Squid Game was such a surprise hit when it was released on Netflix a few years ago, and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has been hard at work with a highly anticipated follow-up.
Besides the characters of Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) coming back, the second season is also going to be introducing a whole batch of new characters, each one with their own personal struggle that forces them to join the Squid Game.
Who are the New Characters of Squid Game Season?
Just like the first season, the new batch of Squid Game players also have some high stakes that they are betting on. And while there are some characters who are definitely made to be the villains of the season (like the Thanos Team), there are also some that are made for the audience to root for.
Though the previous season killed off major fan favorites, the fact that Gi-hun is trying to save everyone in the game could mean a different result this time around. Here’s the new cast of characters:
Myung-gi (Yim Si-wan) – Myung-gi was a former YouTube star known as the Amazing Myung-gi who had lost everything in a crypto scam. He had also ended up costing his subscribers quite a lot of money, and now he’s on the run, trying to earn all that money back.
Jun-hee (Jo Yu-ri) – an ex-girlfriend of Myung-gi who had lost everything thanks to his crypto advice. Like Myung-gi, she joins the game in order to earn back the money she lost.
Yong-sik (Yang Dong-eun) and Geum-ja (Kang Ae-sim) – Yong-sik, like Gi-hun in the first season, is an immature gambler, and ends up incurring a massive debt which forces him to join the Squid Game. The twist is that Yong-sik’s mother, Geum-ja, has also joined the game to help him get out of debt. The two are going to be spending the game together, with Geum-ja trying to look out for her idiot son.
Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan) – Gi-hun’s gambling buddy from the first season. This time around, he’ll be playing a bigger role, being one of the contestants in the Squid Game. Described to be more of a carefree guy, Jung-bae becomes Gi-hun’s ally early in the game.
Dae-ho (Kang Ha-neul) – One of the younger participants in the game. Dae-ho is a former military, which makes him a physical asset in the game, but he’s also described as a bit of a trickster, and it does seem that he becomes quick friends with Jung-bae because of their army background.
Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon) – One of the more controversial characters coming to the show. Hyun-ju is a transgender woman who is trying to win the game so she can get money to fund her gender-affirming surgery. It’s also worth noting that she was a former Special Forces member, so she’s also a physical threat.
The character received backlash online because she’s being played by a straight actor, and some fans though an actual trans actress should play Hyun-ju.
Gyeong-seok (Lee Jin-uk) – A father who joins the game to save his only child with blood cancer. Gyeong-seok feels like a character that mirrors Gi-hun from the first game—only Gi-hun is arguably more selfish when he started out.
Neo-ul (Park Gyu-young) – Neo-ul is a former North Korean soldier and defector who has left her daughter back in the North. She joins the game to find a way to search for her lost daughter.
Seon-nyeo (Chae Kook-hee) – Described as a ‘once powerful Korean Shaman’, Seon-nyeo spends a good chunk of the season just delivering ominous messages to characters like Gi-hun. It’s said she can ‘bring comic relief or intensify the dark mood.’
Thanos Team
Based on the behind-the-scenes look, these next four characters look to be their own independent group within the game called the Thanos Team. Though a lot of the older characters are people out of luck financially, it’s said that this team of younger characters was created because there would be people who would like to join the game for the thrills and not just the money. Here are the members:
Min-su (Lee David) – No particularly dark backstory is revealed for Min-su, but he’s considered to be one of the more timid members of the team, and it looks like he’s going to spend a good chunk of the show just being saved by his teammates.
Nam-gyu (Roh Jae-won) – A former bouncer who knew Thanos outside of the game. He seems to be the mean older brother of the group and is constantly bullying the youngest member Min-su.
Se-mi (Won Ji-an) – The only woman in the group, Se-mi is described to be strong around strong people but is rather gentle with those who are more vulnerable (like Min-su). No doubt, she’s going to be keeping Nam-gyu and Thanos in line if they ever bully her little boy.
Thanos (Choi Seung-hyun) – A retired rapper. Thanos is another victim of Myung-gi’s crypto scam and is joining the game to be able to get his money back. Though Jun-hee is in the same boat, it does look like Thanos has no qualms about getting back at Myung-gi in the game, and is going to be out to get him.
Hwang Jun-ho Lives
Though his fate was also left up in the air in the first season, the featurette has revealed that Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon) is alive, and he’s back in the real world with his job as a detective.
Arguably his arc was considered one of the weakest in the first season, but it’s possible that he will be trying to stop the game from the outside, now that he knows the identity of the Front Man.
Let the Games Begin
Squid Game was considered to be a huge lightning-in-a-bottle situation when it came out initially, and a lot of people didn’t think that a second season was needed.
Show creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has not been shy about how he was surprised at the series’ success; but by the way the season looks, it does seem that he’s gathered another interesting bunch to play in this twisted game of extreme capitalism.
Squid Game Season 2 comes out Dec. 26 on Netflix.