Hazbin Hotel's Showrunner Reveals Alastor and Rosie's Backstory Is a Major Teaser for Season Three
Devoted fans of the show finally got a much-anticipated origin story in season 2's fourth episode, titled “It's a Deal.” This episode will probably spark a lot of discussion and pose numerous inquiries about the essence of a certain demonic Overlord who appears significantly stronger than any character previously understood. These fresh disclosures feature a glimpse into the human life of a fan-favorite character prior to his death and sentence to the underworld.
A Significant Hint for Upcoming Installments
The show's creator disclosed an inside detail about the episode – it serves as a major tease for season 3. Additionally, she provided more insight into the process of designing the human versions of her demonic cartoon figures.
Warning: Spoilers for episode 4 of Hazbin Hotel, the show's second season.
In “It’s a Deal”, a flashback discloses that fan-favorite personality Alastor, the Radio Demon was a serial killer in his human life. Knowing full well he was destined for Hell, he made contact with the realm beyond beforehand to obtain a powerful role there. Rosie, the charismatic leader Hell’s cannibal community, promised Alastor he would become “the most powerful Condemned Soul in Hell” in exchange for his soul.
This prompts the question: How is this character powerful enough to elevate Alastor above every other Sinner Demons?
“The Rosie and Alastor deal is the initial building block in a larger narrative that involves a great deal, leading into season 3,” the showrunner states. “Obviously 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 viewers will have to wait for Hazbin Hotel’s third season. The production companies have approved the third and fourth seasons, but the showrunner frequently notes that animated production is a slow, lengthy process, and subsequent seasons are undated. Still, she states holding off on specific information is a crucial aspect of keeping the second season's focus where it belongs.
“The difficulty of any kind of deal with demons, or stories that have enigmas, is giving people sufficient clues to be like, Something's up here, and then revealing that as we go, and letting that be gratifying,” she says. “So I am quite eager.”
Mysteries Resolved in Season 3
The showrunner promises that season 3 will address the queries fans have been asking, such as why Rosie commanded Alastor to disappear for a seven-year period, which diminished his influence in Hell.
“The whole seven years, and the deals these individuals are doing, and all that — it's feeding into a larger story,” she says.
In the meantime, the Rosie/Alastor backstory episode offers another glimpse into what the main characters of Demonic Sinners appeared as as mortals, following after viewing another character's historical mortal appearance in the second episode. She explains that a lot of thought was put into the visual creation of these forms.
“The human versions of the characters hold so much weight,” she notes. “They vary from appearing quite distinct from their infernal version to looking almost identical. With Pentious, the first one we see, there was some internal discussion within the team between choosing something that represents the character, versus selecting something that's very time-period accurate. We opted for creating something that just seemed like it was him.”
She mentions the biggest debate over the mortal look of Pentious was his lengthy locks: “We were like, ‘Nobody really had extended hair like that in Victorian-era London.’ But simultaneously, we believe the silhouette is so important, and we also just felt he looked good. We were like, ‘This just feels right.’ We sort of provided the rationale that he's a hermit, so he just allowed his hair to lengthen. So there is always a solution. As we design the human versions of these personas […] it's such a fun thing to investigate and figure out. I'm excited for fans to view additional of the appearances of the human versions.”
Fresh installments of Hazbin Hotel the second season drop on Wednesdays on the streaming service.
