Squid Game Season 3 Director Dong-Hyuk Opens Up About An Alternate Ending
What Did Squid Game Season 3 Director Dong-Hyuk Say About An Alternate Ending? (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Spoiler Alert: This article reveals major plot points from Squid Game Season 3.

Season 3 of Squid Game didn’t tiptoe around the drama. The finale handed fans a major twist as lead character Gi-hun, played by Lee Jung-jae, doesn’t survive the endgame. Out of 456 people dragged into the deadly competition, just two made it out breathing.

One of them was Jun-hee’s toddler, dubbed Player 222, and the other, Player 256, was secretly helped out by a guard named Kang No-eul. While the outcome was heavy, this wasn’t the original plan. Series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk opened up about how this direction came out of a rewrite that shifted everything mid-process.

What Was Squid Game Season 3’s Original Ending?

Speaking to The Wrap, Hwang Dong-hyuk disclosed that Gi-hun wasn’t always meant to die. Early outlines had him escaping the arena, reuniting with his daughter in the U.S., and leaving the games behind. But somewhere during the script run, Dong-hyuk changed gears. He started leaning into the idea of Gi-hun giving up his life, not for a win, but to protect the youngest player. The baby, Player 222, is entirely computer-generated, and by the final game, becomes the reason Gi-hun jumps.

According to Dong-hyuk, this shift came after watching what was happening around the globe, like growing hopelessness in the midst of less humanity. He felt it was more fitting to have Gi-hun hand over his chance at freedom to save a child instead. The message was that maybe the older generation should be stepping in for the ones who come next.

“I thought about an ending where Gi-hun would make it out of the game in one way or another, and he would go to America to see his daughter. But in the process of writing it, I had a change of heart.

I thought what story do I want to tell through the show? Also, I looked at what was happening around the world at the time and how there was less hope for humanity. I thought of Gi-hun sacrificing himself for this baby, just as we all should for our future generation. That was a better-fitting ending for both the show and the character,” Hwang asserted.

Did Gi-Hun’s Final Choice Shift Something In The Front Man?

Detective Jun-ho (who’s been tracking the underground operation since season 1) never manages to crack the system. Despite multiple near-hits, the game continued. Front Man In-ho, the mask-wearing head of the games, also watches this unfold.

He and Gi-hun spent two full seasons butting heads. For instance, In-ho pushes the idea that people are selfish at the core, while Gi-hun tries to prove there’s still good left. For most of season 3, it looked like In-ho won that argument as players turned violent. Even 222’s father, Player 333, was ready to toss his own kid off a platform.

But Gi-hun’s choice hit differently. Dong-hyuk said that In-ho was visibly rattled by the end, something in him shifted, even if just slightly. He hinted that the act of watching someone sacrifice themselves for someone else might’ve stirred guilt, or maybe something softer, something buried.

With the main zone now torn down and the contest halted (for now), the Front Man’s position isn’t what it used to be. The creators haven’t said if this was the end of the games or just a pause. However, Gi-hun’s last move didn’t just close his own story. It nudged something loose in the system.

For more such stories, check out TV updates!

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