This article contains major character or plot details.
The first rule of being a Spy Kid is never tell anyone you’re a Spy Kid. Obviously. The second rule is to find every hidden clue you can.
Luckily for the sleuths among us, Spy Kids: Armageddon, the latest entry in the family- friendly franchise, is chock-full of Easter eggs and hidden surprises that are sure to delight fans of the movies both young and old. Director Robert Rodriguez returns to the beloved series with the first new installment since 2011, and while there’s plenty of shiny newness to behold in the adventures of siblings Patty (Everly Carganilla) and Tony Tango-Torrez (Connor Esterson), dedicated fans will catch plenty of throwback references and tasty tidbits.
Ahead, check out the Easter eggs in Spy Kids: Armageddon that you won’t want to miss.
The Spy Kids movies aren’t just made for families, they’re made by a family, too. Rodriguez worked with some of his kids to make the latest movie. “What’s similar to 20 years ago is that I still make these movies with my own kids, but now they’ve grown into much more substantial creative roles, from writing, producing, design, editing, and score composing,” the director previously told Tudum. “More than ever it’s a family creating a film for other families, which is unique in the industry.”
Rodriguez co-wrote Spy Kids: Armageddon with his son Racer Max. Another son, Rebel Rodriguez, has a composer credit on the new movie. And daughter Rhiannon Rodriguez performs a song, “Armageddon,” that plays during the movie’s credits. Listen closely to that song and you’ll hear the sweet sounds of the The Double Rs — the Rodriguezes’ family band, with Rebel on guitar and orchestra, Robert on electric guitar, Racer on bass, Rogue on drums, and Rhiannon on vocals. Look out, Jonas Brothers!
Rodriguez was inspired by his own childhood, which was spent as one of 10 kids. And he said that he shoehorned certain homages to his family into Spy Kids: Armageddon. “My siblings provide endless inspiration,” he said. “The first film was based on the first and second siblings in my family. This time it’s based (and even named) after my sister Patty and I. We were close in age, 18 months apart, and so we had so much fun together, and played being spies a lot. We even used to map out the creaks in the hallway so we could try and sneak to the kitchen at night for snacks without my parents hearing us. It never worked, because the floor was so creaky! We tried crawling all the way under our grandmother’s house once and came out with lice.”
Rodriguez is continuing his trend of naming his superspies after family members. “Carmen and Juni were my brother and sister,” he revealed. “In Spy Kids 4, Rebecca and Cecil were named after my parents. And this time, in Spy Kids: Armageddon, because I thought the little girl should be honest, she’s based on my sister Patricia, or as we called her growing up, Patty.”
“My middle name is Anthony, but when I was little I went by Tony, so I thought I’d name these new kids after Patty and me, in tribute to all the fun we had together growing up, and we’re still such buddies today,” he said. “And very much like Tony in the film, I was always the one who was rigging the game!”
Spy Kids: Armageddon centers on a villainous tech mogul (Billy Magnussen) who unleashes a virus through one of his video games. Rodriguez said that he noticed his own kids getting immersed in video games, so he wanted to include one as a major plot element. But Hyskor, the game that the baddie lets loose, is actually a real thing his kids have been toying with (hopefully in a less world domination-centric manner).
“Racer and I knew we needed to bring a game to this film,” Rodriguez said. “What’s funny is that Racer and his siblings had just been designing and programming their own video game just before this movie. A game called Hyskor, that was a fantasy action game. So we used that as the basis of the game in this film, which feels more realistic and immersive than the games from 20 years ago.”
Wait, we’ve seen that book before, right? Could it be that our favorite work is by the illustrious Author Unknown? Sure can, Rodriguez said. “The ‘How to Be a Spy’ book makes a mighty return from the first and second Spy Kids films,” he confirmed. He warned viewers to keep their eyes open for more subtle treats in the safe house: “If you look closely in the safe house, you’ll spot a few fan-favorite gadgets.”
As every spy worth their secret disguise knows, the best way to greet the day is with a healthy breakfast and a sly wink at another Robert Rodriguez movie. “Great White Bites cereal was part of the Sharkboy and Lavagirl world, but makes a crossover here,” Rodriguez said. And what’s that we hear? It’s a real wake-up call. “[Look out for] the same alarm clock as We Can Be Heroes that plays ‘Wake Up, Sleepyhead!’ once again.”
In every office, you’ve got the lifers. The Organization for Super Spies (OSS) is no different (and just as festooned with its own branding). Longtime Spy Kids fans will notice a familiar name who… wait, something has changed, we just can’t put our finger on it. Oh, yes, that’s it! A different actor is playing Devlin.
“The OSS and its relentless overuse of its own logo is back as well from the previous films,” Rodriguez said. “We even have a new Devlin, played this time by D.J. Cotrona, filling in for George Clooney.” Interesting footnote: “He had previously taken over another Clooney role for my From Dusk till Dawn television series,” the director said.
Rodriguez and his merry rock band of offspring aren’t the only ones featured in the movie’s soundtrack. Esterson, who plays Tony started learning to play guitar on a custom instrument that Rodriguez gifted him when filming wrapped. When he sent Rodriguez a video of himself playing a version of the Spy Kids theme, the director mocked up an orchestra accompaniment around it on a whim. When he needed ideas for how to score a crucial fight scene between Esterson and the film’s villain, he found it was just the thing.
“Just on a lark, I grabbed Connor’s guitar recording with my orchestra mock-up and it fit the scene so perfectly, it was magical,” Rodriguez said. “So we took it to a full live orchestra, and now Connor has got his guitar playing in his biggest scene in the movie with the London Symphony Orchestra playing behind him. How cool is that?! It’s just the magic of music; it couldn’t have been planned better. Magic like that just happens a lot on these Spy Kids films, it’s why I love making them. Makes you feel like the universe is really watching out for you.”
Carganilla, who plays the pint-sized Patty, may have only been 8 years old when she was cast (and this may be her first big role), but it’s somehow not the first time she’s shared a screen with Gina Rodriguez (no relation to Robert), who plays her mother in the movie.
“Everly played me on Jane the Virgin as a 9-month-old,” Gina Rodriguez previously revealed. The actor starred on the CW show from 2014 to 2019 and played the title character. “It feels pretty full circle and awesome that she’s playing my baby in this film.”
Robert Rodriguez said that he hopes to return to the Spy Kids world again (hopefully, for fans, with a shorter wait this time). And when he does, he’ll be sure to have just as many references to his past work. “We have lots of ideas” for more Spy Kids stories, he said, “but ideally one that ties some of the different movies together and rewards the viewers who have seen more than one of the Spy Kids films.”
Now go on and file that mission report. You wouldn’t want to get behind on your OSS paperwork, now would you?
