Squid Game was a massive success for Netflix, becoming a worldwide phenomenon and the streaming service’s biggest original show to date. It was no surprise when it was given the green light for season two, which will undoubtedly take things up another psychological notch. Squid Game won big at the 2022 Emmys, with Lee Jung-jae taking home Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Hwang Dong-hyuk for Directing for a Drama Series.
The K-Drama is a bleak — and not-so-unrelatable — story about contestants in financial hardships who play deadly childhood games for a substantial cash prize. They’re willing to risk their lives for a chance to improve their standard of living, and it reveals the dark nature of humanity and the systems that prey upon the most vulnerable. It stars Lee Jung-jae as the main protagonist Seong Gi-hun, a man who works several jobs trying to make ends meet and take care of his daughter. When he gets into loan shark-invested waters by running into debt from his horse gambling addiction, he accepts the offer to join the Squid Game to solve his financial problems.
Here’s what we know about the rumors, spoilers, and release window for Squid Game season two.
Squid Game plot rumors
The season one finale ended dramatically with Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo) and Gi-hun — childhood friends who both found themselves in these deadly games — as the last men standing. Sang-woo had lost so much of himself in an effort to reach victory and he could no longer bear the burden of it anymore. He requested that Gi-hun take care of his mother, and Sang-woo stabbed himself in the neck, making Gi-hun the winner of the cash prize and his life — but there were still so many questions left to be answered.
Rumor: Jun-ho is alive
Police detective Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-Joon) infiltrates the Squid Game by masquerading as a worker for the operation in order to find out what happened to his missing brother. His suspicions were proven correct when he discovered his brother participated in the 2015 game. Jun-ho escapes with the information he needs to the mainland where he tells his chief. He’s followed by the Front Man and other workers and they come to a cliff where a standoff happens. Jun-ho asked who the Front Man was and he revealed himself to be In-ho, his missing brother. In-ho shoots his brother who falls off of the cliff presumably to his death.
Jun-ho was a fan-favorite in season one and viewers want to see him back. Since we didn’t see a body (and since this is a TV trope) it’s possible that he survived this fall, albeit in critical condition, all to come back in season two to resolve this storyline and have a rematch with his brother.
Rumor: The international Squid Games
One of the most intriguing questions is about the identities of the VIPs. These are the uber-rich elite who watch over the game, wear golden animal masks, and place bets on the contestants to make even more money from them. It’s been speculated that most of them are American, the Deer-Masked VIP could be Chinese, and the Eagle-masked VIP could be French. In one scene, a VIP comments that the Korean games are the best, which implies there are other games.
It’s possible that season two could showcase other games around the world with different contestants. It’s clear that this is a massive operation and the VIPs seem to be the richest people all over the globe, so it’s possible they travel from location to location to watch the chaos unfold. If it’s not seen in season two, there’s always a chance for this franchise to spawn spinoffs and create a Squid Game universe.
Rumor: Kang Sae-byeok’s brother joins the fray
Kang Sea-byeok’s (Jung Ho-yeon) little brother Kang Cheol was placed in the care of Sang-woo’s mother in the final episode of season one. This fulfills Gi-hun’s promise to Sae-byeok, who he became teammates and friends with during the game, and who was killed by Sang-woo. Neither Kang Cheol nor Sang-woo’s mother knows what really happened to their relatives, and it could lead the boy to question what happened to his sister when he gets older. Although Sang-woo’s mother was given money from Gi-hun, that still won’t fill in the gaps left by Sae-beyok’s absence, and he could try to join the Squid Game to learn the truth.
Squid Game season two spoilers
Dong-Hyuk announced some things to look out for in season two, and coming from him these details are as good as gold. He confirmed that Gi-hun would return (no surprise there), the Front Man will return, the man in the suit with ddakji might be back (so he likely will be back), and he said fans will be introduced to Young-hee’s boyfriend, Cheol-su.
The ddakji salesman in the subway who recruited Gi-hun into the Squid Game was Gong Yoo, one of South Korea’s most popular actors. His return in a bigger capacity could hint at more involvement with Gi-hun and his vow to take down the Squid Game Game considering it was through the ddakji salesman that first led him there.
Cheol-Su (the large animatronic doll and the infinite source of meme creation) will be getting a “boyfriend” when the show returns. Presumably, this will be a male animatronic figure that’s even more dangerous than his girlfriend.
Squid Game season two release window
Dyong-hyuk has been working hard on Squid Game season two for it to live up to the demand for more story. The first season took him 12 years to make and it’s no easy feat pull off, so it’s not going to have a quick turnaround time. He also confirmed he will be working with a writer’s room this time as well as accomplished directors.
The director told Vanity Fair that new episodes will likely arrive in 2023 or 2024. Erring on the side of probability, the latter year seems most likely considering the scope of this project. If we’re lucky, it won’t be too long before we’re back watching this tragically addictive series.
