If you made it to the end of the Squid Game season 2 finale, you might have been so stunned by the ending that you sat through the credits, frozen in shock. And in that case, you might have caught the end credits scene without realizing there even was one. (I was sure surprised.) As if the last episode wasn’t enough to process, the seconds-long sequence gives viewers even more to chew on ahead of the third and final season.
The quick scene shows a few players (numbered 096, 100, and 353) approaching Young-hee, the killer doll from the red light, green light game, from behind. But she’s not alone: another giant doll, a boy dressed in a hat and striped shirt, stands across from her. A stoplight flashes from red to green before the scene cuts out.
Without sharing too much, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk briefly explained this preview to Entertainment Weekly. That’s actually a [sneak peek] of Cheol-su, who, like Young-hee, is a new giant doll that we’re going to be showcasing in season 3,” he said. “And that’s also a hint at the most exciting game in season 3 as well. So, while it hasn’t been shared yet, I hope everyone will be excited to meet Cheol-su and the new game.”
Season 2 featured new games including mingle and a six-legged pentathlon, which had mini games like ddakji (where players flip red and blue tiles), spinning top, and gonggi (which is like jacks). It appears that next season, a game will involve not one but two killer dolls, meaning it could be twice as deadly as the others.
As EW points out, Hwang previously mentioned Cheol-su back in 2022 when he announced Squid Game’s season 2 renewal. At the time, he wrote to fans, “You’ll also be introduced to Young-hee’s boyfriend, Cheol-su.” So the end credits scene is not just a teaser, it’s also a hard launch.
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Not much else is known about Cheol-su (also spelled Cheolsoo), except that, like Young-hee, he is based on a character who appeared in Korean textbooks. Squid Game’s art director, Chae Kyoung-sun, explained the inspirations for the robot design back in 2021.
When asked which of the two robots kills more people, Hwang told Deadline in 2022, “Young-hee. She’s the killer.” He added with a laugh, “Cheol-su is only a sidekick.”
However, that was two years ago, when Hwang was “still writing” the script, so things could have changed since then.