Miles Bron is definitely not as smart as he pretends to be, and certainly steals credit for other people's ideas, but is he really an "idiot", as Blanc disdainfully calls him? "Poisoning" Duke by taking advantage of his allergies may have been lacking a certain elegance in Blanc's eyes, but it worked, and his lie to cover it up even fooled Blanc for a while. And according to Andi's diaries, he did successfully obtain success for the other four Disruptors they couldn't have accomplished on their own, and did it before Alpha was founded, though how he did that goes unexplained. He could be interpreted as a rather cunning grifter.
There are hints that he comes from money, which would explain his ability to prop up his "disruptors" using money rather than wits.
While Miles might not live up to Blanc's standards as a murderer, two things are undeniable: he is great at spotting opportunities, and he is decisive and absolutely ruthless in seizing said opportunities, to the point of recklessness. Stupid or not, this makes him extremely dangerous as a would-be murderer, and apparently as a businessman as well.
Did he really fail to live up to Blanc's standards, or was Blanc's dismissal of his plan just another means of dismantling Miles's extreme ego and showing his Disruptors that he really wasn't someone to worship?
All members of the clique are depicted as competent in their chosen area of interest. Miles happens to be competent at manipulating people. The kick start he gave the other Disruptors when they couldn't achieve it themselves, and the fact his "genius" facade convinced even his closest peers, let alone the world, for so long are proof that he is a competent human resources/public relations professional. The problem is when he starts acting outside this area, like in technology, art, or murder.
That's literally the point of the movie. Miles has some skills, but they are mostly all about taking advantage of other people's work and having the money to never have to face consequences. But when you listen closely to the Disruptors' stories, he didn't really achieve anything on his own: he was a bad businessman, and didn't even find the Disruptors by himself, Andi introduced him to the group. While things started taking off after his arrival, it's actually because he had the money and connections the other needed for their initial start, both things he was born with and did not earn on his own. This also comes with the caveat of all of them having to become worse people to lower themselves to his standards (which is why he managed to get the company: while Andi was busy trying to make something actually meaningful out of it, he just used his massive resources to have his lawyers give him total control of it). After that, his whole role is taking credit for the work he did not put in, and no one having the guts to stand up to him. Even that is not some clever ploy, just him never conceiving of the idea that someone might be able to contradict him, as we are shown multiple times during the climax. Even the fact that the others underestimate how dangerous he is by assuming he would never be as brainless and inconsiderate as he is is something he is unable to take advantage of. He only makes it as far as he does by the fact that people would rather convince themselves he is a genius than admit that the system is so broken that a complete idiot could climb that high (or, worse, that he would only climb that high because he is an idiot), and would rather believe he must have something more than them. As shown by Blanc, all it takes is someone willing to admit having been fooled by an idiot to see behind the facade and leave it to crumble.
Was Miles' interest in Klear out of a well-intentioned effort to launch an environmentally-friendly fuel, or did he only care about the fame and money he will be lauded with?
Sounds a fair bit more like the latter. He only mentions "what I will leave the world" in passing—when discussing his goals for the future and his hopes for Klear. He never says anything like "I want future generations to have a livable planet" or "I want to reduce conflict in the world by getting us out from under the thumb of petro-states". No, it's all about HIS legacy, HIS genius, HIM creating something that's mentioned in the same breath as The Mona Lisa. Plus, if he'd had even a shred of altruism, he wouldn't have been so determined to press ahead with it after finding out its limits and dangers.
Related to the above, a relatively minor point all things considered, but why would a truly environmentally conscious billionaire even have disposable Solo cups lying around for "the help" to drink from? Single-use tableware is one of the most notorious examples of needless pollution.
Andi
Although we know Helen's opinion on the Disruptors, based on her rant while masquerading as Andi, the audience is never given any indication one way or the other if Andi grew to hold the same contempt for her ex-friends as her sister does, or if she was simply indignant about being cut out of Alpha and having her credit stolen. In other words ... if we had actually met Andi, there's a chance she would have been no different from any other member of the clique.
Just how intelligent was Andi compared to the other Disrupters? It's clear she was the true brains behind Alpha, and Helen has nothing but good things to say about her, but there are signs that point to her being as foolish as her friends. Her willingness to split Alpha, leaving Miles unchecked even had she won the court case, her inability to locate a napkin sticking out of a book in her house over the course of the trial, the absolutely braindead decision to broadcast the discovery of said napkin to people who would only suffer from its exposure, and letting Miles into her house after said broadcasting all point to a woman who was much more book smart than streetwise.
Did Andi let Miles into the group to use his implied pre-existing wealth and connections to boost her and her friends' careers? Or did she once truly like, perhaps even love, him and believe in him and his vision?
A deleted scene would have suggested the latter.
Exactly how good/kind of a person was Andi?
We know she didn't share any of her Alpha wealth with her sister, but why? Was Helen not interested in the money or did Andi refuse to share?
We don't know that Helen clearly isn't used to luxury, but she never mentions having money trouble. For all we know she lives in a nice house her sister paid for and only work as a teacher because she enjoys it
Why was Miles always the one who helped out the other Disruptors after they all made it big instead of her? Especially since his help largely amounted to directing money at the right places, something she could have just as easily done. Did Miles just get around to it first? Did Andi come to agree with Helen that they were shitheads who didn't deserve it? Or did she just want to keep all her money to herself?
The idea that she could have done it herself is kind of a stretch : it's pretty clear that Andi is self-made, but multiple people have speculated that Miles already came from money. That would mean that he has connections that Nouveau Riche Andi doesn't (and also would explain why he was prepared to screw her over in a legal battle). Also, we don't know that Andi wasn't helping them between the time she became rich and the trial. She didn't intervened to help Birdie and Duke, but we don't know when those incidents took place (and they were both pretty distastful, Andi would be justified to feel like they earned their time-out). As for Lionel and Claire, she could have been helping them, and they could have just chosen to side with Miles because he was the most likely winner of the trial.
After Andi loses an argument with Duke and angrily storms off, Duke says "There's the Andi I remember." Exactly what does that say about Andi's character and her relationship with the Disruptors?
Or maybe it is more what it says about Duke. Claire calls him a right-wing sexist influencer whom she shouldn't be photographed or recorded with, because it would ruin her (green energy and social causes based) political career and his "breastification of America" video and using Whiskey as a prop in it seems to point that way. Andi is an outspoken, well-educated and successful Afro-American businesswoman. It could be deep disagreement about politics and personality clash. It is possible there were many discussions in which Andi unsuccessfully attempted to convince Duke to stop saying or doing something in his videos because it is sexist, racist or both.
Other
Did the remaining three Disruptors have a genuine change of heart because of Helen's actions? Or did they change their minds because by the end they had nothing to lose and Bron was no longer useful to them?
Given they're opening themselves up to perjury charges for having lied in the original trial, they're at least prepared to risk reprisals, though it's uncertain if that's out of respect to Andi's memory or simply spite towards Miles.
Worth mentioning that Birdie 'specifically' is definitely, by all accounts, too stupid to even realize the baked-in perjury admission that would come with her new testimony. She would likely be caught off-guard by that development if she ever actually testified, though this technically could apply to all the Distruptors, bar possibly Peg the PR specialist, who, despite being decently capable and aware in their own fields, don't generally seem all that bright in their own rights.
While they are willing to tell the truth about Miles, were they also planning to lie on Helen's behalf and blame Miles for accidentally or purposely setting the building alight? Or would they also tell the truth on that, letting Helen face vandalism and arson charges and blame for destroying the Mona Lisa? Helen did almost get all of them painfully killed and is the reason their careers are over.
Their careers were already over. Birdie was going to be thrown under the bus, while Lionel and Claire were doomed by supporting Klear, as they stated during the movie. However, Miles was just too powerful for them to go against him, and so far they had never seen him getting any kind of payback for his mistakes. Likely leading them to believe he would have wiggled his way out yet another time, taking them with him. However, the party shatters their illusion three times: first with Blanc calling Miles an idiot to his face, then with Helen defiantly breaking his stuff, reaching the point to actually annoy him (and also, when they join, they have the first taste of how they can go against him if they actually want to), and last when Helen blows up his house and destroys the Mona Lisa. At that point, they realize that the scandal will be too big and Bron loses his only leverage, leading them to leave his side. How much is them trying to regain some sort of morality and how much convenience is irrelevant, the point is that no one had any actual affection for Miles. While Helen could face accusations of vandalism, it's a little thing in exchange for getting payback for the death of her sister, and that still wouldn't help Miles: Klear is still something that risks untold injuries and deaths and no one will want it once they know that, and the Mona Lisa was under his custody, and it was his responsibility to keep it safe, which he failed at despite his love for the work, which will ruin his reputation. The fact that it happened because he nonchalantly showed how to deactivate the security measures would make it worse, particularly since he showed it to two complete strangers as well.
It's possible that it can't be proven intentional. The lighter belongs to Miles, and it was his actions that rendered the working fire system hazardous. All the others have to say is that the party got out of control, and a fire was set off. Which is also true. Then, Miles purposely altered the safety features around the Mona Lisa. Too much of how it happened traces directly to Miles.
In the end, did Helen start smashing the glass sculptures out of a childish tantrum or desire to vent her hatred against all the Disruptors and Bron especially? Or did she come up with the plan to set the place alight? If it's the latter, was it just to destroy the place and the Mona Lisa, or was it a murder-suicide attempt, with her planning to take Miles and/or the Disruptors down with her? Or, did it serve as a Secret Test of Character to see how much the Disruptors were actually willing to change the status quo, and how far they were willing to go?
One of the last things Blanc did before leaving the room was giving Helen the shot she had never drank, and he previously expressed the opinion that she was more efficient when drunk, which could imply she thought it out on the fly after downing it.
Whiskey:
Did Whiskey cry over Duke's death solely because watching your boyfriend die is traumatic, even if the guy was a louse? Or did she hold at least a little genuine affection for him? She's obviously distraught when talking with Helen about it, worrying over how to break the news to his mom, suggesting she does care.
On that note, how much does Duke actually care about Whiskey? While he pressures her into seducing Miles, he obviously isn't happy about it; is that because he feels ashamed at essentially being a 'cuckold' and having to rely on his girlfriend's charms to get what he wants, or does he feel regret at pimping her out and worried that she's going to end up leaving him? It's worth noting that he does start to say "I love you" before she hangs up on him at one point. Manipulation, or a Pet the Dog moment? Furthermore, did Whiskey cut him off because she doesn't like Duke that much, or because she's (justifiably) pissed that he's pimping her out?
Whiskey says that "it's kind of the worst" when Duke gets together with the Disruptors, since he treats her like arm candy and the others clearly don't think much of her. This could potentially hint that their relationship is a bit more functional, and he's generally nicer to her (even if he's still generally an asshole) when the other Disruptors aren't in the equation, which could explain whatever affection she has for him.
Is Whiskey going along with the plan to seduce Miles willingly to help Duke (and herself), out of pragmatism for her own future career, or because she's genuinely interested in Miles? Is she afraid of social and financial repercussions the men could exact on her if she refuses, since her career is tied to Duke's and Miles is one of the most financially powerful men in the world? As a Social Climber, does she see Miles as a potential step up from Duke if she does end things with the latter? Given that Miles surprised her with a lavish birthday celebration and a gift, and she tells Helen she thinks Miles is a good guy deep down, does she actually have feelings for him? If that's the case, did she start to cheer on Helen's destruction of the Glass Onion because she felt personally betrayed by someone she actually cared for?
At the end, Whiskey is the first to join in Helen's destruction of Miles' sculptures, openly cheering her on. Is it because Miles killed her boyfriend? Because she genuinely admires Helen? Because she's grown disgusted with Miles and the Disruptors in general? Or because she was the first to realize Miles was no longer of use?
How trustworthy is the antiviral given to the guests supposed to be? No one questions it, but everyone there wants to stay in Miles' good graces and get to the island. The movie itself seemingly wants to paint it in a shady light, not giving any technobabble to explain it, only asking the characters to just obey in good faith, and noticeably, the time the guests are supposed to spend on the island is too short for them to manifest the first symptoms should they end up catching the virus. More than a simple hand wave, it seems a first clue of Miles' true colors (and relationship with the other characters). Benoit Blanc also immediately puts his mask back on after the shot, and only takes it off for good when he has to start his ruse pretending to be impressed by Miles, showing he doesn't really trust the stuff.
Just how much is Birdie a genuine dumbass versus Obfuscating Stupidity? Yes, she's prone to social faux pas like the "Beyoncé tribute" and her antisemitic tweet. But it's entirely possible her assistant actually is missing that she's a much more cold and calculating, bigoted businesswoman than she gives her client credit for. After all, when asked, she explains that her support of Bron is based around him buying out her shares at $30,000,000 in exchange for taking the fall on his behalf social media-wise.
Birdie's shares are currently valued at $30,000,000. The film implies that Miles is going to pay Birdie after she takes the fall, at which point the price of the stock will have cratered.
Has Claire always been a hypocritical Corrupt Politician who's more concerned about holding office than the effects of her policies? Or did she start off as someone who honestly wanted to make a difference and found herself forced to compromise her principles thanks to Bron?
Peg:
Does Peg stick with Birdie because their careers are too entwined for her to jump ship now? Because she sincerely likes Birdie and believes in her career? Is she in love with Birdie? Does she like the fact that Birdie needs her and would sink without her? Jessica Henwick says that Peg hates working for Birdie, but loves Birdie herself, which could lend itself to a number of interpretations.
Did Peg writing her name on her cup really represent her desire to be rich like the Disruptors, or was it more meant as a tongue-in-cheek way of commenting on how stupid she thought the whole idea—or the whole situation— was? She does not show much interest in sucking up to the other Disruptors (or even her own boss, to an extent), which could be taken to support the latter interpretation.
What did she even think of the other Disruptors, aside from seeming impressed by Andi?
Is Lionel really an Omnidisciplinary Scientist responsible for every breakthrough at Alpha? Or is he a man who is brilliant in some fields but also gets placed in charge of projects outside of his area of expertise due to being old friends with Miles? Is his criticism of Klear based on his own analysis, or is he just parroting what his team told him in the opening scene?
Miles' shocked reaction when seeing the glass on the floor, before pointing it out to the others. Was it part of the ruse, or is it that, due to the improvised nature of the plan he was only then realizing that his name was on the glass and he needed to pretend to be the designated victim?
