Now You See Me 2 (2016) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Dylan Rhodes believes Thaddeus Bradley was responsible for his father's death during an escape trick gone wrong. Bradley was an accomplice to Lionel Shrike, who performed the dangerous escape act that resulted in Rhodes's father being trapped and killed in an iron safe. Rhodes spent three decades plotting revenge against both Bradley and Arthur Tressler, who he blamed for the family's financial ruin after the insurance payout was denied.

Foreshadowing: The film hints at Rhodes's deep-seated hatred for Bradley from the moment he orchestrates the jailbreak to free him.

• dylan rhodes
• thaddeus bradley
• revenge
• father death
• escape trick

Jack Wilder faked his death during the events of the first film. The mysterious figure who reveals Wilder's survival at Owen Case's launch party confirms he has been alive all along. Wilder was working undercover, though the exact circumstances of how he survived the explosion are not fully detailed in the film.

Foreshadowing: Wilder's presumed death in the first movie was always suspicious given the nature of magic performances.

• jack wilder
• faked death
• alive
• survival

Walter Mabry is not actually working for The Eye as he claimed. He is secretly employed by Arthur Tressler, who orchestrated the entire scheme to get revenge on Dylan Rhodes. Mabry faked his own death after being betrayed by Owen Case, and he manipulated the Four Horsemen into stealing the data-mining chip under the false pretense that it would be delivered to The Eye.

Foreshadowing: Mabry's initial promise to give the chip to The Eye raises suspicion given his criminal background.

• walter mabry
• arthur tressler
• employer
• the eye deception

The Eye is a secretive covert society of magicians that originally recruited the Four Horsemen. Throughout the film, the characters are waiting for instructions from The Eye for their next mission. The organization remains mysterious until the end, when it's revealed that Thaddeus Bradley holds a significant position within The Eye and was an accomplice of Lionel Shrike.

Foreshadowing: Atlas's journey to find The Eye in the underground tunnel hints at the organization's mysterious influence.

• the eye
• magicians society
• covert organization
• thaddeus bradley

The chip was fake because Walter Mabry never intended to give them the real device. Mabry was working for Arthur Tressler and was using the Four Horsemen as unwitting pawns to execute his own plan. The counterfeit chip was part of a larger scheme to manipulate both the Horsemen and Owen Case while keeping the real technology under Tressler's control.

Foreshadowing: Mabry's willingness to share valuable technology with strangers without verification should have raised suspicion.

• counterfeit chip
• decryption device
• walter mabry
• heist

Arthur Tressler is the one who ordered the revenge plot against Dylan Rhodes. Tressler's wife was denied an insurance payout after Rhodes's father died during the infamous escape trick performed by Lionel Shrike and Thaddeus Bradley. This financial ruin, combined with the loss of his wife, drove Tressler to spend three decades planning his revenge against Rhodes.

Foreshadowing: Tressler's presence as a wealthy businessman funding criminal operations hints at deeper motivations.

• arthur tressler
• dylan tressler
• family
• insurance payout
• revenge

Chase McKinney is Merritt McKinney's twin brother. When the Four Horsemen are captured in Macau, they are brought before Chase, who is working as a mercenary for Walter Mabry. The twin brother reveal adds another layer of complexity to the film's web of familial and criminal relationships.

Foreshadowing: Merritt mentions having a brother in the first film, though this detail was not fully explored.

• chase mckinney
• merritt mckevin
• twin brother
• mercenary

Dylan Rhodes is revealed to be an insider working with the Four Horsemen, which forces him to flee the scene during Owen Case's launch party. Rhodes has been secretly helping the Horsemen evade the FBI throughout both films, though his true motivation is revealed later as part of his personal vendetta against those responsible for his father's death.

Foreshadowing: Rhodes's lenient approach toward the Horsemen throughout the first film hints at his secret alliance.

• dylan rhodes
• insider
• fbi
• horsemen betrayal

Walter Mabry is arrested by the FBI at the end of the film. The Four Horsemen lure Mabry, Tressler, and Chase into a trap by staging a live performance in London on New Year's Eve. The criminals believe they have captured the Horsemen, but it is revealed to be a ruse, and all three are apprehended by authorities.

Foreshadowing: The Horsemen's counter-plan to use the live performance as a trap was set up after discovering the chip was counterfeit.

• walter mabry arrest
• fbi
• london performance
• trap

The secret library is revealed to be the headquarters of The Eye, hidden within the Greenwich Observatory. This is where Thaddeus Bradley brings the Horsemen and Rhodes after the final confrontation. Bradley reveals his true position within The Eye and offers Rhodes the opportunity to become his successor in the organization.

Foreshadowing: The Eye's mysterious nature throughout the film builds toward this revelation of their secret headquarters.

• greenwich observatory
• secret library
• the eye headquarters
• thaddeus bradley

Arthur Tressler traps Rhodes inside a replica of the iron safe that killed his father, leaving him to drown. However, Rhodes manages to escape the water trap, demonstrating his survival skills and determination. This escape adds to the film's tension as Rhodes continues his pursuit of Tressler and Mabry.

Foreshadowing: The irony of Rhodes facing the same fate as his father adds dramatic weight to this scene.

• water trap
• iron safe
• drowning escape
• dylan tressler