Netflix's Locke & Key season 2 saw the Locke family discover (and make) a number of new keys - and here's what they could do. Based on the comics by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, Locke & Key tells the story of a family who move into their old family home - and discover they have a strange and unusual legacy. Expanding on the set-up of the first series, season 2 sees the family branch out with a range of fantastical new keys at their disposal.
The magic of Locke & Key is centered around supernatural keys that have been forged using a material called "whispering iron," which originates from a demon dimension. The Locke family home, the Keyhouse, is a place steeped in demonic magic. Their family has been the "Keepers of the Keys," preventing this magic from being used for evil. Each key possesses different attributes; some require being inserted in specific locks, some interact with a person's physical body, and even one - the Anywhere Key - can be placed in absolutely any keyhole. The most dangerous key of all in Locke & Key season 1 was the Omega Key, which could open a doorway to the demon dimension the whispering iron originates from.
Naturally, Locke & Key season 2 introduces a number of new keys. But there's another twist, because in this season various individuals succeed in making brand new keys, learning how to forge them for a specific purpose. Unfortunately, it seems any key can bring about tragedy, and some don't quite do what their creators intended. Here are all the new keys introduced in Locke & Key season 2.
The Hercules Key
The Hercules Key is one of the most entertaining new keys. The keyhole for the Hercules Key is found in a belt buckle; when a person wears that belt and turns the key, they are granted super-strength. It's difficult to say how strong the Hercules Key makes a person, but at the very least it seems to be comparable to that of a demon; the Hercules Key allows Kinsey to match Eden blow-for-blow in one scene, and Scot is later able to use it to toss around demons as well.
The Small World Key
One of the more surreal keys is the Small World Key, which inserts in a keyhole in the front door of what appears to be a dollhouse of the Keyhouse. When the key is turned, the dollhouse becomes bound to the real Keyhouse. At first, Bode believed it was simply a cool way of watching what's going on in the Keyhouse, but he swiftly realized it was much more than that when he took a dollhouse-sized model of his bed out of it, broke it, and then put it back; when he arrived home, the bed itself was broken. The Lockes soon learned that the connection between the Keyhouse and its dollhouse duplicate is a dangerous one, when a spider got into the dollhouse - and appeared in the Keyhouse at giant size. A giant rat skull Bode had stumbled upon was the leftover from another Small World incident.
The Memory Key
The Memory Key is one of the most important keys introduced in Locke & Key season 2. Adults are unable to retain any memory of magic, and the original Keepers of the Keys realized they would soon forget everything they had experienced. This led to Duncan's forging the Memory Key, which can be turned in a person's head and grants them the ability to remember magic for the rest of their lives. The Memory Key was essential to stabilizing Duncan after the kids tried to place his memories back inside his mind, but when the dust settled from Locke & Key season 2 Tyler decided he didn't want the burden of remembering all the suffering he had seen. Interestingly, although it's not discussed in Locke & Key season 2 it is possible that turning the Memory Key again will undo its effects; keys can be turned both ways, after all.
The Chain Key
The Chain Key is associated with a small padlock (called the Great Lock in the Locke and Key comics), and when it is turned an impossible length of chains erupts from the padlock to capture a target. The chains seem to be unbreakable - strong enough to hold a demon - but unfortunately, they can also be a fearsome weapon; Dodge was able to use the Chain Key to try to choke Kinsey, and there was no way she could escape their grip. The Lockes soon had good reason to wish they had never lost the Chain Key.
The Demon Key
One of the new keys forged in Locke & Key season 2, the Demon Key is crafted at Dodge's request by an unwilling Duncan (played by Aaron Ashmore). It created gateways to the demon world, and turning the key in a person allows a creature from the demon world to inhabit them. Dodge deliberately ensured an element of control was placed upon the Demon Key, meaning the demons unleashed on this world are bound to the will of the person who turned the key; that particular magic backfired, because Duncan has a stronger bond with the key given he was the one who forged it. Dodge envisioned the Demon Key as a way to launch a demon invasion without needing the Black Door, but ironically its power was turned against her.
The Alpha Key
The Alpha Key is Tyler's answer to the Demon Key - even if it doesn't quite work how he'd hoped. When a person is possessed by a demon, turning the Alpha Key in them destroys the creature; although it frees the human host, the experience is sadly fatal, and they die from a brain aneurysm. The Alpha Key had a surprising effect on Dodge, however; because she was possessing the host of an Echo, a magically created duplicate, it proved a lot more effective in that particular case. Dodge was destroyed, and the Echo - Lucas - was able to survive the process.
The Angel Key
Most of the keys in Locke & Key seem to turn up just before they're needed, but the ghost Chamberlain Locke carefully engineered circumstances to ensure the kids got hold of the Angel Key and the harness it fits in. When a person puts on the harness and turns the key, they grow beautiful feathered wings and are granted the power of flight. Kinsey was able to use the Angel Key to dramatic effect in order to distract Dodge (the main villain from the series), and then engaged her in a battle, demonstrating instinctive maneuverability. The wings appear to be very forceful, with Kinsey using them to swat aside demons with ease.