Beloved comedian and Ant-Man star Paul Rudd joined the already stellar cast of Only Murders in the Building heading into its third season on Hulu. The series revealed Rudd’s involvement in the final minutes of the Season 2 finale, as his character — actor Ben Glenroy — collapsed on-stage during opening night of Oliver’s new play, setting up the mystery for Season 3. In addition to his brilliant brand of comedy, Rudd’s involvement in Only Murders in the Building has brought some great opportunities for hilarious Easter eggs about the actor’s career, and the second episode of the new season is filled with them.
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There’s a scene in the second episode of Only Murders in the Building Season 3 where Mabel (Selena Gomez) and Charles (Steve Martin) head to the home of a man (Adrian Martinez) who claims to be Ben’s friend and security guard. His apartment is filled with memorabilia from throughout Ben’s career, and most of the items featured in the scene are inside jokes about Rudd’s actual filmography. In addition to some nods at Anchorman and Friends, there’s a funny Ant-Man Easter egg in one of the many film posters in the room.
The poster in question is for an animated film called Ant-Family Adventures, in which Rudd plays the lead character named “Papa Ant.” One of Rudd’s most notable roles is playing Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s starred in three Ant-Man films, in addition to appearances in several team-up movies. The poster in Only Murders is a great reference to the franchise, as well as Scott Lang’s role as a father, which has been a prominent part of the character’s story arc.
Additionally, Ant Family Adventures also seems like a slight nod to the dueling animated ant movies in 1998. With Pixar’s A Bug’s Life releasing that year, DreamWorks rushed to get Antz to the big screen ahead of it, creating a scenario where two incredibly similar movies hit theaters around the same time. The art style on the Only Murders poster has a similar feel to that late ’90s computer-generate animation.
Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Double-Twist
The third season of Only Murders kicks off with a double-twist involving Rudd’s Ben Glenroy. His on-stage death was shown at the end of Season 2, seemingly setting up the entire mystery of Season 3. In the season premiere, as other characters are mourning Ben’s death, he returns to reveal he came back to life at the hospital. Shockingly, just minutes later, Ben dies a second time, falling down an open elevator shaft in the Arconia.
Following the debut of the new season last week, co-creator and showrunner John Hoffman spoke with .
“The part I liked the most is this twist on the classic murder-mystery thing, where you have a room full of people – suspects, potentially – and here we have the victim himself going around the room and picking out potential suspects for our audience at home,” Hoffman said. “And then it’s a double twist [once Ben dies in the Arconia] that sets up our trio.”
What did you think of the Only Murders in the Building Season 3 premiere? Let us know in the comments!
