Warning: This article includes SPOILERS for Squid Game season 3!
After Dae-ho defected from the rebellion at the end of season 2,Squid Gameseason 3 finally reveals the truth about him, and it’s as tragic as I imagined it would be. Netflix has released the final season of the Korean dystopianhorror TV show, and it’s packed with plenty of sad twists. While some twists, like a newborn baby winningSquid Game, weren’t very predictable, other reveals were glaringly obvious.
A prime example of the latter centers on theSquid Game season 2 and 3 characterDae-ho. The previous season ended with Gi-hun leading his rebellion against the pink soldiers, during which Dae-ho agreed to retrieve the extra magazines from the dorm but didn’t return. Because it ended on a cliffhanger, fans were left to guess about what was really going on with Dae-ho. Unfortunately, the truth was just as tragic as I imagined it to be.
Squid Game Season 3 Reveals Dae-ho Was Never In The Marines
Dae-ho Faked His Marine Background In Squid Game
Dae-ho was overly eager to label himself as someone who was in the Marines when he showed up in the games, seeming more like a child playing pretend than someone who had actually served. Then, when put into a tense situation at the end of Squid Game season 2, he didn’t react the way most people would expect out of a Marine. Had that been the only oddity, I could have written it off as possible PTSD from combat. However, he also didn’t even know how to hold or load a weapon.
This moment led most fans, including myself, to correctly guess that Dae-ho had never actually served in the Marines, a revelation that was confirmed during the Squid Game season 3 episode, “The Starry Night.” Gi-hun chose not to switch to the key so that he would have the opportunity to confront and kill Dae-ho for his betrayal. Ultimately, Dae-ho told Gi-hun the truth when he was cornered and begging for his life. When he saw that the truth didn’t matter to Gi-hun, he quickly shifted to blaming the leader of the rebellion for what happened.
Dae-ho’s Real Backstory In Squid Game Made His Death Even More Tragic
Dae-ho Desperately Wanted To Be Friends With Gi-hun & Jung-bae
When it comes to the contestants, all the deaths in Squid Game are tragic. I hate Player 100 and Player 044, but even the most unlikable jerks don’t deserve to be coerced into bargaining their lives just to survive late-stage capitalism. However, Dae-ho’s real backstory, revealed in Squid Game season 3, makes his death more tragic becausehe was killed by the person whom he most admired. He didn’t lie about being a marine to make himself look stronger or more competent. Instead, Dae-ho saw himself as a loser, and he desperately wanted to be friends with Gi-hun and Jung-bae. Sadly, the thing he thought would lead to friendship actually ended up causing his death.
To be clear, I’m not excusing stolen valor. He was absolutely wrong for lying and continuing his lie when it could threaten others' lives. That being said, he does get a minute amount of sympathy and pity because many people can probably relate to the desperation of wanting to fit in with people they look up to.
Although Squid Game season 3 explains Dae-ho’s lie, it never explains why he had a marine tattoo.
Was Dae-ho Really To Blame For What Happened During Gi-hun’s Rebellion?
Nobody Was To Blame For The Rebellion Failing
While it’s easy to blame Dae-ho for what happened during the rebellion, I don’t think any of the players were truly at fault for what happened. The likelihood of the rebels surviving, even with the extra magazines, was next to zero. They were bound to fail when a group of around 12 contestants with minimal gun training went up against hundreds of pink soldiers with machine gun experience.
The group of rebels seemed to recognize that they probably wouldn’t win, but they didn’t want to go down without a fight.
Realistically, Jung-bae and Hyun-ji were the only two with combat experience, and that probably wouldn’t have been enough to overtake the endless supply of pink soldiers. Even a third person handy with a weapon couldn’t tip the numbers in their favor, so Dae-ho’s lie didn’t necessarily impact the end result.
On top of that, the rebels faced a major disadvantage because the pink soldiers were more familiar with the building’s layout, and their leadership had access to the security systems. It wasn’t that the members of Gi-hun’s team were unaware of the odds of success. The group of rebels seemed to recognize that they probably wouldn’t win, but they didn’t want to go down without a fight. That being said, Gi-hun and Hyun-ju’s feelings of betrayal inSquid Gameseason 3 are completely understandable. As far as they’re concerned, all the rebels agreed to work together, but Dae-ho backed out. He’s an easy scapegoat in a very bleak situation.
