Netflix’s smash hit, Squid Game, took the world by storm when the first season premiered. The South Korean-produced show instantly became a pop culture phenomenon. Set in and around Seoul, Squid Game follows a divorced father who still lives with his mother, named Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae). Gi-hun is severely in debt and running out of ways to pay back the bank and loan sharks he’s borrowed money from.
When he is invited to participate in a series of six games for an enormous cash prize, he agrees with little knowledge about what the games will entail. Upon arriving, he is lumped in with 455 other players who are also in debilitating debt. When the first game starts, Gi-hun quickly realizes he’s in for more than he bargained for.
Season one is filled with anxiety-inducing moments that will leave you speechless. Characters are introduced just as easily as they are taken away. Information is revealed like a slap in the face. There are also plenty of doors left open by the season finale. With so many unanswered questions and new doors opened, it has left room for speculation about what will go down in season two. With season two confirmed for release later this year, we broke down nine season two fan theories that could happen:
9 It’s Revealed That the Games Happen Around the World
Squid Game
- Release Date
- September 17, 2021
- Cast
- Lee Jung-jae , Kim Joo-ryoung , Park Hae-soo , Wi Ha-joon
- Seasons
- 1
The events of season one occurred outside of Seoul, South Korea. The Masked Men, the Front Man, and the players were all Korean. The only non-Korean player was Ali Abdul (Anupam Tripathi), but he was living in South Korea with his wife and young son in an attempt to make more money than he would have back home in Pakistan. Police officer Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon) found dozens of records of previous games in the Front Man’s wing, all indicating that the games took place in South Korea.
Why the Games Could be International
The only other characters that are not Korean are the VIPs. The VIPs watch the events of the last two competitions unfold from the comfort of their private viewing rooms. They placed bets on who would win and cracked jokes about the players they were watching suffer in front of them. They are the wealthy elite who gathered from other countries to watch less fortunate contestants physically fight to the death.
These games could easily happen at an international level. It seems that the VIPs have no qualms about traveling around the world to watch others suffer.
8 Gi-hun Will be Forced to Compete Again with Other Victors
The games that the contestants are forced to play don’t appear to be sinister at first glance. They are children’s games, after all. However, it is quickly revealed that the games are anything but childish. Players die during each of the six rounds of games with no mercy. It is evident that the game creator and The Front Man have no issue with playing cruel tricks on the contestants.
Why Former Victors May Have to Compete
Given the inherently mean-spirited nature of the Squid Game competitions, we should expect nothing less than cruelty from the creators and leaders. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities for the VIPs to want to see former champions duke it out in their own version of the games. The VIPs are all about paying to see pain for pleasure, so a victor’s round of games would likely entice them.
7 The VIPs Will Have More Prominent Roles
The wealthy VIPs appeared toward the end of season one to watch the last two competitions unfold in real-time. They watched the gruesome glass bridge competition take out most of the remaining 16 players, and then the final confrontation between Gi-hun and Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo) go down. These elite guests were welcomed with drinks, food, and a luxurious private viewing room with servers to attend to their every need.
Why the VIPs May be Key Figures
Since Gi-hun will be looking for revenge after what the Front Man and the VIPs put him and the other 455 players through in season one, it’s safe to assume that he will eventually discover that the VIPs exist. Whether that be through his own discovery or perhaps through the videos Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon) recorded, he will likely find them. If they are discovered, the VIPs will want their identities to remain anonymous and will be forced to play a more active role in the second season.
6 The Salesman Will be a Major Player
The Salesman, played by Train to Busan’s Gong Yoo, appears briefly during the first and last episode of season one. He is the one who plays the first game with Gi-hun and gives him the card inviting him to partake in the Squid Games. While The Salesman doesn’t have much screen time, his role is undoubtedly important. After all, he is responsible for getting hundreds of people to sign away their lives to the games.
How the Salesman Could be a Major Player
In one of the promotional stills for season two released by Netflix, Gi-hun is seen sitting across from The Salesman outside a restaurant. Gi-hun will likely seek him out to learn more pertinent information about the games and how to find where they actually take place. The Salesman most likely knows the ins and outs of the games’ operations, so Gi-hun will want his help in his quest for revenge. He could become sort of an ally for Gi-hun.
5 The Front Man and Gi-hun Will Go Head-to-Head
The Front Man is the one orchestrating the entire deadly affair for the enjoyment of the VIPs. He keeps the whole operation a secret from the outside world and ensures that the rules are followed strictly. He follows the rules so astutely that he will even execute his own colleagues to maintain order.
Why Gi-hun and The Front Man Will Likely Confront Each Other
At the end of the season one finale, Gi-hun is about to board a flight to the U.S. to visit his young daughter. Right before he is supposed to get on the plane, he stops to call the number on the back of the card. The call is intercepted by The Front Man and the two exchange threats.
Gi-hun will undoubtedly be on the warpath to find the man in charge of the games, leading to an inevitable confrontation. It’s going to be his mission to find The Front Man and demand answers that he can no longer get from the creator of the games, Oh Il-Nam (Oh Yeong-su).
4 Gi-hun Will Become the New Front Man
As seen during the season one finale, Gi-hun is going to willingly put himself in harm’s way again to get to The Front Man. Gi-hun is determined to avenge those who died during the games and prevent the game-makers from doing this to more people. He has proven himself capable of surviving intense trauma and persevering in the face of uncertainty.
Why Gi-hun Could Become the Next Front Man
The Front Man was revealed to be a former winner himself. He was the winner of the 2015 Squid Games and somehow became the man in charge of the next few years of the game. While we don’t yet know how he became the ring leader, it’s plausible that Gi-hun could be forced into becoming the next Front Man. The VIPs have a lot of influence, which could make it possible for Gi-hun to have no choice but to take over. They could also threaten his family, which Gi-hun won’t stand for.
3 Ga-yeong Will Become Involved With the Games
One of the reasons Gi-hung decided to go back to the games after the majority voted to leave was to be able to provide for his daughter, Ga-yeong. He realized that he had to pay off his debt and earn enough money to support a life for his daughter in South Korea. Otherwise, she was going to move to the U.S. with her mother and stepfather.
Ga-yeong Could Become a Target of the Games
If Gi-hun’s family is threatened, he will undoubtedly do whatever is necessary to protect them. Even though Ga-yeong is now living in America with her mother and stepfather, the VIPs could arrange for her to be taken back to South Korea. They have enough wealth and influence to bring her back without any effort on their part. Ga-yeong could easily be used as bait to force Gi-hun to compete again or drop his revenge quest.
2 In-ho’s Journey to Becoming the Front Man Will be Revealed
Toward the end of season one, Jun-ho reads through numerous records of past games in search of any information on his brother. He finally finds records from the 2015 games indicating that his brother was the winner that year. As he is fleeing the remote island later on, he is confronted by The Front Man, who turns out to be his brother, In-ho. Jun-ho asks his brother why he’s doing this, but Jun-ho (and therefore the audience) never gets an answer because In-ho kills him.
In-ho’s Journey to Becoming the Front Man Could be Crucial
We know very little about In-ho or the path that led him to lead the fatal Squid Games. He was certainly in debt at some point since he competed in the games and won, but that doesn’t explain why he stayed there to run the competition. The backstory on In-ho’s road to becoming The Front Man could be vital to Gi-hun’s path to revenge. It could be the key to shutting down the games once and for all.
1 Gi-hun Will Shut the Games Down at a Price
Gi-hun wants revenge on the people who played with his life and took the lives of 455 people, and countless others. He gave up the chance to have a life with his daughter and a fresh chance in another country to track down the people responsible. He’s not going to go down easily. Gi-hun is going to stop at nothing to prevent these horrific games from ruining any other families.
Gi-hun’s Possible Success Will Likely Come at a Price
In the world of Squid Game, nothing is ever easy for the characters. Impossible decisions are thrown their way at every turn. Cruelty, power, and wealth make the rules in this show. It’s also a Korean show, and South Korean films and television rarely ever let their protagonists have a truly happy ending. Gi-hun will have to face many obstacles to shut down the elaborately designed games. He will likely have to fight for his life or his family’s life to achieve his goal. The price for ending the games for good could be his life.
Stream Squid Game season 1 on Netflix
