Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-Hyuk announced plans for a second season of his hit Netflix series. When pressed for more details, the multitalented director told Associated Press, “I will promise you this, Gi-hun will come back. He’ll do something for the world.” Understandably, fans were left with many questions: what might happen next in the series, and how can it be improved?
Squid Game was a huge and immediate success for Netflix, raking in around $900 million for the streaming service, and reaching over 100 million viewers globally since its release on September 17. The Korean series follows 456 players in financial debt, as they struggle to compete in a run of twisted children's games. Win and they receive 45.6 billion won (roughly $38 million American dollars), lose and they die. Season 1 centers on Gi-hun, also known as player 456, who finishes Squid Game the lone survivor, having regrettably beaten his friends to the finish line. Its winner in a moral conundrum, the series ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger, and Hwang has been tight-lipped on where it is headed next — seemingly because even he doesn’t know where that is yet. While nothing is set in stone, here are some ways the second season could build on the first.
Season 2 could address unanswered questions from the first season. To recap, Squid Game ended with Gi-hun winning the game, learning (soon to be dead) Il-nam was the game’s creator, and abandoning his flight to America once he discovers the game is continuing. The implication is that he will remain in Korea to take down the game once and for all; and presumably, this will be the plot for season 2. But aside from the obvious question of what Gi-hun will do next, fans would also like to know more about the guards: what is their deal? and why would anyone involve themselves in the sadistic game? A comment by one of the VIPs (“The contest in Korea is the best”) also left viewers wondering who runs the game on an international level; and how did a previous winner become the Front Man?
Alternatively, season 2 might delve into the backstories of its original characters. Viewers already know a fair bit about Gi-hun, but very little about the recruiter and the Front Man — and clearly not as much as they thought about Il-nam. Perhaps season 2 will bring back fan-favorites for more screen time. This would surely satisfy fans who protested Ali and Sae-byeok's deaths with cries of “they deserved better!” Call it wishful thinking, but Ali’s death did occur offscreen, much like Il-nam’s. And who’s to say that season 2 won’t be a prequel? Though the ending of Squid Game seems to set itself up for a sequel, as Hwang tells The Hollywood Reporter, that wasn’t the intention: “It’s true that season one ended in an open-ended way, but I actually thought that this could be good closure for the whole story, too.”
Assuming, however, that Squid Game season 2 is a sequel, viewers could see one fan-favorite return still — that being, Jun-ho. Police officer, Jun-ho is shot by his brother, In-ho at the end of season 1 after it is revealed that the latter is the Front Man, but like Ali, Jun-ho’s death is offscreen. And if there is one thing that Squid Game’s Il-nam taught viewers, it’s that a character isn’t dead if we didn't see them die. Could season 2 see Jun-ho return to Squid Game and help Gi-hun take down the game? Maybe. After all, Hwang has previously stated he would like to explore the character’s relationship with his brother further.
Finally, Squid Game could incorporate fan theories into its next season. Again, Hwang has spoken about this possibility before officially announcing season 2, and given the number of theories out there he wouldn’t be short of inspiration. One popular — and very plausible — theory is that Il-nam is Gi-hun’s father; like Il-nam’s absent son, Gi-hun also doesn’t drink milk because of digestive issues, and both Il-nam and Gi-hun claimed to recognize the fake neighborhood used in the marbles game. Some have also noted the potential symbolism of Il-nam being the first player, and Gi-hun being the last. Relatedly, some fans read Gi-hun’s red hairdo, which he sports in the final episode, as indication that he will return to the game as a worker. This would make sense, especially considering previous winner, In-ho, was this season’s Front Man.
Another popular theory suggests the color of the recruiter’s envelopes determines whether a person will become a player (blue envelope) or guard (red envelope). And speaking of the recruiter, it’s unlikely viewers have seen the last of him yet as Hwang has suggested he has unfinished business with the character. For certain, Squid Game's success lies in its combination of strong, complex characters, and impressive shock value. Season 2 could up the ante in the ways suggested, or it could introduce new faces, and new, even crazier games. There are so many possibilities. And so many more questions…