Warning! This article contains spoilers for Squid Game season 3.
Squid Gameseason 3 surprisingly marks the return of a familiar face who was previously the plot device for one of the biggest twists in the Netflix series. Even though this character died in a previous season of theNetflix Korean show, his fleeting appearance in season 3 is interestingly relevant to the overarching storyline.
As viewers of the series will already know,Squid Gamenever shies away from killing its main characters in the most unexpected ways. Owing to this, mostcharacters fromSquid Gameseason 1 did not even make it to season 2. Similarly, many also died in the second installment’s final arc before the show walked through its final set of games in season 3.
Despite this,Squid Gameseason 3 found creative ways to feature several dead characters from previous seasons. For instance, it marked the return of both Thanos and Se-mi as figments of Min-su’s imagination, portraying them as symbols of his grief and guilt. Another dead character shows up inSquid Gameseason 3’s endingarc, revealing some interesting details about the games' history.
A Masked Il-nam Returned During Squid Game Season 3’s Front Man Flashbacks
It Reveals How He Was A Crucial Figure In The Front Man’s Backstory
The Front Man puts Gi-hun’s sense of morality to an ultimate test inSquid Gameseason 3 by handing him a knife and giving him the opportunity to kill his competitors in their sleep.He tells him he can end the games for good and ensure that he and Jun-hee’s baby make it out alive.
While Gi-hun considers doing the deed, the Front Man watches him and recalls how he was put through a similar test.Gi-hun chooses to hold on to the remnants of humanity left in him as the Front Man remembers how Il-nam had given him a similar chance during his debut at the games.
Unlike Gi-hun, however,the Front Man had fallen for Il-nam’s trap and brutally murdered his opponents in the game to secure his win. Il-nam is portrayed as a masked figure in the flashback scene, but it is hard not to recognize him. He shows up as one of theplayers inSquid Gameseason 1, but the flashback shows how he once represented the VIPs.
Why Il-nam Gave In-ho The Knife (And How It Led To Him Becoming The Front Man)
In-ho Did Exactly What Il-nam Wanted Him To Do
Just like the Front Man hoped that Gi-hun would understand why he favors the games and eventually join him as one of the frontrunners of the system that runs them, Il-nam seemingly expected to achieve something similar with In-ho.The Front Man tried to exploit Gi-hun’s desperationto convince him that he would have to become a part of the system to survive and make a difference.
While Gi-hun was saved by his conscience and the “souls” of all the dead players who once accompanied him inSquid Gameseason 1, In-ho succumbed to the system that exploited him and other desperate people.
Similarly, Il-nam cornered In-ho and used his own disillusionment with society to pull him into the inner workings of the games. While Gi-hun was saved by his conscience and the “souls” of all the dead players who once accompanied him inSquid Gameseason 1, In-ho succumbed to the system that exploited him and other desperate people.
Squid Gameseason 3 portrays In-ho’s decision to kill his fellow players as the last straw that makes him completely lose his faith in humanity. If he, like Gi-hun, had chosen to decline Il-nam’s offer,he would have saved himself from the moral decay that eventually defined him as the Front Man.
However, by accepting Il-nam’s offer and killing his fellow players,In-ho trades his humanity for survival and control, which paves the way for him to become the hardened Front Man of the games. Similar to Gi-hun, In-ho may not have even survived the games without Il-nam’s help. But death probably would have been a far better fate than becoming a puppet of a skewed system.
Il-nam’s Second Appearance In Squid Game Season 3 Was Even More Disturbing
It Showed Who He Truly Was Before He Entered The Games In Season 1
Squid Gameseason 1’s endingtwist established Il-nam as the main antagonist by revealing that he started the games in 1988 only because he was too bored with his life. He even participated in games because he wanted to relive the carefree joy of childhood for the last time before dying.
These revelations made it hard not to despise him,but the character still had some layers of complexity and redeemable elements that made him more than just a typical one-dimensional villain. His appearance inSquid Gameseason 3, however, changes how one views him.
22
3
Budget
US $21.4 million in season 1 and ₩100 billion in seasons 2 & 3
Streaming On
Netflix
In-ho’s backstory reveals howIl-nam was no less ruthless and cold-hearted than the other VIPs. Just to reaffirm his belief that most human beings would abandon their morality in desperate situations, he manipulated In-ho into killing the other players at the games. If it wasn’t for Il-nam and his schemes, the titular games inSquid Gamewould never have evolved at all.
Squid Game
Squid Game is a South Korean series released in 2021 that follows numerous financially struggling participants who are invited to partake in children’s games with deadly outcomes. As they compete, they vie for a substantial cash prize, all while navigating lethal challenges orchestrated by mysterious figures.
