The Big Picture

• Matthew Vaughn's latest film, Argylle, includes a post-credit scene hinting at a crossover with the Kingsman franchise.
• Vaughn is preparing to shoot a third Kingsman sequel, potentially containing connections to Argylle.
• Despite box office disappointment, Vaughn's shared spy universe plans may require him to refocus on smaller-scale projects.

While he was once a protégé of Guy Ritchie, Matthew Vaughn has become a highly successful Hollywood filmmaker whose ambitions seem to grow with each successive project. After his breakthrough feature Layer Cake introduced film fans to his unique sensibilities, Vaughn was able to bring iconic comic book characters to life with his work on X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass. Both films were successful, which led to Vaughn building his own cinematic universe set within the world of espionage. After Vaughn’s adaptation of Mark Millar’s controversial comic book series Kingsman: The Secret Service became a surprise hit in early 2015, the film was followed by the sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle and the prequel The King’s Man.

Although the franchise may have begun to lose what made it great in the first place, the Kingsman films were successful enough for Vaughn to develop a new spy project that was completely original. Vaughn’s latest film Argylle features a lot of the same cheeky humor and stylized action that the Kingsman films did, but manages to slip in some subtle satire aimed at the world of literary fiction. It may not have earned as positive of a response as its predecessors, but Argylle’s post-credit scene hints at the possibility of a crossover with the Kingsman franchise.

The ‘Argylle’ Post-Credit Scene Hints at a ‘Kingsman’ Crossover

Vaughn’s films are certainly not lacking in their mythology, as Argylle’s marketing campaign hyped up the twists and turns that the story would take when revealing the identity of the titular secret agent. The film centers on the introverted novelist Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard), who has gained international recognition thanks to her work creating the Argylle novel series. After she is saved by the secret agent Aidan Wilde (Sam Rockwell), Elly discovers that she was once a spy, and that the Argylle books are based on her experiences. Argylle suggests that works of literary fiction have a basis in real-world events.

Argylle’s post-credit scene features an Easter egg to the Kingsman franchise. The sequence opens with a much younger version of Henry Cavill’s Agent Argylle (played by Louis Partridge) entering a bar called “The King’s Man,” which was prominently featured in the Kingsman films. The scene wraps with a teaser for Argylle: Book One - The Movie, an “in-universe” adaptation of Conway’s novels. Whether Vaughn intends to actually make an adaptation of Argylle: Book One is unclear, but the Easter egg does suggest that both franchises take place within Conway’s fictional continuity.

Vaughn owns the rights to both franchises and hinted that he could do whatever he wanted with the series “for good and bad.” Interestingly, he has indicated that there could be a third spy series in the works that is distinct from both Argylle and Kingman. Vaughn stated that “there's a space in the middle where I haven't played with yet,” and that developing sequels to both Argylle and Kingsman “could help me get into the middle ground.”

Do ‘Argylle’ and ‘Kingsman’ Exist in the Same Universe?

Although the post-credit scene hints at a shared “in-movie” continuity, another Easter egg in Argylle hints that the Kingsman films may be based in the same universe. During a sequence in which Aidan and Elly are trying to interpret her memories, a sticker with the “Statesman” logo can be seen in the background. Kingsman fans will recognize the name from Kingsman: The Golden Circle, which introduced the American “Statesman” agents Agent Whiskey (Pedro Pascal), Ginger Ale (Halle Berry), Tequila (Channing Tatum), and Champ (Jeff Bridges). If the “Statesman” exist within the “reality” of Argylle, it's possible that the Kingsman do as well.

It’s possible that these questions could be answered soon, as Vaughn is preparing to start shooting a third Kingsman sequel soon. While details about the final entry in the trilogy are scarce, Vaughn has stated that it will focus on the relationship between Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and Harry (Colin Firth) as they face a new threat. It’s unclear if there will be any direct connections to Argylle, but given Vaughn’s track record, an Easter egg to his previous film seems like almost a certainty.

What’s interesting about Argylle’s post-credit scene is that it takes place many years before the events of the film, suggesting a closer connection with Vaughn’s prequel franchise. Despite disappointing box office returns, Vaughn is still moving forward with a sequel to The King’s Man that will focus on the rise of Adolf Hitler, which was teased in the first film’s post-credit scene. The timelines don’t line up so that a younger Argylle could be in the 1940s, but Vaughn may spend more time bridging the gap between his franchises with additional projects.

The Future of ‘Argylle’ Is Uncertain

As ambitious as Vaughn’s plans for a shared spy universe are, Argylle was a significant box office disappointment that failed to recoup its massive $200 million budget. Given that Apple distributed Argylle, there’s always the potential that more audiences will discover the film on streaming. However, studios may be more hesitant about greenlighting a sequel, as audiences' responses have not been particularly favorable either. The inclusion of Kingsman Easter eggs may have simply confused viewers who weren't caught up. While the Kingsman films are very violent and R-rated, Argylle is aimed at more general audiences with a PG-13 rating.

Since his work seems to have diminishing returns, Vaughn may be better suited returning to smaller-scale projects in the future. Argylle and the Kingsman sequels are so determined to bridge a connected mythology that the individual stories feel inconsequential; perhaps scaling back would allow Vaughn to focus on putting a self-contained narrative first and foremost.

Argylle is available on Apple TV+ in the U.S.

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