Spoilers ahead for Squid Game season 3!
Im Si-Wan’s Lee Myung-gi, otherwise known as Player 333 emerged as one of the most notable players ofSquid Gameseason 2 and 3’s games, but he had to make some brutal decisions to survive until the final game.
The South Korean drama created by Hwang Dong-Hyuk returned in 2024 for its second installment, introducing audiences to Player 333 and a whole new cast of competitors partaking in deadly games to win a life-changing cash prize. The series saw thereturn of Lee Jung-Jae’s Gi-Hun, who hopes to end the games and prove humanity can be better.
Before the games,Myung-gi was a cryptocurrency trader who quickly became a fugitiveafter becoming infamous for endorsing a coin that proved to be a hoax, abandoning his partner, Kim Jun-hee (Jo Yu-ri). Myung-gi enters the games in hopes of clearing his debts, but then re-encounters Jun-hee and learns that she is pregnant with his child.
When he learns of these revelations, Myung-gi’s goals shift from competing for the money, as he instead chooses to play to ensure Jun-hee and his unborn child can live on in comfort after the Games, though tragedy pushes him to make dark choices.
9Kim Young-mi
Player 95
Kim Young-mi (Kim Si-eun) is thefirst player whose death Myung-gi is somewhat responsible for. In the penultimate round of “Mingle”, Young-mi trips before the door, while Hyun-Ju (Park Sung-hoon) attempts to save her.
Myung-gi prevents her from being rescued, closing the door on herand leaving her to be shot. While he did condemn her to this fate, Myung-gi was simply playing the game and didn’t personally end her life, as any other player would have.
8Park Hee-young & “Doll Eyes”
Player 235 & Player 411
As the games shifted to “Hide-and-Seek”, Myung-gi was forced to take on a more direct role in ending players' lives, as the game pitted blue and red teams against one another as the latter hunted down members of the former.
As part of this, he and Nam-gyu (Roh Jae-won) quickly dispatched and killed Park Hee-young (Park Jae-chul) and Player 411 (Han Sang-chul). Both blue team players were at least given quick deaths in this scenario, whileMyung-gi wasn’t alone, dividing the responsibilities with Nam-gyu.
7Unknown Blue Team Player
Player 447
However, later on in the very same game, there was a noticeable change in Myung-gi’s approach when he encountered Player 447 (Choi Byeong-rok). Once more, Myung-gi simply plays a part of the game by killing the Blue Team player, but here,he chooses to stab the poor player multiple times in the chest. This death shows Myung-gi’s gradual downfall into villainy, as he becomes more willing to do anything to survive.
6Lee Seung-won
Player 336
When the games moved onto their final event, the Sky Squid game, Myung-gi’s cunning and calculated side came into play, as he tried to navigate through the game to ensure his daughter and Gi-hun survived at the beginning.
To do so,he brandishes a pole from the center of the platform to take down several other playerswho attempt to take Gi-hunand the baby’s lives, including Lee Seung-won (Park Jin-woo). Seung-won is taken by surprise in this encounter, shocked as he was pushed to his death.
5Kim Yun-tae
Player 353
After showing his true plans, he is brought into conflict with fellow finalists Im Jeong-dae (Song Young-chang) and Kim Yun-tae (Lee Kyu-hoi). While he suffered the same fate as Seung-won, he managed to put up much more of a fight, forcing Myung-gi to be more violent in this encounter, kicking him over the edge while they grappled over a pole.
As such,Yun-tae’s death proved to be more violent, making it the more brutal execution when compared to Seung-wonas Myung-gi had to break him down before pushing him to his death.
4Im Jeong-dae
Player 100
Im Jeong-dae’s death stands out from the previous two treacherous competitors in “Sky Squid game”, as he forfeits his assault when he is cornered by Gi-hun, offering to surrender and vote to end the games alongside a 1.4 million bribe to the pair.
Instead, Myung-gi reveals that he is more interested in ending his fellow player’s lives to increase his share of the winnings, before pushing him over the edge.Jeong-dae’s death is brutal because there was a peaceful way out, butMyung-gi gave in to greedand indicated his priorities had changed.
3Park Min-su
Player 125
Myung-gi’s most damning kill in “Sky Squid game” was actually his first, as he condemmed Park Min-su (Lee David) to his death. Before entering the final round,he and Min-su at the very least had a positive connection, as Myung-gi stood up to Thanos (T.O.P) and his cohorts when they attempted to intimidate him.
As such, when Myung-gi finally does kill Thanos, he is rescued from their shared tormentor. However, come the final game, Myung-gi turns his sights on Min-su, seeing him as the perfect scapegoat to buy him, his child, and Gi-hun time as they work out a plan to navigate their way to the end.
While he was reluctant to kill Min-su,he points out that his drug withdrawal symptoms make him a liability, before being the one to push him to his death. Min-su’s death is brutal because, despite stating he didn’t want to, Myung-gi played on his supposed friend’s weakness.
Player 120
Image via Netflix
Myung-gi’s most brutal kill during “Hide and Seek” comes in the final round, as he takes the life of Cho Hyun-ju. As “Hide and Seek” began, Hyun-ju quicklyallied with Jun-Heeand Jang Geum-ja (Kang Ae-shil) to work together to survive, thanks to each holding keys to access any room.
Furthermore, she helped deliver Myung-gi and Jun-hee’s child during the ordeal, before finding an exit that could have allowed them all to live, had Myung-gi not intervened.
While she is spared a bloody and relentless attack like Player 477 received, she is instead stabbed in the back when she decides to try and rescue as many teammates as she can. Hyun-ju’s loss is brutal, not because of Myung-gi’s methods, but because she had the goal of preserving life, rather than taking it.
As such,Hyun-ju’s death is not only shocking because of her being killed in such an underhanded way, but because she was also trying to save Jun-hee and their child, adding a tragic note to Myung-gi being the one to end her.
1Thanos
Player 230
Despite becoming the main player with the highest body count of the season, Myung-gi’s first direct kill remains his first, Thanos. While the games brought them face-to-face,Thanos already had a score to settle with Myung-gi, as he was one of the victims of the “Dalmation” crypto scam that made Myung-gi infamous.
Myung-gi held no remorse for his part in Thanos' suffering, simply stating that he gave Thanos an appropriate warning beforehand in his videos.
While the pair traded barbs throughout season 2, things came to a head in the dormitory bathrooms after “Mingle”. As Thanos tries to convince Min-su to vote to continue the game, Myung-gi intervenes, leading to a fight after the rapper mocks Jun-hee, While Thanos almost chokes Myung-ni to death, thelatter ends his attacker’s life by plunging a fork into the rapper’s throat.
Thanos' death is sudden, but also drawn out,as he isn’t given an instantaneous death, but instead left to writhe and bleed. Even with Myung-gi’s remorse and shock in what could have been described as an act of self-defense, the build-up made the moment highly anticipated inSquid Gameseason 2. As such, Myung-ni’s first kill is the death that stands out most among his many victims.
Squid Game
Cast
Squid Game is a South Korean series released in 2021 that follows numerous financially struggling participants who are invited to partake in children’s games with deadly outcomes. As they compete, they vie for a substantial cash prize, all while navigating lethal challenges orchestrated by mysterious figures.
