The creator of ‘The Squid Game’ says this Marvel character would win it all

the director of “The squid game” has sparked a fun crossover debate by revealing which Marvel character he thinks would emerge victorious in the deadly competition.

The hit Netflix show centers on 456 financially desperate contestants who are lured into a mysterious competition with the promise of winning ₩45.6 billion (approximately $38 million). The trick? They must participate in a series of deadly children’s games where losing means death.

As the series prepares for the release of its second season, director Hwang Dong-hyuk reveals which famous figure he thinks would do well in the deadly competition.

Hwang Dong-hyuk has made his bet: Tony Stark would be his choice to win a “Squid Game” competition.

Speaking at the Netflix season 2 premiere event in Los Angeles on Thursday, December 12, the director of the hit series shared with PEOPLE Magazine which iconic figure he thinks could thrive in the show’s deadly, high-stakes games.

“Iron Man, without the suit,” Hwang explained, referring to Tony Stark, the iconic hero played by Robert Downey Jr. in Marvel’s Infinity Saga.

The first season of “Squid Game” focused on Seong Gi-hun, played by Lee Jung-jae, as he fought to survive and win a brutal competition that featured deadly twists on children’s games. Season 1 challenges included tug of war, marbles, hopscotch, honeycomb carving, and the infamous red light, green light.

According to creator Hwang, season 2 will feature a new set of games that will offer new twists to keep viewers on edge. “There were a few (games) left on the list of games I had thought about for Season 1,” he said. PEOPLE. “So, at least for Season 2, it wasn’t that difficult to create new games.”

“Three years after winning ‘The Squid Game,’ Player 456 stopped going to the United States and returns with a new resolution in mind,” Netflix said of the second season. “Gi-hun once again immerses himself in the mysterious game of survival and begins another game of life and death with new participants gathered to win the prize of 45.6 billion won.”

Lee Jung-jae also spoke with PEOPLE Magazine about the excitement surrounding the long-awaited second season of Squid Game. Reflecting on his experience, Lee shared that “the new games” were his favorite part of filming and hinted that fans have a lot to look forward to.

“So I can assure you that even more surprises await you, because there are games within games, and I call them psychological warfare,” he told the outlet. “We have a lot of them in season 1. So one moment they will be enemies, the two will be enemies, and the next moment they will be friends. “So you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

He added: “There are so many twists and turns that you are in for a big surprise.

“Because I created season 1 without thinking much about making the second season, when it was decided that we would make season 2, the pressure was really immense,” said director Hwang. IndieWire. “I was thinking: Will I really be able to do it? Will I be able to create or write something that surpasses season 1?”

“But once I started writing, and once I got into the story of Gi-hun (Lee Jung-Jae) returning to the games for his own reasons, it was actually a lot better than I thought,” he continued. “I was able to create a story that I felt was more intriguing, create more interesting characters, and also create more original and intriguing games.”

Released in September 2021, “Squid Game” became a global sensation after being recorded in Korean and translated into 31 languages.

The series won six Emmy Awards, including honors for lead actor, directing, production design, guest actress, special visual effects and stunts. Within weeks of its debut, it became Netflix’s most-watched series and made history as the first Korean and foreign-language show to receive a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nomination.

Capitalizing on its unprecedented success, Netflix launched a reality competition series inspired by the drama, which premiered in November 2023.