Squid Game took the world by storm when it premiered on Netflix last year. The Korean dystopian drama became an instant hit, and went on to become the streaming service’s biggest series launch. It wasn’t surprising when creator Hwang Dong-Hyuk announced plans for a second season, and it seemed necessary to do so because Season 1 left many fan questions unanswered.
The extremely popular Netflix series narrates the story of 456 debt-ridden contestants who participate in multiple children’s games on a remote island. What they aren’t aware of, however, is that losing a game means being killed by one of the many Squid Game guards. While it seems like a straightforward concept, the first season of the series led fans to ponder over the origins of the protagonist, the true intentions of the Host, and the Front Man’s backstory, among many other points of interest.
From viral memes to online fan theories, Squid Game became a household name. The protagonist Seong Gi-hun, portrayed wonderfully by the award-winning Lee Jung-jae, is the final contestant to join the games, but the fan-favorite from the get go. He develops an immediate liking towards contestant #001, Oh Yeong-su’s Oh Il-nam. Forming a team with Park Hae-soo’s Cho Sang-woo, Anupam Tripathi’s Ali Abdul, and Jung Ho-yeon’s Kang Sae-byeok, Gi-hun manages to survive not only the games, but the opponents, and the murderous fights that breakout over the course of the season. But, where does he go after winning the games? That’s just one of the questions that all Squid Game fans need an answer to, immediately. There are several more.
What will Gi-hun do next?
At the end of Season 1, fans see Gi-hun deciding to reutrn to the games. However, this is after he has discovered that Il-nam was one of the founders of the games and the Host. Will Gi-hun return as a contestant, Front man, or the new Host?
There was a running theory through Season 1 that Gi-hun was in fact Il-nam’s son and many scenes had fans convinced of this relationship. Il-nam references his son multiple times in the season, and during the marbles game, he talks about how the set looks exactly like his hometown. Fans made an immediate connection, as that specific game also reminded Gi-hun of his childhood home.
As the Host, Il-nam is contestant 001, and before the marbles game begins, Il-nam hands over his jacket to Gi-hun. This was perhaps his way of protecting the contestant. If the theory were to be true, and Gi-hun was in fact Il-nam’s son, it would make sense for him to be the successor. But, does that mean he will end the games, or take over and potentially change the format?
Over the course of the season, fans were rooting for Gi-hun to win. However, what they seem to forget in the process is all the things he had done before making a deal with The Salesman and participating in the games. The reason why he is there is the fact that he had been stealing from his mother for years and gambling the money away. He had also been a failure as a husband and father, and refusing to get on the plane at the end just meant he was letting his daughter down once again. So, is he truly the hero that everyone wants him to be? Or will he change tune and become a part of the brutal games?
Who is truly in charge?
At the end of Season 1, the Host and one of the founders of the game Il-nam dies. But, the games evidently continue to go on, as The Salesman is seen recruiting more contestants. So, who is truly in charge if it isn't the Host? Is there a mastermind at play who fans will meet in the confirmed Season 2? Or does the Front Man automatically get promoted to Host status when the predecessor dies?
How does one apply to become a guard?
While most of the focus in Season 1 was on the contestants, it is important to note that the guards also followed some kind of hierarchy, which wasn’t entirely explained. They are all assigned numbers, and return to their respective cubicles at the end of the day. However, how are they recruited and trained? Do they get promoted from a circle to a triangle, and finally a square, who is clearly the manager?
Their backstories are never explored, and viewers have absolutely no understanding of their financial situation. Are they also at the venue due to their respective debts? Many fans theorized whether The Salesman’s first approach had anything to do with the hiring process. During his interaction with Gi-Hun, The Salesman offered him a red and blue square. With Gi-Hun selecting the blue one, he became a contestant. But, would he have been hired as a guard if he had chosen red instead?
What happened to Hwang Ju-Hon?
Is Wi Ha-Joon’s Ju-Hon really dead? Because that would make some fans very angry. Squid Game was quite a brutal series, with many individuals being shot at close range. The creator never shied away from showing the contestants’ bodies, and their incineration. However, viewers never saw Ju-Hon’s body. After he is shot by the Front Man, who turns out to be his long-lost brother Hwang In-ho portrayed by Lee Byung-hun, Ju-Hon is seen falling off a cliff, into the sea below. Was that truly the end of his story, or could he possibly return in Season 2?
How did In-ho become the Front Man?
Speaking of In-ho, it is revealed that he was the winner of the 2015 season of the games, but is now the Front Man. How did one of the winners of the game start running the games? Additionally, how did he manage to hide the fact that he participated in the games and his true identity from his own brother? When Gi-Hun wins the games, he is shown to be traumatized for a whole year. But, In-ho seemed unfazed by the fact the hundreds of people who participated in the games with him were brutally murdered by the guards, who he now leads. Will Season 2 take Gi-Hun on a similar journey?
Is Squid Game a global event?
When the VIP audience members arrive on the secluded island to watch the games live, one of them reveals how the Korean games are the best. Does this mean Squid Game is a global event, with multiple chapters in different countries around the world? The games that are selected for Season 1 are country-specific, so perhaps other countries run their own versions of Squid Game and select a bunch of games relevant to that region. If this were the case, are there more VIP audience members? For the Korean chapter of the games, the audience is quite small. But, it wouldn’t make sense to have hundreds of people participate in multiple brutal games for the entertainment of such a small crowd. Right?
How have the authorities not discovered the games yet?
When hundreds of people go missing every year, and never return, wouldn’t someone raise an alarm? The contestants are obviously selected based on their criminal or financial records, but it seems too convenient for none of the contestants’ family or friends to inform the authorities of their disappearance. Gi-Hun’s mother, for instance, assumes that he has gone off on another gambling escapade. However, she seems quite attached to her son despite his frivolity, and even when she isn’t able to reach him for days, she doesn’t file a missing persons report.
Who is The Salesman?
This one is a bonus question for all the Gong Yoo fans. After his zombie flick Train to Busan became a massive success globally, Yoo managed to garner an international fan following. Fans were disappointed to see him portray such a small role in Squid Game, considering he only shows up in two scenes in the entire first season. There is, also, no information on who he is and how he is involved with the institution running the games. Will he play a larger role in Season 2?
Squid Game is streaming on Netflix.