Why 1 Squid Game Season 3 Finalists Instantly Became Villainous Explained By Creator

June 29, 2025

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WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the Squid Game season 3 finale.Gi-hun was forced to confront the worst of humanity in the Squid Game season 3 finale, and the show’s creator is ready to explain why. After Gi-hun’s failed rebellion against the Front Man, he was forced to return to the games to complete the Sky Squid Game event, all while desperately trying to save Jun-hee’s baby from her own father.

Despite seemingly wanting to save Jun-hee throughout the game, Myung-gi (Yim Si-wan) loses interest in protecting his loved ones. Instead, he wants nothing more than to claim the prize to enrich himself. Myung-gi is so desperate to kill his own child that he fails to even press the button to start the game.

In an interview with Netflix’s Tudum, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk explained why Myung-gi made his horrific final decision. Rather than allowing audiences to fully identify with Gi-hun’s defense of the baby, he instead points to Myung-gi to claim that he represents humanity’s willingness to sacrifice future generations. Check out his quote below:

He tries to look the other way, prioritizing his own interests, immediate financial gain, and greed. He seeks his own interests even at the expense of the baby. Myung-gi represents all of us. We constantly talk about passing on to our future generations, how the planet is at its limit, or how the national pension system will soon [run] dry. But when it comes down to it, no one wants to pay more into the pension fund, we aren’t really living carbon-neutral lives, and we still produce just as much waste — all for our own convenience and self-interest.

What Myung-gi’s Decision Means For Squid Game

Myung-gi And Gi-hun Reflect Both Sides Of Humanity

Gi-hun’s decision to sacrifice himself for the baby was proof of his ability to retain his morality. He refused to let the games corrupt him, no matter how horrifying they were, and that enabled him to save an innocent baby’s life. Tragically, it meant sacrificing himself, which would ensure that the games would go on unimpeded forever.

The grand prize at the end of this set of games was 4.56 billion won, which would be about $3 million in U.S. dollars.

Myung-gi, however, did not hesitate before accepting his own child’s death. Despite spending much of the season insisting that he deserved to be involved in the baby’s life, his greed drove him before all else. He constantly begged Jun-hee to split her share of the prize money, which hinted at his eventual horrific decision.

This metaphor was explicitly about climate change, pollution, and other efforts that are harming future generations. While audiences may not identify with Myung-gi’s coldness to his own child, every piece of litter indicates that he is somewhat representative. Squid Game does not allow audiences to end the show without thorough introspection.

Our Take On Myung-gi’s Decision

It Is The Perfect Metaphor

Image via Netflix

The baby’s existence was a brilliant metaphor for humanity’s treatment of future generations. While Gi-hun and Jun-hee were the aspects of humanity that would sacrifice themselves for their children, Myung-gi is proof that there are major exceptions that can harm the next generation. Despite promises to protect the future, many people turn away when the opportunity presents itself.

Myung-gi with a bloodied face, staring ahead, in Squid Game season 3

Squid Game season 3 is filled with plot twists, but none are as shocking as what Player 333, Lee Myung-gi, decides to do in the final game.

If Squid Game season 3 was proof of anything, it is that humanity has the capacity for both great good and great evil. Gi-hun’s decision to sacrifice himself for someone else’s child was shocking but offered hope in the darkness of these games. Myung-gi’s choice, however, proved that not everyone has the capacity for good when greed is blinding them.

Source: Netflix