Hellbound Angels Demons And Decrees Explained

Hellbound: Angels, Demons, And Decrees Explained

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Hellbound offers no clear-cut explanations regarding its supernatural beings and events. But some elements in the show could provide more clues.

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Hellbound Angels Demons And Decrees Explained

Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for Hellbound.

Hellbound’s supernatural events are at the center of the political and religious turmoil in the series’ bleak universe. Created by Train to Busan and Peninsula director Yeon Sang-ho, Hellbound is about modern society’s reactions to and interpretations of these unexplained supernatural decrees. These events are the primary driving force of Hellbound’s main characters and factions.

The New Truth Society, founded on the doctrines of the charismatic Chairman Jung Jin-soo (Yoo Ah-In), sees the supernatural beings that announce decrees as angels of God, and the beings that enact the said decrees as demons. Moreover, The New Truth Society teaches that only sinners get decrees, and that the only way to avoid becoming hell-bound is to stay righteous. However, as Professor Hyeong-jun (Lim Hyung-Guk) explains, the executions aren’t based on any previous actions of the hell-bound, or even on any patterns at all, as the data shows that they happen randomly.

Hellbound doesn’t reveal much else about the unstoppable gray “demons,” who are the same size and shape as MCU’s The Hulk, and why they’re executing seemingly random people. There are also no concrete explanations for the “angels” that appear as giant floating faces and tell people the exact date and time that they’re bound for Hell. Meanwhile, Hellbound creator Yeon Sang-ho’s webtoon, on which the series is based, ends in much the same way as Hellbound season 1’s finale, which means that it also doesn’t reveal anything else about these beings. Hellbound season 2, if and when it’s released by Netflix, could potentially provide more real answers. For now, here are some possible explanations for the true nature of Hellbound’s angels, demons, and decrees.

Korean Mythology In Hellbound According To Chairman Jung Jin-soo

Hellbound Angels Demons And Decrees Explained

Similar to Viking mythology and folklore, Korean mythology also involves heavenly dogs that are large and powerful enough to chase and take bites off of visible celestial bodies, in accordance with godly prophecies. Known as Bul-gae, the existence of these beasts is how the ancient world explained the occurrence of eclipses, which are seen as signs of God’s wrath. Chairman Jung Jin-soo references these mythical beasts while speaking with detective Jin Kyung-hun (Yang Ik-Joon), recalling how hunters would try to go after the beasts, in defiance of God. When detective Kyung-hun explains that they’re investigating the decrees as criminal death threats, Jin-soo compares the detectives to the hunters of the Bul-gae, whose attempts to prevent the eclipse and defy God are ultimately futile.

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On the one hand, it can be argued that this particular bit of Korean mythology was just added to show that Jung Jin-soo, the most important main character in Hellbound, is a well-educated cult leader. On the other hand, it’s also possible that Hellbound director Yeon Sang-ho deliberately dropped this bit of folklore as a clue to the true nature of the supernatural beings. While the “demons” in Hellbound aren’t shaped like dogs, they do have a beastly profile, and the beings that precede them also seem to be celestial in nature. More importantly, as Chairman Jin-soo points out, much like the heavenly beasts that cause eclipses in the ancient world, Hellbound’s demons cannot be stopped.

Baby Toughie Proves That Hellbound’s Decrees Can At Least Be Defied

Hellbound Angels Demons And Decrees Explained

Hellbound’s supernatural factors get even more complicated in the finale, as Song So-hyun (Won Jin-ah) and Bae Young-jae (Park Jung-Min) successfully save their newborn baby Toughie’s life by shielding it from the demons. Apart from the fact that Toughie’s decree itself proves that not only sinners are hell-bound, Toughie’s foiled execution during the Hellbound season 1 finale is also the first time for a decree to be passed onto others. Although this costs So-hyun and Young-jae their lives, as they were burned by the demons instead of Toughie, it also shows that the decrees can be defied through self-sacrifice. This directly contradicts the teachings of The New Truth Society, which preaches that God’s decrees are ineffable and final.

On the other hand, the cult’s committee could also elect to interpret this development as God giving sinners another chance by providing them with an opportunity to sacrifice themselves for others. In Christian mythology, on which The New Truth Society’s doctrines are based, God’s decrees of death can and have been defied by mortals. The Christian God is also known to reward those willing to sacrifice themselves for His plans. Although baby Toughie’s fate effectively refutes The New Truth Society’s previous claims, it does have biblical connotations. In short, Chairman Jung Jin-soo’s well-crafted lies about the supernatural creatures being angels and demons might just end up being completely real in Hellbound season 2.

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Park Jeong-Ja’s Fiery Resurrection Echoes The Myth Of The Phoenix

Hellbound Angels Demons And Decrees Explained

Park Jeong-ja’s (Kim Shin-Rock) resurrection during the final scene of Hellbound season 1 indicates that the executions aren’t always final. Curiously, while the flames that surround Jeong-ja during her resurrection can be interpreted as hellfire, the scene also echoes the myth of the Phoenix from ancient Egyptian mythology. Greek historian Herodotus was the first to write about the Egyptian Phoenix, explaining how it dies and experiences cycles upon cycles of rebirth in flames. Since the discovery of Herodotus’ writings, the Phoenix has been a recurring element in literature and entertainment, whenever a metaphor for rebirth is needed, as seen in the Harry Potter movies and Marvel’s X-Men. Moreover, Jeong-ja’s fiery Phoenix-like rebirth also implies that others who were hell-bound could return as well. And if Jing-soo was similarly resurrected from the flames like Jeong-ja, this could add another layer to the messianic figure, as Jeong-ja could use the myth of the Phoenix to either return as The New Truth Society’s true leader, or possibly even to form an entirely new cult with new doctrines.

The Uncertainty Surrounding The Supernatural Events Is The Point Of Hellbound

From a narrative standpoint, it’s important for the origins of the supernatural creatures to remain unexplained in Hellbound season 1. While the supernatural factors are the story’s hook, Hellbound is really about how humans choose to react to these unexplained events. Hellbound even uses a time jump to fully illustrate how a small niche cult can quickly evolve into a full-blown proto-fascist religious institution. As the mystery surrounding Hellbound’s supernatural events is crucial to the series’ core message, fans might need to wait a bit longer until the true origins of these “angels” and “demons” are fully revealed.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/hellbound-angels-demons-decrees-origins-explained-netflix/

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