Netflix’s “Squid Game” has wrapped up with the premiere of its third and final season on Friday. In light of this, series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk shared insight into the real-life influences that shaped his portrayal of the villains.
In a recent interview with Time, Hwang noted that he couldn’t help but think of Elon Musk when writing about the show’s VIPs (the masked, wealthy characters who fund the deadly games and bet on the players for their own entertainment in the show).
“Elon Musk is everywhere these days, right? Everybody talks about him,” Hwang said. “Not only is he the head of a huge tech company that controls the world almost, but he’s also this showman. After writing [Season 3], of course I thought, ‘Oh, some of the VIPs do kind of resemble Elon Musk.’”
In the first two seasons, the VIPs sat courtside, but in Season 3, they actually participated in the games. As explained by Hwang, “They take their masks off and go into the game and kill others with their own hands.”
Hwang added that this decision was largely inspired by the current political climate in the United States.
“In the past, those that really controlled the system and maintained power, they were hidden behind the curtain, almost like this big unseen conspiracy,” he explained. “However, it’s no longer the case, especially in America. We talk a lot about oligarchy these days, but these so-called big tech owners, they step up, telling everyone who they’re backing with their money. The people who really control the power and the system, they no longer hide behind a curtain. They willingly take their masks off, almost as if to declare, ‘We’re the ones running everything. We’re the ones in control.’”
While there are talks about a U.S. remake of the show being developed, Hwang clarified in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, that the ending was intended to convey a larger message about capitalism, rather than simply setting up a sequel.
“I didn’t end it on that note in order to deliberately leave room for further stories to happen,” he said. “Gi-hun and Front Man, through these characters, the Games in Korea have ended. And because this story started out with me wanting to tackle issues about the limitless competition and the system that’s created in late capitalism, I wanted to leave it on a note highlighting the fact that these systems, even if one comes down, it’s not easy to dismantle the whole system — it will always repeat itself.
“That’s why I wanted to end it with an American recruiter. And I wrote that scene wanting an impactful ending for the show, not in order to open rooms for anything else.”
