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Summary
As a major antagonist inSquid Game, Hwang In-ho, also known as the Front Man, has a complicated past that led him to become who he is now. Despite dealing with a tragic past, and having to experience the Squid Games himself, there still might be a chance for him to turn things around andfollow in Gi-hun’s footsteps.
However, doing so would not be a simple task. The Front Man has been involved in the Squid Games for many years when Gi-hun joins in season 1. As the Front Man takes on the role of Oh Young-il in season 2 ofSquid Game, he spends more time with Gi-hun, potentially leading to a change in perspective.
What Happened in In-ho’s Past?
Hwang In-ho Before the Front Man
When In-ho was growing up, his father remarried, and with his new wife, they had In-ho’syounger half-brother, Hwang Jun-ho. Both In-ho and Jun-ho eventually joined the police force, and were incredibly close to each other. This is proven by the fact that In-ho gives one of his kidneys to Jun-ho to save his life. As a police officer, In-ho was incredibly well-respected and worked in the force for around 14 years. However, during this time,his wife became unexpectedly illwhile pregnant with their first child, leading In-ho to make drastic changes in his life.
My wife is very sick. She has acute cirrhosis. She needs a liver transplant. But, when she was going through the tests, we found out she was pregnant. The doctor suggested a termination, but she won’t listen.
As his wife would need a liver transplant to survive, In-ho had no way to pay for the expensive surgery. To solve this issue, he decided to borrow money from a criminal, which angered his superiors in the force greatly. Although In-ho had never broken the rules before, and had only taken this money in a desperate attempt to save his wife, his boss still decided to fire him. This led In-ho to join the28th Squid Games, as it seemed to be the only way for him to make enough money to keep his wife alive. However, after surviving the brutal Games, he learned his wife had already passed, leaving him feeling helpless andkicking off his “villain origin story”.
How Has He Changed?
In-ho’s Beginning as The Front Man
In-ho spent the majority of his life surrounded by a loving family and wife, with a job that helped him to feel fulfilled as he helped those around him. Yet this all changed due to a string of unfortunate events. With his wife falling ill, being fired from his job that he had dedicated his life to for 14 years, and being subjected to thebloody and brutal Squid Gamesonly for his wife to pass away when he returned, it’s safe to say his entire world was thrown upside down. These types of events are sure to change anyone, especially when experienced in relatively quick succession.
These events made him feel as if his life was essentially worthless, leading him tojoin the Squid Games as the new Front Man. Despite still having his step-mother and younger brother at his side, In-ho felt no hope remaining in his life, leading him to make a drastic change. He felt no remaining hope for humanity, and the only thing that had given him a chance to survive was the Squid Games. In some ways, it could be assumed that he feltindebted to Oh Il-nam, the creator of the Games, as he gave him the means necessary to save his wife.
Here, the players get to play a fair game under the same conditions. These people suffered with inequality and discrimination out in the world.
WhenIn-ho joins the Games alongside Seong Gi-hunin season 2, however, his time spent with the main protagonist seems to revive a small piece of hope in In-ho. Gi-hun’s relentless nature and passion for his cause in ending the Games almost seemed to win over In-ho for a second, despite initially joining the Games to keep a closer watch on Gi-hun and thwart his plans. There are visible moments in season 2 where In-ho seems to believe in what Gi-hun is saying, leading many to believe that In-ho still has the potential for redemption.
Potential Methods of Redemption
How Can He Be Redeemed?
Although In-ho’s past has scarred him greatly, and he has been ingrained deeply into the Squid Games, he still has a small chance to be redeemed in the story. Part of the reason for this is theimpact that Gi-hun has had on the Front Man, showing that even though he had been thrown into the deadly Squid Games and came out alive just like In-ho, he still believed in humanity and wished to help the other players. Along with Gi-hun, In-ho still has his step-mother and Jun-ho actively searching for him and wishing for him to return home, despite Jun-ho being aware of his true identity.
There are a few ways that the Front Man could be redeemed in the future ofSquid Game. In the final season, there’s a chance that, after Gi-hun learns of his true identity, he could successfullybring the Front Man to his side. Using the friendship he built up with the Front Man as Oh Young-il, he could argue that there is still hope remaining in the man. Despite his tragic circumstances, In-ho still has a few people on his side despite what he’s done as the Front Man. If Gi-hun is able to convince him, there’s a chance In-ho might work together with him and his brother Jun-ho toend the Games once and for all.
Another theory could be that In-ho will choose tosacrifice himself to save Gi-hunand further his cause. While the potential of this theory isn’t very probable, it would mirror that of another familiar story, when Darth Vader chooses to sacrifice himself to defeat the Sith inStar Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. There are a lot of similarities betweenDarth Vader and the Front Man, including not only their visual disguise, but their pasts as well. They both lose their wives and are thrown into a world of darkness after being convinced by their superior (in the Front Man’s case, Oh Il-nam). There’s a small possibility that In-ho could make this change after he sees the remaining humanity in both Jun-ho and Gi-hun, though it seems that the chances are not particularly high. It is safe to say thatSquid Game’s final seasonwill be sure to explore the Front Man’s motivations, and whether Gi-hun will be successful in his pursuit.
