Warning! This article contains spoilers for Squid Game season 3.
Since Squid Game season 3’s ending leaves an air of ambiguity surrounding many aspects of the Front Man’s story, an intriguing theory has speculated whether he might join the teased American spin-off. Player Lee Byung-hun, the Front Man remains one of the mysterious characters in Squid Game even after season 3. Even though the show hints at his history with his family and even reveals the exact moment he lost his humanity while playing the 33rd version of the games, it never dives too deep into how he became the Front Man.
Owing to this, the Front Man’s story in Squid Game season 3 either left viewers dissatisfied or made them wonder if the franchise would reveal more about him in the near future. According to a compelling Squid Game theory, season 3’s final moments might have already given away what the future holds for the character. While only time will tell how the hit franchise will move forward, the theory speculates Front Man’s return in the potential American spin-off.
Could The Front Man Be The Bridge Between The Korean & American Version?
The Front Man’s Return Seems Possible After Squid Game Season 3’s Ending
Squid Game season 3’s final arc made me believe that the Front Man/In-ho might have finally realized how messed up the games are. After seeing Gi-hun sacrifice his life, he seemingly understood that not all humans are the same, which prompted him to hang his boots as the Front Man. While this might still be a possibility, Squid Game season 3’s closing scene, according to a theory, seems to hint that the Front Man’s journey is far from over.
The sequence not only highlights how the games are far more widespread and deeply rooted than previously believed but also seems to foreshadow how In-ho’s story may continue.
Before Squid Game season 3’s final credits start rolling, the Front Man watches a woman play the Ddakji game with a man. He soon realizes that the woman (played by Cate Blanchett) is a recruiter and likely looking for players for the US version of the games. The sequence not only highlights how the games are far more widespread and deeply rooted than previously believed but also seems to foreshadow how In-ho’s story may continue. As a theory suggests, after Squid Game season 3’s ending scene, In-ho’s narrative can go in two intriguing directions:
Theory 1: The Front Man Becomes The New Overseer In The US Squid Game
He May Not Have Given Up On The Games Just Yet
After being one of the most ruthless characters in Squid Game, In-ho shows some semblance of humanity in season 3’s final arc when he sends Jun-hee’s baby to his brother and takes Gi-hun’s winning prize to his daughter. However, given how he gradually lost his sense of humanity and convinced himself that the games were a necessary evil, it would make sense for him to still hold on to the system that reshaped him. Owing to this, he could possibly return for the potential American remake as the overseer of a new set of games.
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As the Front Man for the games in the US, In-ho might go through another rite of passage before realizing that Gi-hun was right about them all along. His narrative in the hinted remake could not only reveal more about his backstory and all the events that convinced him to become Front Man but also walk through his gradual disillusionment with the system he once upheld. The American spin-off will likely adopt an original, self-contained narrative. However, In-ho’s return as the Front Man could perfectly bridge the gap between the parent series and the follow-up.
Theory 2: The Front Man Could Join As A Contestant But With A Different Purpose
He Could Continue What Gi-hun Started
Gi-hun’s final sacrifice seems to have a profound impact on the Front Man, which later prompts him to do some good instead of continuing the games. The American Squid Game spin-off could riff on the same story beat and show how the Front Man sets out to continue what Gi-hun started. Like Gi-hun entered the South Korean version of the games to dismantle the system from the inside, In-ho could do something similar in the American games by entering as a player.
In his journey towards shutting the games, In-ho would likely face far more moral crossroads than Gi-hun, making his potential story even more compelling.
Similar to Gi-hun, he has already won the games once. Therefore, he would seemingly have the IQ and the experience to beat them again before finding a way to shut them down for good. Unlike Gi-hun, however, In-ho’s story would be far more complex. Gi-hun learned to hate the games soon after he entered them. In-ho, in contrast, became an architect of the cruelty the games thrived on. In his journey towards shutting the games, In-ho would likely face far more moral crossroads than Gi-hun, making his potential story even more compelling.
Gi-hun was on the verge of losing his humanity towards the end of the games, and he even crossed a moral boundary when he killed Dae-ho. Owing to this, it was hard not to see him as an anti-hero in the show’s final arc, even though he tried to redeem himself with his final sacrifice. In-ho’s narrative would be even more complex since he made many compromises over the years to convince himself to become the Front Man. He would have to unlearn years of cold rationalization and go on a war with himself to be able to finally emerge as a hero.
The American Squid Game Spinoff Hasn’t Been Confirmed Yet, But It Could Be A Soft Season 4
In-ho’s Return Could Help The Spinoff Stand On Its Own Feet
Even though the Cate Blanchett cameo in Squid Game season 3’s ending sequence hints at a potential spin-off, no official announcements surrounding its production have been made. Until Netflix makes official claims surrounding its release, the Squid Game franchise’s future will remain shrouded. Still, it would make sense for the speculated follow-up to riff on Squid Game season 3’s narrative while it attempts to find its own feet.
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Squid Game Key Facts Breakdown |
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Written & Directed By |
Hwang Dong-hyuk |
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No. Of Episodes |
22 |
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No. Of Seasons |
3 |
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Budget |
US $21.4 million in season 1 and ₩100 billion in seasons 2 & 3 |
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Streaming On |
Netflix |
Spin-offs and reboots are often seen as forced extensions of existing fictional universes, and rightfully so. Squid Game‘s American spin-off may also initially garner a lot of mixed reactions for this reason. However, Lee Byung-hun’s return as In-ho in the series could help audiences ease into the spin-off as it would loosely tie the new storyline to the original series’ emotional and thematic core.
Since Byung-hun has also starred in Hollywood films like GI Joe and The Magnificent Seven, he could be the perfect bridge between the Korean and Western iterations of Squid Game.
