Hazbin Hotel's Sir Pentious (voiced by Alex Brightman) has a mysterious backstory that may have been solved in a new theory. The Prime Video animated series has finally returned for Season 2 on the streamer, bringing back the beloved denizens of the Hell-set rehabilitation hotel. Pentious was one of the first sinners attempting reform at Charlie Morningstar's hotel, but the reason behind his death always remained a mystery.
In Season 2, Episode 2 of Hazbin Hotel, titled "Storyteller," Sir Pentious, who has since moved on to Heaven (where Lilith also resides) after being redeemed in Season 1 through an act of self-sacrifice, is questioned by the angels about his life. The manner in which Pentious died and landed in Hell in the first place was never explained in Season 1, and it's a plot thread that this Season 2 episode sheds some light on.
During his interrogation, Sir Pentious reveals that his sin involved witnessing the murder of a woman in 1888 in London, seemingly at the hands of Jack the Ripper. Pentious notes that the killer went on to kill several more women, in a killing spree similar to that of the famed serial killer.
Pentious continued that he recognized the killer as one of his clients, but his sin was then doing nothing to turn them in, which resulted in several more murders. Pentious revealed he "carried that guilt to my grave, and I ended up in Hell."
While this story finally clears up the act that led Pentious to Hell, it raises some questions about his demonic form. In Hazbin Hotel's lore, sinners' forms are designed to reflect their manner of death and the sins they committed on Earth that landed them in Hell (such as Angel Dust's spider form).
In Pentious' case, he is depicted as a snake-human hybrid, with dozens of eyes imprinted on his body. When he is reformed and becomes a winner, Pentious remains with his snake-like form, but with a shifted color and many of the eyes on his body removed.
The eye part of Pentious' design now makes sense, given the reveal in Season 2, Episode 2, that he was a witness to a murder. This confirms that his greatest sin was to observe and do nothing. Lest, his sinner form has dozens of eyes that are always watching. When he was reformed by his self-sacrificial act, which saw him step in to help others, several eyes on his body closed, suggesting he had atoned for this sin. However, the snake's body still doesn't have a clear throughline to Pentious' backstory.
Hazbin Hotel's second season debuted on Amazon Prime Video with two episodes on October 29, with the remainder of the season arriving weekly. The series is created by Vivienne Medrano, and its voice cast includes Stephanie Beatriz, Erika Henningsen, Blake Roman, Amir Talai, and Keith David.
Hazbin Hotel Season 2 Explains Reveals How Pentious Died
While Pentious' sin may have been revealed in Season 2 of Hazbin Hotel, the exact manner of his death remains a mystery—and, according to several fan theories, this may be the key piece of information that led to Pentious' snake-sinner form.
Many fans on Reddit seem to think that Pentious' snake form is linked to betrayal, as this is often what snakes are associated with. It's possible that Pentious betrayed someone, which led to his death, or that his sin of not reporting the murderer betrayed those who died due to his inaction; hence, he is condemned to a literal snake form after being a snake in real life.
Another theory suggests that Pentious willingly drank snake poison, which killed him. This may have been an act of remorse from the sinner over the guilt he was feeling about the murders he'd witnessed.
Others think that Pentious's snake form is a more literal pun, perhaps linked to Pentious's being a snake oil salesman during his life, i.e., someone who sells fraudulent or worthless products. It's known that Pentious was an inventor in 1880s London, but whether his products were genuinely successful or falsely peddled could be linked to his becoming a snake in the afterlife.
As Hazbin Hotel Season 2 continues to explore the lore of its sinners (and winners), the real truth behind Pentious' form may be revealed in the coming episodes.
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