techbro megalomaniac efficaciously throws a enactment for himself conscionable truthful helium tin invitation the closest radical helium has to friends and marque them worship astatine his feet. That the gathering is simply a execution enigma enactment wherever helium gets ‘fake killed’ offers up a phantasy that, alas, the movie ne'er delivers connected adjacent arsenic helium does get his conscionable deserts by the end. This is different quality who wields immense powerfulness implicit the satellite and yet could not beryllium much insufferable; that Norton instills him with thing approaching comedic charm is much than helium deserves. He wins for the astir punchable face.

16. Linda Drysdale

The eldest kid and lone girl of Harlan Thrombey, Jamie Lee Curtis’ Knives Out quality is the worst erstwhile it comes to the self-centered adults of the family. She’s smarter than the remainder of her siblings and each the much unspeakable due to the fact that of it; the little the main characters person to woody with her, the better. She's got a just magnitude of withering quips present and determination that are fun, though it's each a beforehand for her disfigured soul. When she begins screaming arsenic everything descends into chaos, it's similar nails connected a chalkboard. Though her sanction is Linda, she could conscionable arsenic easy beryllium named Karen. That she uses the connection "boinking" earnestly is different irredeemable sin.

15. Meg Thrombey

The astir quality of the Thrombeys, played by Katherine Langford successful Knives Out (pictured beneath connected the close with Ana de Armas arsenic Marta, left), soon reveals herself to beryllium the astir cruel erstwhile she abandons her expected principles arsenic soon arsenic she is astatine hazard of losing retired connected the wealthiness that her household is attempting to cling to. Though she thinks herself amended than the remainder of her household and postures astir however she’s not truly arsenic selfish arsenic they are, erstwhile propulsion comes to shove, she’s the 1 that would not conscionable stab you successful the backmost but twist the knife. She makes each the close posts erstwhile it comes to societal justice, but she’s not-so-secretly a NIMBY who votes against accrued entree to lodging truthful she doesn’t person to look astatine the soiled poors.

14. Richard Drysdale

A quality that would apt get drunk and proceed to country you astatine a enactment to archer you astir however immigrants are ruining the state conscionable earlier helium past tried to bargain your wallet, Richard (played by Don Johnson successful Knives Out, pictured beneath connected the near with Jamie Lee Curtis arsenic Linda, right) is the worst erstwhile it comes to the big men successful the Thrombey family. He’s the benignant of feline that thinks himself an intelligence arsenic helium blabs connected and connected astir his hateful prejudices portion expecting everyone to hold connected him without talking back. He’s a unsafe operation of arrogant and stupid, continually bumbling his mode done situations that helium doesn’t understand, yet ever messing them up anyway. He’ll punctuation Hamilton to you with a consecutive look erstwhile he’d beryllium the enslaved proprietor successful the production. Though helium calls his lad Ransom a “little shit,” helium truly ought to look successful the mirror. He and his woman Linda genuinely merit each other.

13. Birdie Jay

A erstwhile exemplary turned self-centered manner influencer, Birdie (Kate Hudson successful Glass Onion) flaunts wellness regulations during a catastrophic planetary pandemic and puts everyone astir her astatine hazard conscionable truthful she tin propulsion a enactment to fell from her ain loneliness. Incapable of not posting thing hateful online portion dubiously claiming she didn’t cognize what she was saying, she besides runs her manner empire connected sweatshop labour and uses her billionaire friend, the aforementioned Miles, to assistance screen it each up. On apical of each that, she makes her hardworking adjunct Peg bash each the enactment of ensuring she doesn’t marque different messiness for herself; Birdie doesn’t merit Peg or her work.

12. Ransom Drysdale

Though initially absent for astir of Knives Out earlier helium makes his expansive entranceway and turns everything connected its head, Ransom (Chris Evans) is 1 of the astir consistently conniving characters successful the movie arsenic helium tries to enrich himself. He’s arsenic egotistical arsenic helium is abrasive, initially winning you implicit arsenic helium has a spell astatine each the household members that person been grating connected your nerves up until that point. Still, looks tin beryllium deceiving; helium whitethorn beryllium the top menace of them all. He’s a nightmare successful truthful galore ways, but a large quality you emotion to hate. And helium wears the nicest sweaters of the series, truthful he’s got that going for him.

11. Claire Debella

A self-serving person (Glass Onion’s Kathryn Hahn) that’s mostly acrophobic with her ain vocation alternatively than really serving the people, she’s successful it for the powerfulness and couldn’t attraction little astir thing else. She’s ever lashing retired astatine the radical astir her and is smarter than those similar Birdie, but is astir acrophobic astir the adjacent clip she tin beryllium connected CNN. The lone crushed she isn’t higher up connected this database is due to the fact that she’s played by Hahn, who – successful summation to being conscionable large amusive successful everything – plays the drunk mentation of the quality perfectly. It astir makes you deliberation she’d beryllium a large bent that you could get a portion with; almost, but not quite.

10. Walt Thrombey

Michael Shannon is simply a nationalist treasure, though the quality helium plays successful Knives Out is acold from it. At each turn, he’s perpetually trying to propulsion different radical nether the autobus truthful helium ne'er has to gain thing for himself. However, similar others successful his family, helium thinks himself superior and not cruel. Of course, erstwhile helium goes afloat disguise disconnected astir midway done and threatens those who helium sees arsenic lasting successful his way, we find retired conscionable however atrocious helium is. Still, helium also wears immoderate bully sweaters.

9. Joni Thrombey

A supposedly palmy businesswoman who really runs a sketchy wellness marque known arsenic Goo….I mean Flan, this adjacent subordinate of the Trombeys from Knives Out is much clever successful however she positions herself successful the family, but she’s conscionable arsenic atrocious arsenic the remainder of the bunch. She’s got much moving successful her favour successful that she’s played by a large Toni Collette, though she’s besides not supra a small spot of embezzlement arsenic a treat. I wouldn’t urge investing successful her institution oregon buying her products, arsenic you’ll find yourself retired of wealth with a rash that won’t spell distant earlier you tin adjacent blink.

8. Lionel Toussaint

Oh, however his technological caput is wasted. This is the Oppenheimer of the Knives Out bid (as played by Leslie Odom Jr. successful Glass Onion), oregon astatine slightest arsenic adjacent arsenic a quality could beryllium to him; 1 tin lone privation helium utilized his quality for bully much consistently than helium does. A superb chap who gets taken vantage of and besides benefits from moving for Miles, helium does amusement immoderate integrity erstwhile helium understands conscionable however unspeakable his brag truly is, though that realization comes a spot late. With this successful mind, helium does deterioration his swanky suits rather well, truthful helium can’t beryllium all bad.

7. Peg

Peg (Jessica Henwick successful Glass Onion), I emotion you and privation you the champion erstwhile you get distant from these nightmarish people, but you besides alteration Birdie. You whitethorn deliberation you’re conscionable doing your job, but you request to spell find different 1 doing enactment arsenic an adjunct for idiosyncratic – virtually anyone – else.

6. Stephen Sondheim

The precocious American composer down immoderate of the astir fantastic works of euphony successful modern memory, Sondheim is 1 of the top and astir superb radical to person ever lived. What's that you say? He lone appears precise concisely arsenic himself successful a speedy country successful Glass Onion and truly isn't a large character? Fair enough, but he's specified a fable that immoderate database not including him would beryllium 1 that was incomplete. We each privation we could lone permission specified a people arsenic helium did successful his life.

5. Harlan Thrombey

Perhaps the lone idiosyncratic successful the Thrombey household from Knives Out who wasn’t wholly irredeemable, Harlan is not wholly without flaws, though helium does sacrifice for others alternatively than conscionable instrumentality erstwhile it counts. He’s comic and self-deprecating conscionable arsenic helium is charming and compassionate, with precocious histrion Christopher Plummer giving him immoderate earned grace notes adjacent erstwhile helium is facing down the end. His last scene, and the mode helium plays it, is conscionable truthful cleanable that it lone becomes much tragic successful retrospect. It’s a shame that the remainder of his character’s household are truthful thoroughly awful, but specified is life.

4. Lieutenant Elliott

An underrated portion of the archetypal Knives Out, LaKeith Stanfield’s researcher gets immoderate of the funniest moments that chopped done each the ridiculousness astir him. He’s a grounding unit successful the movie that could easy beryllium forgotten if helium were not truthful sharply written and well-performed. When we get to the end, helium has immoderate lines that are conscionable truthful playful, you privation determination was much of him. He isn’t the champion investigator, but helium is simply a damn large quality to person successful your film.

3. Helen Brand

The protagonist of Glass Onion, Janelle Monáe’s troubled duplicate with a bosom of golden is what gives the sequel its beating heart. As we travel to spot successful her performance, she is simply a compassionate sister dealing with nonaccomplishment conscionable arsenic she is desperately trying to get answers that are not truthful casual to uncover. Even arsenic she is surrounded by a formed of eccentric characters, she ne'er feels secondary to them, with Monáe much than holding her ain and providing the affectional halfway for the madcap enigma she’s thrust into.

2. Marta Cabrera

When she isn’t holding backmost vomit stemming from her inability to lie, Marta (Knives Out’s Ana de Armas) is the quality successful this bid with immoderate of the astir impactful lines and amusive bits. She’s some the 1 idiosyncratic successful the Thrombeys’ orbit who isn’t horrible, and the 1 who sees them much intelligibly than anyone else. As a much grounded quality who indispensable basal gangly alongside a rogues’ assemblage of repulsive maniacs, Armas’ large show highlights the captious contrast.

1. Benoit Blanc

The antheral with a “Kentucky Fried Foghorn Leghorn Drawl” who ever gets to the answers that cipher other tin rather look to discover, Daniel Craig’s backstage researcher – the prima of the movie bid – is an instantly iconic quality that we could ticker for a twelve movies oregon more. Though his galore quirks whitethorn not beryllium everyone’s cupful of tea, some Craig and Johnson person shaped them into a quality that’s some playfully silly and deceptively emotional. In particular, the 3rd movie holds his methods up to the airy and reveals a antheral inactive uncovering his spot successful the world. Though he’s ever having a mirthful clip contempt being surrounded by mayhem and murder, some helium and the movies helium leads ever person overmuch much connected their mind.