Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for Squid Game.
Squid Game season 2, based on the recent comments of series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, will likely include the death of the organization’s Front Man Hwang In-ho (Lee Byung-hun) at the hands of protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae). Squid Game has very quickly risen to become the most popular show on global streaming platform Netflix, as well as one of the most discussed shows on the web. Indeed, Squid Game’s popularity has resulted in a variety of fan theories about the outcome of season 2, and chief among these theories is that Seong Gi-hun will become the new Front Man for the Squid Game organization. Moreover, it seems that in order for Gi-hun to do this, he will need to kill current Front Man Hwang In-ho.
Squid Game protagonist Seong Gi-hun was last seen at the airport, getting ready to finally visit his daughter in the U.S. But when Gi-hun encounters the Squid Game recruiter (Gong Yoo) at the subway and finds out that the next Squid Game is underway, Gi-hun ditches his flight. After calling the Squid Game organization and getting threatened by the Front Man, Gi-hun turns around and seemingly gains a renewed resolve about preventing the next Squid Game from happening – through whatever means necessary.
Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, in a recent interview, has also revealed that Gi-hun will undergo a Darth Vader or Jedi-like test in season 2. Although Gi-hun’s decision to not get on the plane confirms that Gi-hun’s conscience won’t allow him to just let Squid Game torture and kill more people, Dong-hyuk’s comments suggest that Gi-hun’s path could get exponentially darker in the next season. Here’s why Gi-hun will have no choice but to kill Front Man Hwang In-ho in Squid Game season 2.
Squid Game Protagonist Seong Gi-Hun Will Be Tested Similarly To Star Wars' Darth Vader
Squid Game creator Dong-hyuk’s comparisons between Seong Gi-hun and Darth Vader have tremendous implications for season 2. In the sci-fi saga Star Wars, Darth Vader “became the Front Man” by renouncing being a Jedi in order to become a Sith Lord. However, in the end, Darth Vader ends up being the one to kill Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Dong-hyuk’s revelations about season 2 imply that Gi-hun will kill In-ho to become the new Front Man – but only to take down the organization from the inside. In short, Gi-hun’s dark turn doesn’t necessarily mean that Gi-hun becomes the villain in season 2. The test of morality for Gi-hun won’t be whether or not he chooses to become the Front Man, but whether or not he can kill a man and assume the mantle of a modern day Sith Lord in order to eventually do more good. Apart from Star Wars’ Darth Vader, this also parallels with Dune’s Golden Path and the journey of Dune's protagonist Paul Atreides.
Squid Game Season 2's Big Twist Will Be Gi-Hun Deciding To Kill In-Ho
Much of the success of the first season of Squid Game can be attributed to its unexpected twists and turns. As Dong-hyuk left behind various clues about these twists for viewers to find throughout the show’s earlier episodes, Squid Game fans will no doubt be on the lookout for similar clues the moment season 2 drops, which will make it difficult for showrunners to pull off new and bigger twists that are truly surprising. In an era when viewers second-guess showrunners at every turn, Gi-hun’s Vader-like path towards becoming the Front Man could be the twist that Squid Game season 2 needs in order to exceed the extremely high expectations that were set by the first season. Indeed, Squid Game’s season 1 twists such as Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo) letting Gi-hun win, or the revelation that old man Oh Il-nam (Oh Young-soo) is actually Squid Game’s founder, were highly instrumental to the first season’s runaway success. And by putting the life of the Front Man in Gi-hun’s hands, Squid Game season 2 might just pull off repeating or possibly even exceeding the historic streaming success of season 1.
How Gi-Hun Can Take Down Squid Game From The Inside As The Front Man
Considering the power, wealth, and influence of the Squid Game organization, becoming the Front Man and taking down Squid Game from within could be the most viable method for Gi-hun to actually topple the organization. In fact, Gi-hun infiltrating the island as a worker is one of the biggest Squid Game theories for season 2. This is further supported by Squid Game’s use of colors to represent certain elements and foreshadow certain events, and how Gi-hun notably colors his hair in a similar hue to the one sported by Squid Game’s workers. This could be how Gi-hun gets back into the game and eventually gets the opportunity to kill Hwang In-ho. And by becoming the Front Man, Gi-hun could gain free access to the organization’s archive of files on every Squid Game player in history – the key to Squid Game’s downfall.
In Squid Game season 1, these files were discovered by detective Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon), who infiltrated the Front Man’s inner sanctum in his quest to find his long-lost brother – who turns out to be the Front Man himself. Jun-ho was last seen getting shot by his brother In-ho and falling off a cliff. But since his dead body is never revealed, Jun-ho might still be alive, which means that Gi-hun could already have an ally in the police when he eventually exposes Squid Game’s files as evidence for the organization’s bizarre crimes. While Squid Game’s VIPs have undoubtedly paid off police and other authorities in order to keep the island a secret, Gi-hun’s billions and Jun-ho’s testimonies combined could conceivably be enough to force the authorities to move against the Squid Game organization. This is only possible if Gi-hun gains the Squid Game organization’s trust by killing In-ho, which would also mean that Gi-hun will be arrested and imprisoned alongside the VIPs, which further complicates Gi-hun’s test of morality in season 2.
Gi-Hun Taking Down The Organization From Within Puts Squid Game's Core Message Into Greater Focus
Squid Game, at its core, is a critique of modern capitalism and the massive problem of gambling debt in South Korea. Squid Game players sign up for the ultimate gamble: the chance to completely overhaul their lives – but at the risk of death. Moreover, Squid Game is rigged in favor of certain privileged players, while billionaire VIPs gamble on the outcome of each game, which further reflects the inequalities at play within capitalist systems in real life. At the center of this examination of capitalism is Gi-hun, who represents the average worker and gambler struggling to do right by others, despite how the very system is rigged against him and his good intentions. In Squid Game season 2, Gi-hun will take the ultimate gamble by killing In-ho to become the Front Man – for a chance at taking down the organization from within. By doing whatever is necessary to take down the Front Man and assume control of Squid Game, Gi-hun’s previously passive concern for others will take on a more direct form of action. While Squid Game season 1 criticizes capitalism, season 2, through Gi-hun’s Darth Vader-like transformation, could tackle what it would take to actually bring the system down.