WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Glass, which is currently in theaters.
One of the big twists in Glass, the newest movie by M. Night Shyamalan and the concluding entry in his superhero inspired trilogy of films, is the revelation that people with supernatural abilities exist around the world. There have been sightings of people with powers for centuries, with the events of the film acting as just the latest example of people with superpowers being on the verge of exposure.
Keeping them a secret is the mission of an organization so mysterious that they don't even warrant a formal name in the narrative. There is no Phil Coulson, specific titles or giant vans with a mysterious logo stamped on the front. Instead, its members are identified by only the distinctive clover tattoo on their wrists. This organization is silent, skilled and, most importantly, efficient. This is what S.H.I.E.L.D. could look like if they were going all out in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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The Secret
For most of the film, it appears that Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson) genuinely believes that the three supposed superpowered patients at the mental hospital -- Kevin (James McAvoy), David (Bruce Willis) and Elijah (Samuel L. Jackson) -- do not actually possess any kind of abilities. She makes compelling cases to all three men, breaking down their mental states and supposed feats, reminding them of real world explanations for their acts. There's a hint of hidden motive, but the film makes it appear as if she's on the up and up.
The eventual revelation that she knows about their powers works, but the fact that she's known all along and been targeting them makes her dangerous in an entirely new and compelling way. She has been actively working against them the entire film, shading all of her dialogue with a new level of menace. She gives no hint of the real power she possesses, and even though Elijah manages to outwit her in the end, it's only after all his other plans have been thwarted and he's been killed.
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Staple's primary mission was to either convince the three that they were just suffering a mental illness or, failing that, to either break them (like when she tries to have Elijah go through brain surgery) or kill them (as with Kevin and David). There's a cold, hard efficiency to her and the soldiers under her command, which makes sense when she reveals this isn't the first time they've had to do this.
Staple reveals to her compatriots (and David in his final moments) that she'll move onto the next city with superpowered sightings and set to work containing any other people with abilities. This isn't something she's just figuring out, or bothers her morally. It's her job. The group has apparently existed long before she was born, and will continue after her -- and her failures.
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The New World
Even outside of Dr. Staple, the shadowy group proves (terrifyingly) efficient. The ending of Glass radically alters the landscape of the world around them, and introduces the general population to the existence of people with superpowers. Elijah's ability to think so many steps ahead gave him the edge over Dr. Staple, and sets her up to fail the organization she otherwise serves.
But even with viral videos about the superpowered people running rampant, the secret organization feels acutely prepared for it. There's clearly a system in place to deal with any and every problem that could arrive to threaten the status quo. The group is shown multiple times to be completely aware of their status and role, seen throughout the film meeting up in busy public places only to turn on the spot and reveal that everyone there is a member of the conspiracy.
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It's what a secret spy group should be doing to contain the news of superpowers, taken to the darkest logical conclusion. When they get the superpowered people under their control, they don't try to lecture them or teach them lessons. They kill them. And not just in simple ways, but with methods that suggest they've been preparing for this.
Kevin can survive a shotgun to the chest? The soldiers show up with a high-powered sniper rifle and put him down as quickly as they can. David can survive anything except water? Drag him into the convenient puddle and drown him. The forces working for this cabal seem to know what they're doing when it comes to superpowered figures, even before they show up to a giant superpowered fist fight.
What This Means
At the end of the day, this mysterious organization is probably the most engaging thing that comes out of the ending of Glass. They've been working against superpowered figures for ages, without failure. The only leaks have been merely stories, modern myths like comic books and movies. Seeing that kind of all-powerful group dealing with a wholly realistic and newly enlightened world would be fascinating, and could serve as an interesting next chapter in this universe, if it continues.
While Shyamalan has said this is the ending of the story he wanted to tell, the clover group is a perfect dark version of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a more realistic superpowered universe. Shrouded in actual mystery and with the kind of decayed morality that would allow for the drowning of a hero, this group is the dark (and efficient) version of S.H.I.E.L.D. that superhero movies have needed. Not just a grim and gritty one, but a cold, calculating and conniving group that could believably contain superheroes.
Directed and written by M. Night Shyamalan, Glass is the third and final entry in his superhero trilogy that started with Unbreakable. The film stars James McAvoy as Kevin Wendell Crumb/The Beast, Bruce Willis as David Dunn, Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price/Mr. Glass and Sarah Paulson as Ellie Staple.