Squid Game Season 3 Will Ruin The Entire Show If Any Of These 6 Things Happen

Warning: This article contains spoilers about Squid Game season 2!

Although Netflix’s Squid Game has maintained its status as a hit series, six things could happen in season 3 that will ruin the entire show. The Korean show Squid Game took the world by storm when it released in September 2021. After three years of waiting, season 2 hit Netflix in December 2024, with the final season promised for June 27, 2025. Social media has been abuzz with theories about Squid Game season 3. No matter how they approach season 3, which has already been filmed, expectations will be high.

Generally, it’s difficult for any show to deliver three excellent, well-written seasons in a row. Beloved shows, like Lost and Game of Thrones, have also ruined their streak with a controversial finale. However, the beauty of Squid Game is that other fans and I don’t feel certain about how the show will end. They didn’t write themselves into a corner, leaving a wide array of possible endings that would feel satisfactory. Still, Squid Game must avoid these six narrative decisions that could ruin the iconic show.

6

Oh Il-Nam Returns In Squid Game Season 3

The In-Universe Creator Of The Games Should Stay Dead In Season 3

One of the biggest mistakes that Squid Game season 3 could make is bringing back Oh Il-nam, the creator of the games who played alongside Gi-hun in season 1. Despite its dystopian competition, Squid Game is grounded in realism when it comes to the stakes and violence.

You’re Not Ready For The Next Game In Squid Game Season 3, It Will Be Worse Than Anything In Season 2

Based on the first season of the hit Netflix show, it seems like the first game of Squid Game season 3 will be the deadliest of the entire series.

The show got away with Oh Il-nam faking his death halfway through season 1 because they didn’t show him dying onscreen. However, the show pulling the same move twice would ruin Squid Game for a few big reasons. Firstly, the Netflix series showed him flatlining onscreen at the end of Squid Game season 1. They don’t have the same latitude to say, “he didn’t really die.”

Additionally, the character faking his death twice pushes the otherwise gritty story too far in the direction of unrealistic. The most sickening part about Squid Game is that it feels like it could exist in the current state of our world. Oh Il-nam coming back a second time requires too much suspension of disbelief. Finally, the return of the games’ creator would lessen the stakes for any future spinoffs. The deaths won’t feel devastating or vindicating if there’s always a chance that any of the Squid Game characters can come back.

5

Hwang Jun-Ho Gets Murdered Before Finding His Brother

Jun-Ho’s Squid Game Season 2 Story Feels Pointless Without An Exciting Season 3 Reconciliation

Hwang Jun-ho’s entire narrative arc in Squid Game is about how he wants to find his brother, In-Ho, who previously competed in the games. This is the reason why he infiltrates the games in season 1. Then, after learning his brother is alive and getting shot, he spends all of season 2 trying to track down the island.

Some have deemed Jun-Ho’s boat trips the most frustrating story in Squid Game season 2 because it leads nowhere, and I’m inclined to agree. Captain Park’s betrayal adds a small layer of intrigue and raises questions, but it’s still pretty boring. Still, Jun-Ho’s search for his brother needs payoff in season 3. The upcoming episodes need to answer the question of why Captain Park betrayed Jun-Ho and how he could be connected to In-Ho.

Additionally, the brothers need to come face to face again after In-Ho shot Jun-Ho. Consequently, one of the biggest ways they could ruin the show is to kill him before he finds his brother. His dying beforehand would be anticlimactic and make him the most pointless character in the franchise. It would also leave a sour taste in my mouth because of the sheer amount of time Squid Game season 2 spent following Jun-Ho’s journey.

4

The Show Ends When Everyone Votes To Stop The Games

The People Running The Squid Games Would Never Allow The Players To Vote Their Way Out

The players line up in front of a blue O and a red X on the floor in Squid Game season 2

One of the most interesting changes in Squid Game season 2 is the fact that the players vote after every game on whether to leave or stay. If more people vote to leave, they split the money, and the games end. If more people vote to stay, they continue the games. One of the worst things they could do in Squid Game season 3 is have the games end by vote.

At the end of Squid Game season 2, most of the characters who voted to leave decide to stage a coup and get killed off. With the remaining Squid Game characters, there’s no world where they all agree to end the games. I can’t imagine a reasonable situation where the majority vote to end the competition. Many of the characters have already put their greed ahead of morality. If they have an even greater chance of winning the whole thing, they will go for it.

Even if they somehow decided to end the games, it seems unlikely that the people in charge would let them. The higher-ups had already manipulated the situation when there was a tie so that the contestants would kill each other.

3

Gi-Hun’s Daughter Gets An Invitation To The American Squid Game

The Cruelest Ending Would Put Seong Ga-Yeong in The American Version Of Squid Game

Gi-hun's daughter looking at a lighter shaped like a pistol in Squid Game

Even though the original is ending after season 3, Netflix has already confirmed an American Squid Game. Although they haven’t directly confirmed it, the prevailing theory is that the Korean and American shows will exist within the same universe. If that’s true, the original Squid Game will most likely tease the spinoff.

However, one thing would add an unforgivable element that could ruin Squid Game: Gi-hun’s daughter getting an invitation to the American games. As of Squid Game season 2, Gi-hun’s daughter, Seong Ga-yeong, is living in the United States of America with her mother and stepfather. She’s around 14 or 15 years old.

Wild Squid Game Season 2 Theory Claims A Divisive Player Is Secretly One Of The VIPs

Squid Game season 2 introduced a major new antagonist, and this player may have a secret connection to the VIPs according to this theory.

If the games follow contract laws, nobody under the age of 19 would be allowed to compete in the Korean games, but US law allows minors to sign contracts, even if it’s unenforcable. As such, they could theoretically target her. Regardless, there’s no reason to believe that they actually follow laws when they’re running death games. Still, Ga-young getting involved in the games after Gi-hun would seem too cruel, even for Squid Game.

2

Squid Game Season 3 Reveals Ali As A VIP

Ali’s Reputation Cannot Be Tarnished If He Returns In Squid Game Season 3

One interesting creative decision in Squid Game season 1 is the choice not to kill Ali on camera but to let the audience hear the gunshot. At first, this isn’t that big of a deal, but it raises question marks after the Oh Il-nam reveal.

Some fans believe that Ali is still alive in Squid Game and will return because the death didn’t happen onscreen, like Oh Il-nam’s. This follows the past pattern. I don’t subscribe to this theory, as I think the decision was simply intended to lessen the blow of killing the most wholesome character. Still, there’s a thread of logic to the theory.

Unfortunately, the previous instance of a character faking their death revealed them as the creator, a choice they cannot repeat with Ali. I would never forgive Squid Game if it destroyed the earnestness of the character by revealing him as a VIP or a facilitator of the games, and I don’t think anyone else would, either. This decision could potentially ruin the entire show, so they need to tread carefully if they bring back Ali.

1

Gi-Hun Dies At The End Of Squid Game Season 3

Seong Gi-Hun’s Death Would Be The Most Divisive Ending For Netflix’s Squid Game

At the end of Squid Game season 2, In-ho keeps Gi-hun alive, likely to torture him by making him watch the deaths of others. However, it means that he still has a chance to end the games and save the remaining players. There’s still hope.

7:51

Seong Gi-hun From Squid Game in Front of Avengers Endgame Poster

What If The Avengers Played Squid Game?

Screen Rant predicts which Avengers would die or survive if they were thrown into the world of Squid Game.

As such, the last thing that Squid Game could potentially do to ruin the entire show is to kill off Gi-hun at the end of season 3. It’s an unwritten rule that the main character of a show makes it to the end. The choice to kill Gi-hun would be one of the most controversial things that the show could make, and it would undoubtedly cause conflict among the fanbase, akin to Battlestar Galactica‘s ending.

Some fans, like me, would think it’s too depressing, even for Squid Game. Others would think the ending is fitting. The only feasible way I can think of for Gi-hun to die in Squid Game season 3 without the decision causing controversy and potentially tarnishing the show’s legacy is for him to sacrifice himself to save the others.