Content Warning: This article contains plot spoilers for the Netflix show Hellbound.
Thanks to its intriguing plot that raises more questions than answers towards its gripping finale, Netflix’s Hellbound has prompted some theories from fans on Reddit. Some of these theories are wild but surprisingly plausible, with the best ones explaining some of the most perplexing aspects of the show.
From the demonic creatures’ origins to baby Toughie’s secret mission, there are a lot of fascinating fan theories that try to make sense of Hellbound’s supernatural elements. As viewers eagerly wait for announcements about a potential second season, it’s the best time to look back at some of the best fan theories about the series so far.
Baby Toughie Is A Time Traveler
It looks like Hellbound might be a time travel K-drama, if fans believe RideAmazing1569’s interesting theory. They believe that Hee-jeong will grow up to become part of the “people who created the system” of demonic creatures who go “back in time” to kill people “via decree and demonstration.” Baby Toughie’s fate is intertwined with the detective’s daughter, as the child will eventually dedicate “its life to ending the system.”
It’s a dizzying possibility that could explain where the terrifying monsters are coming from and provides a clear motivation for Hee-jeong. This would necessitate quite a big time jump in the show if creators want to explain the concept fully in season 2.
The Monsters Represent Death
The Redditor ikeyama has a dark and bold assumption about the true nature of the demons on the show, saying that they are not “just a metaphor,” “accident” or “disaster.” The thinks they’re a “representation of death,” pointing out that their appearance “is arbitrary and without reason.” They go on to compare it with how “innocent children die of cancer” and “bystanders die in war.”
It’s an interesting take on what the creatures are, but still begs the question about why there’s suddenly a representation of death in the first place. The examples they give to explain death’s arbitrariness actually have direct causes, like cancer and war – that same root cause is what’s missing in the show.
Victims Return After Five Years
Hellbound has a time jump that takes viewers from 2022 to 2027, which is significant for duh_hana, as they purport that “people just return after 5 years.” They use Jeong-ja’s demonstration and return in the finale as an example of this, further explaining how the demons “leave the rest” of the victims’ bones “on purpose because” they’re “going to resurrect eventually.”
It’s certainly not too far-fetched to think that Jeong-ja and other characters who received decrees all go somewhere before coming back to their bodies. However, viewers may recall that she’s not the first person to experience the demonstration, as it’s the scared man in the coffee shop who faces the demons first. Could he have returned before Jeong-ja as well?
The Victims Are Aliens Disguised As Humans
There are a ton of heartbreaking plot twists on Hellbound, and the TheSnowGirl thinks there might be a strange one coming up soon. They remind other Redditors about how the police “said the first victim was not human” and asks if that could “explain why Park Jeong-ja rose from the dead.” The Redditor expounds how those who receive the decree are “probably aliens disguised as humans” and the monsters “are like bounty hunters.”
It would definitely be a shocking twist if this theory is ever proven to be true, as it could open up a world of possibilities for the show. The series could be a sci-fi hit in the making, especially if Hulk-like aliens and extraterrestrial humanoid creatures are involved.
There’s One Person Behind It
All the antagonists on the show so far have come from cult-like organizations formed because of the violent killings, but Megido_Thanatos has a theory about the big baddie behind the decrees and demonstrations themselves. They say that “there will be a guy behind it all,” a mastermind responsible for the heinous acts. The Redditor duh_hana can’t help but agree, predicting how the villain will “have a tragic back story that made them want to change the world.”
With impressive and complex antagonists like Deacon Yu-ji and Chairman Jin-soo, it’s exciting to think about the possibility of an even more dangerous person pulling the strings behind the scenes. They would have to be smart and strong enough to go against the brilliant Hye-jin and her determined team at Sodo.
Hell Is Squid Game
The Redditor Squid Game, describing it as a “crossover” between the two shows. This is in response to dragonskulljj’s explanation about how “Hell is some sort of a game and the sole survivor returns back to earth.”
There would probably be some remarkable games in Hellbound’s version of Squid Game if it really does exist. There’s no telling what kind of horrors Jeong-ja had to experience during her disappearance – she might have even met Gi-hun and Sang-woo on the other side.
Decrees Are Meant For Future Wrongdoers
Jin-soo’s shocking revelation about the randomness of the decrees has eaj23 wondering if they’re really that arbitrary. They give the example of the “online streamer,” Dong-wook, who “stabbed someone to death before getting killed by the monsters” and Jin-soo’s similar murderous action before his own death. They believe the creatures appear because “they know” that their targets are “going to commit something bad.”
This would mean that whoever controls them or even the demons themselves can predict the future, which could lead to a messy paradox. The murders the Redditor mentions are all direct results of the decrees themselves and they likely never would have happened otherwise, but this could also just reinforce the fact that the demons are malevolent beings who enjoy tormenting humans.
Random People Receive The Decree
The Redditor BlaReni has a pessimistic view of Hellbound’s world, stating that it has become such a horrible place and implying that the demonstrations are a form of punishment. They theorize that the demons “appeared and randomly selected people,” with only So-hyun and Young-jae’s sacrifice breaking the cycle. By showing “the ultimate sacrifice,” they correct something in the system – “two lives taken, two lives back.”
It’s puzzling to think about how Jeong-ja and baby Toughie’s lives may be the tradeoff for the parents’ deaths. This could be the key to understanding what the mysterious beings want from the world, as it’s apparently not enough for everyone to follow The New Truth’s doctrines about being righteous. The possibility that their loved ones could come back could also motivate other victims’ families to attempt some wild things in future episodes – fans will just have to wait and see exactly how that might play out.