The Animated Series' Creator Unveils Rosie and Alastor's Origin Tale Is a Major Teaser for Season Three
Dedicated viewers of the series finally got a much-anticipated origin story in season 2's episode 4, titled “It's a Deal.” This installment is likely to prompt extensive conversation and raise numerous inquiries about the nature of a certain demonic Overlord who seems far more powerful than any character previously understood. The new revelations include a look into the mortal existence of a fan-favorite character prior to his demise and condemnation to Hell.
A Significant Hint for Upcoming Installments
The series creator shared a secret about “It's a Deal” – it serves as a huge hint for season 3. Additionally, she offered more insight into the methodology of creating the human versions of her demonic cartoon figures.
Spoiler alert for episode 4 of Hazbin Hotel, the show's second season.
In “It’s a Deal”, a flashback reveals that popular personality Alastor the Radio Demon was a serial killer in his mortal days. Being aware he was destined for Hell, he made contact with the realm beyond beforehand to secure a strong position in Hell. The charismatic leader, who leads Hell’s cannibal community, promised Alastor he would become “the most powerful Sinner in Hell” in exchange for his eternal spirit.
This raises the question: How is Rosie powerful enough to raise Alastor above every other Demonic Sinners?
“The agreement between Rosie and Alastor is the first stepping stone in a much bigger story that involves so much, leading into the third season,” the showrunner states. “Clearly that is a perfect question: How is she so strong? The solution might be various factors, but the answer is in season 3. I'm very excited for people to see it.”
It is uncertain the duration the audience will have to wait for Hazbin Hotel’s third season. The studios have green-lit seasons 3 and 4, but the showrunner often remarks that animation is a slow, lengthy process, and subsequent seasons have no release dates yet. Still, she says holding off on those details is a crucial aspect of maintaining season 2’s attention where it belongs.
“The difficulty of any agreement with demons, or narratives that have enigmas, is providing the audience just enough information to be like, Something's up here, and then unveiling that as we go, and letting that be gratifying,” she says. “So I am quite eager.”
Questions Answered in Season 3
The showrunner promises that season 3 will address the queries followers have been asking, such as why the cannibal leader ordered Alastor to vanish for seven years, which weakened his influence in Hell.
“The entire seven-year span, and the deals these individuals are making, and all that — it contributes to a bigger narrative,” she reveals.
Meanwhile, the Rosie/Alastor backstory episode provides a further look into what the core cast of Demonic Sinners appeared as as humans, following after viewing Sir Pentious’ historical human form in episode 2. The creator explains that significant consideration was put into these character designs.
“The mortal forms of the characters hold so much weight,” she notes. “They range from appearing really different from their infernal version to looking very similar. With Pentious, the first one we see, there was some internal discussion within the team between choosing a design that symbolizes the character, as opposed to selecting an option that's historically correct. We opted for making something that just seemed like it was him.”
She says the primary controversy over Pentious’ human design was his lengthy locks: “We were like, ‘No one typically had extended hair of that style in Victorian-era London.’ But simultaneously, we think the silhouette is so important, and we also just thought he looked good. We were like, ‘This seems correct.’ We sort of provided the rationale that he lived in seclusion, so he just let his hair grow out. So there is always a solution. As we create the human versions of these personas […] it's such a fun thing to investigate and figure out. I am looking forward for people to see more of what the human forms look like.”
New episodes of Hazbin Hotel the second season are released on Wednesdays on the streaming service.