WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 1 of All of Us Are Dead, streaming now on Netflix.
All of Us Are Dead‘s Episode 5 creates its own version of hybrid zombies when Gwi-Nam is seen rising from the dead, but not in a completely zombified state like all the others inflicted by the Jonas virus. Unfortunately for Cheong-San and his friends, Gwi-Nam’s transformation into a half-zombie, half-human allows him to come back with a relentless and haunting vengeance throughout the following episodes.
“Hambies,” as Dae-Su cheekily refers to them after discovering Nam-ra has become one, are a result of the Jonas virus further evolving and becoming something else entirely. The concept of virus evolution and hybrid zombies are nothing new to pop-culture media. Mr. X from Resident Evil 2 is a prime example of an undying villain that stalks the protagonists, but Gwi-Nam’s presence in All of Us Are Dead ups the terror by utilizing his deep and personal connections to the other students.
Unlike the Tyrants of Resident Evil and similar interpretations of hybrid zombies, Gwi-Nam isn’t a mindless bio-weapon that is simply following orders. Gwi-Nam is able to retain his sense of self despite being viciously mauled by a pack of zombies, and with that intact he is free to pursue his twisted goals with boosted confidence. The virus gives Gwi-Nam heightened strength, reflexes, and a healing factor that makes him nearly immortal. With these newfound powers he is able to mercilessly stalk and bully the other students through the subsequent episodes with taunting glee and malice.
His powers, however, are still second to his unyielding desire to kill Cheong-San, and that persistence is what makes him such a terrifying villain. Through this transformation Gwi-Nam is able to take his bullying tactics to a new level, thus causing Cheong-San and the others deeper dread whenever he appears. He was a consistent menace to the other students of Hyosan High prior to the outbreak, but at least during that time Cheong-San and his friends could ignore him and walk away. With immortality, a thirst for revenge, and the freedom to move among the undead, Gwi-Nam’s tormenting goes virtually unchecked from Episode 6 onward.
Sure, Cheong-San and others score some “wins” over Gwi-Nam throughout the latter half of the season, but unfortunately for the other students he just doesn’t quit. They literally throw him off a building on three separate occasions, but like Mr. X these attacks only stall Gwi-Nam temporarily. After the second fall, the other students come to understand this and from there Gwi-Nam’s lingering presence can be felt even when he isn’t on screen. They know that eventually he will catch up to them if they aren’t careful.
Despite the students’ best efforts, he does catch up to them again and again. To make matters worse, he even gets his revenge against Cheong-San — at least to a certain extent. During his final confrontation with the other students, Gwi-Nam bites Cheong-San’s arm and laughs manically at the other students while he does it. He then successfully gouges Cheong-San’s eye out after they briefly fight as punishment for taking his eye previously. While he doesn’t necessarily kill Cheong-San in the end, Gwi-Nam is still able to dominate him and strip him of his humanity.
This is what sets Gwi-Nam apart from similar zombified villains. He isn’t doing this to Cheong-San and the other students because he is being controlled or designed to. Gwi-Nam relentless tortures and attacks Cheong-San and the other students because, like a bully, he gets power and enjoyment from it. He is a person that almost all the other students have previous conflict with, and that elevates this monster to terrifying heights that even Mr. X and Nemesis cannot hope to achieve. Through Gwi-Nam, All of Us Are Dead creates a consistent sense of dread that is almost unparalleled.
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