'Squid Game' left viewers with tons of questions — these season 2 predictions may answer some

Back in 2021, "Squid Game" became Netflix's most streamed show ever at the time of its release. Now, almost two years since the first season came out, a second season has been confirmed to be in the works and new cast members have been announced.

There is no official release date, so we don't exactly know when fan questions from season one will be answered. In honor of the last season ending on a cliffhanger, here are some predictions for what might happen in season two once it releases! Of course, there will be plenty of spoilers from the first season.

Learning more about the games and game makers

In the final moments of season one, protagonist Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) is faced with choosing between getting on a plane to see his daughter in the U.S. or staying in South Korea to investigate the games. He ends up turning around at the last minute, opting to stay.

The show's creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, explained this decision, stating that he wanted to explore the idea of dismantling unjust systems instead of avoiding them. This choice also, of course, gives a clear direction for the plotline in the second season.

Clearly, we'll see Gi-hun with a solid goal of learning more about the games and the people who run them. Unfortunately, I have a nagging suspicion that Gi-hun may not be successful in this attempt.

The show acts as satire or a metaphor for how ingrained systems of poverty are in a society. I think it's likely they'll go for a pessimistic view that ends with Gi-hun either dying or failing in his attempts to reinforce that point.

Seeing what other games are in store

It has basically been confirmed by Hwang that there will be another round of games in the second season. Through Netflix's X account, Hwang announced some returning and new players to the second season, including the mysterious game host, the Front Man and the male counterpart of Young-Hee (the deadly doll from the red-light-green-light game).

It'll be interesting to see if this new crop of players are put into the same exact games as last season or if brand-new games will be introduced to mix things up. I think it's likely that they'll do the latter. After all, the people in charge have to do something to keep their exclusive clientele entertained.

Introducing new games would also be a great way to expose people to more classic children's games in South Korean culture while allowing South Korean viewers to see more familiar games on screen. This would also help to ensure that the second season doesn’t feel repetitive, so I do think it’s a route the showrunners will take.

Jun-Ho will survive

One of the most interesting characters of the first season of "Squid Game" was Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon), a police detective who breaks into the games to find his brother In-ho (Lee Byung-hun) — only to discover that his brother is the Front Man.

At the end of the penultimate episode, Jun-ho is shot by In-ho and falls into the sea. But it's unclear as to whether he survives or not. Because he's not explicitly shown dying from the gunshot, I think there's a good chance he'll return in season two, potentially even helping Gi-hun on his mission to take down the games.

Considering his brother's involvement in the games, it would be an interesting contrast to see if he experiences conflicting feelings about taking down the game makers compared to Gi-hun, who is fueled by his pain and anger from having experienced the games firsthand. In any case, I feel like the story between the two brothers is not fully completed.

More backstory about the VIPs and guards

One of the most shocking revelations from the first season was that elderly player Oh Il-nam (O Yeong-su) was actually the creator of the games. While Il-nam died at the end of the season, the identities and backstories of the other VIPs remain mysterious.

If season two focuses on Gi-hun taking down the games, it would be interesting to see what he learns about the VIPs while doing so. What kind of wealth do they come from? What drew them to taking part in the games? I heavily suspect that we'll get to know more about the other VIPs and the people running the games as the mystery unfolds.

Another mysterious group from the first season is the guards of the games, who dress in red suits and masks with different shapes covering their faces. Plenty of fan theories about the guards have been made since the show's release — a popular one that has been debunked is that the guards chose the red card in the contest used to lure potential players to the game.

If this theory isn't true, there are tons of other possible answers for the guards' identities. I personally think they're likely impoverished people who have been taken advantage of, similar to the participants of the game. Maybe they've been in a similar situation as our main characters but were offered a way out in the form of a guard job. Or, maybe they were initially scouted for guard jobs by the powers that be.

As the second season gets a release date and draws closer, plenty of other theories and predictions about "Squid Game" will probably pop up, but these are just some things to think about to tide you over.

It remains to be seen if this season will do as well as the first season did, but hopefully, it will continue to explore themes of economic injustice and exploitation while also having new plotlines to keep viewers invested.