The Animated Series' Creator Unveils Alastor and Rosie's Origin Tale Is a Major Season 3 Tease
Devoted viewers of the series finally got a long-awaited origin story in the second season's fourth episode, titled “It's a Deal.” This episode will probably spark extensive conversation and raise numerous inquiries about the nature of a certain demonic Overlord who seems significantly stronger than anyone previously realized. The new revelations include a look into the human life of a beloved character prior to his demise and condemnation to Hell.
A Significant Hint for Future Seasons
The series creator shared a secret about the episode – it acts as a huge hint for the third season. Additionally, she offered more insight into the methodology of creating the mortal forms of her infernal animated characters.
Warning: Spoilers for episode 4 of Hazbin Hotel, season 2.
In “It’s a Deal”, a flashback reveals that fan-favorite character Alastor the Radio Demon was a mass murderer in his human life. Being aware he was headed to the underworld, he made contact with the afterlife beforehand to obtain a strong position there. Rosie, the charismatic leader Hell’s cannibal community, promised Alastor he would become “the strongest Sinner in Hell” in return for his eternal spirit.
This raises the question: How is this character powerful enough to elevate Alastor over all other Sinner Demons?
“The agreement between Rosie and Alastor is the initial building block in a much bigger story that involves a great deal, moving into season 3,” the showrunner states. “Obviously that is a perfect question: How is she so strong? The answer could be many things, but the revelation is in season three. I am thrilled for fans to see it.”
It is uncertain the duration viewers will have to wait for Hazbin Hotel’s next season. The studios have approved the third and fourth seasons, but the creator frequently remarks that animation is a time-consuming endeavor, and later seasons have no release dates yet. Still, she says holding off on those details is an important part of maintaining season 2’s focus where it belongs.
“The difficulty of any agreement with demons, or narratives that have enigmas, is providing people just enough information to be like, Something's up here, and then revealing that gradually, and allowing that be satisfying,” she says. “So I am quite eager.”
Questions Answered in The Next Season
The creator promises that the upcoming season will tackle the queries fans have been posing, like why the cannibal leader ordered Alastor to disappear for seven years, which weakened his power in the infernal realm.
“The entire seven-year span, and the deals these individuals are doing, and everything — it contributes to a larger story,” she says.
Meanwhile, the Rosie/Alastor backstory episode provides another glimpse into what the main characters of Sinner Demons looked like as humans, following after seeing Sir Pentious’ historical mortal appearance in episode 2. She explains that a lot of thought was put into these character designs.
“The mortal forms of the characters carry so much weight,” she notes. “They vary from appearing really different from their demon form to seeming very similar. With the first character, the initial design we see, there was some internal discussion within the team between going with a design that symbolizes the character, versus selecting an option that's historically correct. We opted for making something that just felt like it was him.”
She says the biggest debate over Pentious’ human design was his long hair: “We were like, ‘No one really had extended hair like that in Victorian-era London.’ But at the same time, we think the silhouette is so important, and we also just thought he appeared attractive. We were like, ‘This seems correct.’ We kind 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 create the mortal forms of these characters […] it's such a fun thing to investigate and determine. I'm excited for fans to view additional of what the human forms look like.”
Fresh installments of Hazbin Hotel season 2 are released on Wednesdays on the streaming service.
