The Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion, has just gotten a limited release before it hits Netflix on December 25, and it has gotten rave reviews from critics. Some are even calling it better than the original movie, as the mystery is more exciting, and it reveals more about the very person who ties the two movies together, detective Benoit Blanc.
The private detective has quickly become an iconic character in many avid movie fans' eyes, and it's almost undeniable given how successful the first movie was and how Netflix shelled out hundreds over $450 million for the rights to the property. While it may seem as if the movies are lacking iconic characters these days, Redditors have pointed to many recent characters who will soon be considered classics.
Benoit Blanc
This user thinks Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), the master private detective written about by the New Yorker, is a newly iconic character. The Redditor comments, "I'm thinking Benoit Blanc will become an iconic character if he isn't already. Say what you want about the accent, it'll be remembered forever!"
While Knives Out and the newly released sequel Glass Onion have been universally acclaimed, Craig's southern drawl divided audiences, but whether viewers liked it or not, the first movie has still made over $300 million worldwide off a $40 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). Although there are plenty of great elements about the mystery series, Benoit Blanc is the driving force of the franchise. If writer-director Rian Johnson continues to deliver just-as-good sequels, Benoit could potentially reach Indiana Jones status.
Furiosa
Although it's on the older side, TrickNatural points to a character from Mad Max: Fury Road as the most recently iconic movie character, and it isn't Mad Max. The Redditor posits, "How 'recent' is recent? Cause Furiosa from Fury Road is def one for me." Though the movie was released in 2015, it's still within 10 years, and the character has certainly left an impression on audiences (and not to mention that she outshined Mad Max in his own movie).
But the upcoming solo movie, Furiosa, will be the real test of whether or not the character is iconic. But as it has been in development for years, is a passion project of George Miller's, and sees Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead role, it has the potential to be even bigger than Fury Road.
Raymond Wang
This Redditor believes "Wamond Wang" has become an instantly iconic movie character. Everything Everywhere All at Once has become one of the biggest movie success stories of 2022, as it made over $100 million worldwide and has become studio A24's highest-grossing movie. That isn't bad at all for a surreal sci-fi flick about multiverses that isn't a part of the MCU.
There's no doubt that the movie is only going to grow in popularity. And Waymond, best known for his amazing martial arts skills and chewing gum, is only going to become more of a classic character that will be remembered for decades to come. However, every character in the movie is so unique and hilarious, and any one of Everything Everywhere's great characters could be considered iconic.
Pearl
When it comes to iconic movie characters, most of them are horror villains: whether it's the Ghostface Killer, Jason, and Michael Myers, but according to LauraPalmersMom430, now there's a new one. The Redditor cites "Mia Goth as Pearl" as the newest iconic character, who appeared in the recent horror movies X and Pearl.
X was seemingly the start of a quickly expanding universe, as Pearl was released just a few months after X (and the threequel, MaXXXine, is currently in development too, so it'll be unsurprising if Pearl becomes way more popular over time). And there's no knowing just how many movies creator Ti West plans on releasing in the series, but there's currently no sign of slowing down.
Cassian Andor
Cassian Andor is technically a movie character, as he first appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but TheWinemaker thinks he's iconic based on the newly released Disney+ series, Andor, which is a prequel to the film. The Redditor explains, "I was not a fan of Rogue One, but Andor is turning Cassian Andor into one of Star Wars’ best characters, and if you end up a top Star Wars character, that’s kind of an easy way to turn iconic."
The user also compares Cassian to other iconic characters like Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and Yoda, which is a huge claim. But at the same time, Captain Andor is totally cool, calm, and collected, and it's always so thrilling to watch him act under pressure. There isn't a single character like him in any of the other Disney Star Wars releases.
John Wick
Keanu Reeves himself is iconic, as it's often hard for fans to separate the actor from his many beloved roles. However, between the actor's portrayal of John Wick, his commitment to the stunts, and the killing with class, True_Leadership_2362 thinks the character is absolutely iconic, commenting, "First thing I thought of."
With the newly released John Wick: Chapter 4 trailer, which has fans talking about the Wick series more than ever, there's no doubt that the character is one of the most iconic movie characters of the 21st century. The character is almost a decade old at this point, so Wick isn't that new of a character, but his iconic status is still recent.
M. Gustave
WinkyNurdo argues that "M. Gustave" from The Grand Budapest Hotel is the most recent iconic movie character. M. Gustave is the oldest character mentioned by Redditors as being newly iconic, as The Grand Budapest Hotel was released in 2014. However, there's no denying that the hotel manager has a sense of swagger about him, and his purple uniform is one of the most memorable costume designs in movies in the 2010s.
But Gustave isn't quite as iconic or even half as well-known as the other characters mentioned by users. The Grand Budapest Hotel isn't a movie that absolutely everyone has seen, and only a niche group of movie fans would recall Gustave's name if he was described to them. He'd hardly ever be mentioned in the same breath as Indiana Jones, James Bond, or Ripley. Nevertheless, it's still Wes Anderson's best movie.
Howard Ratner
When considering which movie character is the most recently iconic, Acclivity2 simply states, "Sandler in Uncut Gems." Released in 2019, Uncut Gems showed how great of a dramatic actor Adam Sandler can be, and even though he has proven it before with movies like Punch-Drunk Love and Funny People, Howard Ratner is Sandler's very best performance.
The comedy actor has never played such an unlikeable and unreliable character before, but at the same time, audiences couldn't help but feel sorry for him as Howard made one mistake after another. And along with his purple-tinted glasses and leather jacket, Howard's bad sense of style and his personality make him a truly iconic character.
Owen Grady
This is an extremely unpopular opinion, as two of the three Jurassic World movies have been universally hated, but Reddit user JasonKruegerCrowley believes that Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) is iconic. The character has been criticized for not having much of a personality, and there certainly hasn't been any character development throughout the three dinosaur films.
However, he totally will be iconic to younger audiences who grew up watching him, just as audiences who find Dr. Ian Grant and Ellie Sattler iconic grew up watching those characters in the original Jurassic Park. And there's no denying that Grady's pose when he holds up his arm to the velociraptors has become a part of pop culture, whether longtime fans like it or not.
Rick Dalton
Quentin Tarantino must find it hard to write a character that doesn't immediately become iconic, as even the tertiary characters in his films have interesting dress sense and have hilarious one-liners. But when it comes to his most recent 2019 movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Reddit user BobPeterson55 thinks the iconic character is the star of the movie, simply stating, "RICK. F******. DALTON."
Rick Dalton is one of the most three-dimensional characters that Tarantino has ever written, and he isn't a vengeful mobster, assassin, bounty hunter, or Nazi killer. He's instead a washed-up actor who has some serious internal struggles, which helps audiences relate to him somewhat. Not to mention how they also can't forget that final scene where he manages to acquire a flamethrower and use it to defend himself from a member of the Manson Family.