Top 10 Brutal Deaths and Betrayals in Squid Game

Mi-nyeo can’t seem to find many allies, as she is constantly betrayed throughout the first season. She seemed to have a solid relationship with Deok-su, but he later betrays her during tug of war, believing that she is too weak for the game. And that’s when she finally snaps, and Mi-nyeo ultimately gets her revenge during the penultimate game, Stepping Stones. She wraps her arms tightly around Deok-su, leans back, and takes them both through a pane of glass to their deaths. It’s not a great way to go, but at least Mi-nyeo went out on her own terms while Deok-su went out screaming.

Acclaimed Korean actor Gong Yoo[a] briefly appeared in the first season as The Recruiter, challenging a downtrodden Gi-hun to a game of ddakji. To everyone’s surprise and enjoyment, he reappeared in the second season, this time challenging Gi-hun to a slightly more dangerous game. The two play Russian Roulette, with each empty click of the gun sending their hearts pounding. Gi-hun ultimately wins and goads The Recruiter into shooting him, knowing that there is only one shot left. But The Recruiter honorably accepts defeat and, valuing his principles, takes his own life.

One of the most interesting relationships of season two was between Min-su and Se-mi[b]. The latter acts as a good friend towards Min-su, offering up personal tidbits and warning him to stay away from Thanos and his gang. When Min-su asks Se-mi what draws her to him, she replies that he would never betray her. So anyway, he betrays her during Mingle, honoring Thanos’s request to play rock paper scissors and manipulating her kind gesture of help. It’s a brutal betrayal before a brutal death. Se-mi ultimately succumbs to the riot, being stabbed in the neck multiple times by a ferocious Nam-gyu.

Gi-hun hires Mr. Kim to find The Recruiter, which he ultimately does alongside Woo-seok[c]. And despite Gi-hun’s insistence, they confront The Recruiter. It does not go well. He captures them, ties them up, and forces them to play his new favorite game of Russian Roulette. The entire scene is enormously tense, with the music adding a wonderful degree of malice to the proceedings. Mr. Kim ultimately sacrifices himself and is subjected to a brutal yet honorable death. He cries in fear and resignation, his final moments on Earth being filled with abject terror. And then The Recruiter pulls the trigger.

The famous rapper was really asking for it. He had repeatedly confronted Myung-gi throughout the games, blaming the YouTuber for poor financial advice. Despite being physically outmatched, Myung-gi never backs down and never succumbs to Thanos’s pestering. In fact, he ultimately wins the skirmish by sending a fork through the rapper’s neck. Yep, the rapper confronts Myung-gi one last time in the bathroom and nearly chokes him to death, even going purple in the face like his Marvel role model. But it’s Myung-gi who comes out ahead thanks to his smuggled fork, and Thanos dies in a horribly brutal and bloody fashion.

It wasn’t exactly the most surprising plot twist, as many viewers guessed that Captain Park was the mole. But that doesn’t make his climactic betrayal any less painful. It’s unclear what Park’s relationship is with The Front Man, but it’s obvious that he’s preventing Jun-ho’s group from finding Squid Game Island. A mercenary catches Park tampering with a drone, and while he tries dismissing it, the merc doesn’t let it go and confronts Park. Bad mistake. Knowing that the jig is up, Park stabs the man multiple times before throwing him overboard. We can’t wait to see how this storyline plays out and how, if at all, Jun-ho uncovers the deception.

Both Gi-hun and Sae-byeok deduce the ruthless nature of Sang-woo, realizing that he will do anything to win. Gi-hun even contemplates killing Sang-woo before he can do the same to them, but Sae-byeok stops him, telling him that he is not a murderer. In a way, it’s a sacrifice. Gi-hun runs to get help for Sae-byeok’s wound, allowing Sang-woo to swoop in and kill her. Not only is it a brutal betrayal from a desperate man, but it’s a brutal death, with Sang-woo stabbing her in the jugular with a steak knife.

The killing of Sae-byeok, horrible though it is, pales in comparison to that of Ali. It helps that Sae-byeok knew that Sang-woo was coming after her, but Ali did not have that foresight. He thought that Sang-woo was his friend and teammate. He was wrong. Sang-woo convinces Ali that he has figured out a way to game the game and that both of them would make it out alive. Ecstatic, Ali allows Sang-woo to handle the marbles. But Sang-woo takes them for himself and tricks Ali, resulting in one of the worst betrayals in the show. That tear that rolls down Ali’s cheek gets us every time.

We knew it could never work out, but it really hurt when The Front Man made his move. He had been working alongside Gi-hun and his allies, having infiltrated the game to prevent the players from leaving and to commit a little psychological warfare. He even made Gi-hun believe that he was with him in the climactic uprising, but of course, his allegiance was always with the games. He kills the two players he is with, fakes his death over the walkie, and shoots Jung-bae while disguised in his Front Man outfit. When will Gi-hun stop trusting Player 001!?

The OG Player 001, Il-Nam committed the ultimate betrayal by creating the games and lying to everyone for his own sick amusement. Il-nam crafted quite a cute little bond with Gi-hun, and we cried buckets when he “died” in the marble game. So it hurts all the more when both we and Gi-hun learn that he was a bad guy all along. And not just a bad guy - the bad guy. The head honcho. He’s an entirely different person than he was as Player 001 - sick, twisted, malicious, and with a horribly pessimistic view on humanity. We cried over you, Il-nam, and you have hurt us in ways you couldn’t possibly imagine.

Which act or death left you shocked? Let us know in the comments below!

[b]say-mee / semmy / seh-mee
nahm-GYOO / kyoo
[c]woo-sock