Aahana Swrup
‘Argylle,’ the action-comedy film, invites the viewers into a complex network of covert spies and espionage. The narrative charts the journey of a seemingly prophetic novelist, Elly Conway, whose life shifts on its axis with the revelation that her book plots are actually unraveling in real life. Therefore, as her current work-in-progress edges toward a revelation instrumental to Division, the villainous organization, Elly’s life comes under grave risk. Inversely, Agent Aiden Wilde— who has conducted missions eerily similar to Elly’s protagonist— arrives at the writer’s rescue, introducing her to a new world of danger and conspiracies.
The film’s narrative constantly keeps the viewers on their toes, throwing new revelations and plot twists their way. Through it all, the mystery surrounding the real identity of Argylle, the spy from Conway’s novels, remains the most persistent. Thus, since the film toys with the topic well until the end— even after the credits roll in— fans must have a few questions about it. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Elly Conway and Agent Argylle
Within the film, Agent Argylle is a fictional character from Elly Conway’s eponymous book series. The woman has written four books so far detailing Argylle— a charming, dashingly dressed man— and his team, Wyatt and Keira’s missions. The novels have gained popular favor, garnering a significant fan base and enlisting Elly’s status as a spy novelist. For the fifth book, the woman pens a story about Argylle’s discovery that the agency he has been working for all these years has connections to The Division, a criminal organization.
However, Elly hits a roadblock near the book’s end right as Argylle is about to embark on a venture to retrieve definitive evidence of the Division’s misdoings to reveal the agency and its agents’ reality to the world. While her mother encourages her to finish the train of thought before deeming the novel done, Elly herself can’t think of a way out of the plot point.
As a result, Elly decides to travel to London. Nonetheless, the following train ride turns her life upside down when Aiden Wilde, a less well-dressed and suave version of Argylle, shows up and protects Elly from the real-life Division members. As it would turn out, Elly has been writing about real events surrounding the real spy network under the Division’s supervision and now contempt.
Even though the revelation leads Elly to wonder if Aiden is the real-life Argylle whom she has been writing about, the idea disproves itself purely for the evident distinction between both characters. Nevertheless, Elly can’t shake off the feeling that Argylle isn’t entirely a figment of her imagination, finding solace in his— however imaginary— company during this distressing time.
Even so, once the real answers about Argylle’s identity arrive, following Aiden and Elly’s visit to Aflie Solomon, former CIA deputy director, the writer isn’t too pleased with the truth. Yet the truth remains: Elly Conway has actually been Argylle all along.
A while ago, Elly— who is really Agent Rachel Kylle— underwent an accident while collecting evidence to disclose The Divison and its director, Ritter’s, reality. As a result, once Ritter realizes the accident left her amnesiac, he employs the help of Dr. Vogler to brainwash Rachel into believing she’s their daughter, Elly Conway. Therefore, Ritter was nudging Rachel into writing out her own life story to uncover the location of the evidence that proved his crimes. Thus, in an amnesiac and brainwashed Elly Conway’s brain, R.Kylle became Argylle.
Henry Cavill’s Agent Argylle
The revelation about Rachel Kylle and her connection to Elly Conway’s novels provide a well-rounded explanation for the elusive Agent Argylle’s identity. Yet, after the thrilling adventure that follows, wherein Rachel, Aiden, and an old friend from the past take down Ritter and Division together, a new piece of the puzzle introduces itself into the narrative. After Rachel’s eventful week in which she reclaims her identity, the woman still returns to Elly Conway to finish her book series with the final installment, Argylle: Book Five.
However, while holding a reading for the novel, Rachel comes across a peculiar face in the audience: a man who looks nearly identical— save for the hairstyle— to the Argylle that Rachel concocted in her head. This nameless Argylle wears a fan-merch shirt, quoting Conway’s book, “The greater the spy, the bigger the lie.”
The mysterious man speaks once, asserting that although he may not have any questions for novelist Conway, perhaps she has some for him. While the appearance could have been written off as a meta-joke, inserting Henry Cavill into the film’s non-fictional narrative or the sake of it, his character’s singular dialogue and wardrobe suggest otherwise. Is he a spy— the real Agent Argylle— who somehow subconsciously contributed to Rachel’s writing? Although fans can draft many theories about Cavill’s mystery character, the narrative leaves the truth as a cliffhanger to be explored in a potential continuation.
Argylle: The Mid-Credit Scene Sets Up a Prequel and a Possible Crossover
After the movie wraps up, yet another revelation revolting around the titular character awaits the viewers in the form of a mid-credit scene. In the ending sequence, a young man (Louis Partridge) enters a bar, “King’s Man,” putting in a cryptic drink order to the bartender. In turn, the bartender supplies the man, who reveals himself to be Aubrey Argylle, with a gun.
At first glance, the mid-credit scene simply seems like a peek into the backstory of Argylle— the character within Conway’s novels. The film’s utilization of Conway’s books remains somewhat complicated. Since Conway’s novels are tracking the real-life missions of agents, particularly Rachel Kylle, they are a blend of fiction and reality within the film’s universe.
Thus, the mid-credit scene, which is preceded by a film poster for “Argylle Book One The Movie,” is actually a scene from a movie adaptation of Conway’s books, following the adventures of a male agent, Aubrey Argylle. The first book tracks Argylle’s rising career, beginning from the start. Therefore, the Argylle that the audience sees in the mid-credit scene is the younger version of Cavill’s Argylle from Conway’s books.
Furthermore, the younger Argylle’s presence within the “King’s Man” establishment suggests a connection to another spy franchise, ‘The Kingsman,’ directed by ‘Argylle’s’ creator, Matthew Vaughn. In fact, the filmmaker has spoken about the mid-credit scene and said, “All I’ll say as a clue is not many people can make the beautiful Nehru collared suits that Argylle wears with pride.”
Fans of ‘The Kingsman’ franchise will recognize Vaughn’s cryptic words as a reference to the franchise, where tailor shops serve as a front for a covert spy agency. As such, the mid-credit scene in ‘Argylle’ also sets up a possible crossover between Vaughn’s two spy franchises.
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