on a fluffy cloud nine

It is also clear from that clip and the final trailer that Miranda did not hire or choose Andy. Nigel’s reactions don’t fit with it having been his idea. So, whoever “he” is seems to be in a position to hire someone for Runway without Miranda’s say so. Possibly Irv?

If Irv hired Andy behind Miranda’s back, this could be yet another attempt to undermine her – forcing her to work with an ex-underling who is there to fix “her” mess. It would also create friction and put Andy in a position where she feels the need to “prove herself” again.

It's really interesting that Miranda reacts by immediately firing “Ashley”. Whoever “Ashley” is, she’s someone whose resume Miranda knows and who she probably hired herself. Miranda doesn’t act impulsively. Firing someone she chose to make room for Andy isn’t emotional — it’s calculated. That makes this an act of unspoken trust and she will have calculated that Andy probably is the right person for the job, even if she won’t admit it out loud.

It’s like she’s punishing Andy for being hired behind her back (and for Paris) while also recognising she’s the right person for the job.

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The Banquet Scene (Irv’s Death)

There’s that banquet scene where Miranda covers her mouth and someone rushes in front of her, and everyone stares at something (someone) on the floor.

We know Irv is back, and there are shots of Andy and Nigel dressed in black like they’ve come from a funeral.

Putting that together, it really looks like Irv collapses and dies at the banquet. This would create an immediate power vacuum, opening the door for a corporate reshuffle (very possibly involving Emily and the luxury brand she works for).

Andy is already at the banquet with Nigel and Emily, which suggests she has either already been brought into Runway (supporting the Irv-hired-her theory).

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The Staircase Sequence and “I hope that’s not what you’re wearing”

Andy looks upset and close to tears in the scene where Miranda tells her she hopes that isn’t what she is wearing.

She then descends the stairs in the hotel looking crestfallen only to come back up with Emily (to a different floor).

When returning with Emily, she appears to say something that sounds like “renege with her?” Andy’s distress isn’t (simply) about Miranda’s disapproval of her clothes. It’s about the idea that Miranda doesn’t trust her/expects her to betray her.

Miranda’s default setting is to expect and anticipate betrayal – and with so much change afoot and so many threats to face, it makes sense that she assumes Andy will betray her.

Andy goes to Emily, likely for clothes; but this likely also prompts an alignment in all three women’s goals. Miranda is trying to weather a storm – believing she is facing it alone. Andy is trying to help her. Emily now chooses a side (even if this is not immediately obvious to the other characters).

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Emily being framed as “the villain”

At first glance, Emily is presented as the antagonist in the trailers; but on closer inspection, I think she is very deliberately ambiguous.

Emily is now working for a luxury brand and has power – over the industry, over advertisement money and, hence, over Runway and Miranda.

She is in a position to choose to climb to the top at Miranda’s expense, which may be tempting after being her underling. However, she is also in a position to influence the industry to advance and evolve while respecting history and, thus, Miranda and her legacy.

When she says “may the bridges I burn light my way”, I don’t think she is burning bridges with Andy/Miranda/Nigel/Runway. I think she is burning bridges with the easy/obvious path to success; choosing to align herself with Miranda instead.

I don’t think she’s the villain. I think she plays both sides for most of the film, gathering information and keeping her options open, but then chooses to align with Miranda. Not out of loyalty - She’s not a minion anymore, she’s not a follower - she doesn’t pick the winning side; she makes it the winning side.

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“The Definitive Miranda Priestly Expose”

The trailer hints that Andy might be pushed towards writing an “exposé” on Miranda.

I don’t buy for a second that this is a real betrayal arc – that would go completely against who Andy is as a character and what the first film was about. This is almost certainly misdirection.

If Andy does write something, it’s far more likely to be a reframing; something that actually reinforces Miranda’s myth rather than dismantling it.

Which would mirror the real-world parallel with Anna Wintour. The original The Devil Wears Prada book was framed as an exposé, but ultimately made Anna more iconic, not less. If the sequel leans into that again, it’s not about exposing Miranda — it’s about cementing her legacy.

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The Unnecessary Husband™

Something doesn’t sit right with me about The Husband™.

Miranda has been married several times (3? 4?), so it is not strange that she got re-married. However, it has always been clear that her marriages weren’t her priority and that she was married to her job first and foremost. That being the case, how has this marriage survived?

Also, it seems strange that she would find “true love” with a man who “really gets her” in her 50s, 60s or 70s – while it is a stereotype (and, yes, he could be the exception), most men that age would be dating younger women. So is there an ulterior motive?

I can’t quite figure it out, but the way I see it, he is either:

The emotionally secure, unicorn husband who is not threatened by Miranda’s success and is just there to support her (extremely unlikely).

He represents another facet of The-Husband-Who-Doesn’t-Get-It™ – pushing for Miranda to slow down and retire, telling her she’s “done enough”. Essentially, a vehicle through which external influences and societal expectations try to “phase Miranda out”. He’s not evil or the villain per se, he even perceives himself to be supportive; but to Miranda, he’s asking her to stop being who she is. This option also puts him in a position to contrast with Andy: he wants Miranda to slow down and retire; Andy is supporting Miranda to continue and adapt.

He is actively part of the problem. I doubt he is the outright villain sabotaging Miranda from within her own home, she’s too smart to let that happen. But he could be influenced by others e.g. the board, financial interests, etc… to subtly manipulate and try to steer her in certain ways.

And we know he must play a significant role. They cast Kenneth Branagh. You don’t cast an Oscar-nominated, BAFTA, Emmy, Golden Globe and Olivier Award winner to play a bit part. He’s not there to look angry at the top of the stairs and play drunk in a cut scene… he’s a freakin’ Shakespearean actor ffs! So The Husband™ must play a significant role.

Also, it feels weird that he isn’t wearing a ring… Marriage of convenience??

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Andy’s Confidence

Andy is portrayed in the trailer as someone who has built a life and a career on her own terms. She is confident, self-assured, and comfortable in who she is. But within minutes of coming face to face with Miranda, she’s babbling, over-explaining herself and shrinking back into the 20-something year old who considered calling the coastguard to airlift her boss in a hurricane.

On the surface, this looks like she is still intimidated by her boss from 20 years ago. But I think it’s more of an unresolved identity issue.

When Andy walked away and threw her phone in the fountain, it was framed as self-preservation. But it was also avoidance – she was scared of the version of herself Miranda saw.  

Andy has built success, but she hasn’t given herself permission to stand at Miranda’s level, because she still believes that doing so would require becoming her. And so, when faced with Miranda, her confidence wavers.

We see that in how she reacts when she realises Miranda didn’t know she was hired, and again in how shaken she is by the seemingly simple line: “I hope that’s not what you’re wearing tonight.” It’s not about clothes — it’s about approval, alignment, and whether she belongs in that space.

For Andy, I think a large part of the story will be about accepting that she doesn’t have to reject Miranda or become her. She just needs to learn she can stand shoulder to shoulder with her without compromising who she is.

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Mirandy

Let’s be real for a second — Mirandy is not going to happen in any explicit, canon way.

Mirandy as a ship sprang from the subtext and chemistry between the characters in the first film. It wasn’t intentionally written that way, but it was there, and the fandom immediately picked up on it and ran with it (and has kept running with it for the past 20 years).

I’m sure at least some people on the creative team are aware of Mirandy as a concept — they’re online, and it’s not exactly hidden. But within the context of the story, it wouldn’t make sense to suddenly redefine two previously straight leads.

And, bluntly, this is a massive studio film with a huge global audience and a very established brand. They’re not going to risk all of that by making a last-minute, fundamental change to the core dynamic. That’s just not how these films work.

So no, it won't be canon. But if the trailers and promos are anything to go by, the chemistry and subtext are still very much there and will likely continue to fuel fanfic for the next 20 years — and honestly, that might be more fun anyway.

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The Ending

The two obvious options for an ending are:

Miranda retires

Miranda steps sideways to a new role

I don’t think Miranda retires – it doesn’t fit with her character or what we know about her. Miranda is Runway - and she is unapologetic about it. After 3 (4?) failed marriages sacrificed to her job, I don’t think she gives in and retires now. Also, the tag-line: “Icons reign forever” doesn’t suggest a calm and dignified retirement.

But I can also understand that, at 76, she probably won’t be EIC forever. So a sideways move would make sense. I can see her joining the board at EC (perhaps in Irv’s old job?) - above Runway, less hands-on but more untouchable; still influential and shaping everything.

This would also beautifully mirror Anna Wintour – with whom it all began. Retired but not irrelevant. Like Anna, Miranda moves from being indispensable in the room to inescapable — defining the role whether she’s present or not.

And, between Andy, Nigel and Emily, Runway will be in good hands. Whether under Nigel as Editor-in-Chief with Andy as Features Editor, or as part of a broader partnership with Emily’s company, Miranda will still be steering the ship — just no longer from the deck.

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