Who’s Controlling Alastor in ‘Hazbin Hotel’? There’s Only One Theory That Makes Sense

Season 1 of Hazbin Hotel has ended, but there are plenty of loose ends for season 2 to address. Like this one, for instance: who is Alastor’s boss? Who’s controlling everyone’s favorite Radio Demon?

This article contains major spoilers for Hazbin Hotel season 1!

To recap: in season 1, we learn that demons can sell their souls to each other for power or other perks. Valentino owns Angel Dust. Alastor owns Husk. And Alastor himself? Everyone knows he’s sold his soul to someone even more powerful than he is, but no one knows who that demon is.

In the final battle in the season 1 finale, Alastor casts a shield that protects Hazbin from Adam’s forces, but he’s forced to retreat when Adam overpowers him. As Charlie and the others are rebuilding the hotel after their victory, Alastor has a little nervous breakdown—with his smile still firmly in place, of course. He desperately wants to be free from whatever deal he made. He wonders out loud if it has a “backdoor:” a loophole he can exploit. But we still don’t find out who has him on a leash.

By the way, a quick note on that smile: Alastor explains to Charlie near the end of the season that she shouldn’t assume she knows what’s going on in his head just because he’s smiling. The constant smile seems like a simple power play, but what’s fascinating is that Alastor keeps smiling when he’s alone. He could be hyping himself up, refusing to drop the facade even when there’s no one around to see it. Or he could be smiling against his will. Could that be part of the deal he made?

Anyway, one major fan theory has emerged about who Alastor’s boss is, and unless it’s a red herring, it seems overwhelmingly likely.

Do we meet Alastor’s boss in the final scene of season 1?

At the end of the season finale, the angel Lute visits a woman sitting on a beach in Heaven. Now that Adam’s dead, Lute explains, which means that the woman’s deal is over. If the woman wants to stay in Heaven, she has to stop Charlie from successfully rehabilitating souls. Who is the woman? It’s Lilith, Charlie’s mom.

She has to be Alastor’s owner. Both Lilith and Alastor disappeared from Hell seven years before the events of the show began. No one knows where they’ve been, which is especially painful for Charlie, who misses her mom. Now, as soon as Charlie has a big project going, Alastor suddenly shows up and wants to help? Interesting.

In the pilot episode, which isn’t on Prime Video but can be found on Youtube, Alastor tells Charlie that he wants to help out with the hotel out of sheer boredom. By the end of season 1, though, he’s risking his life for Charlie and her friends. That seems like an extreme length to go to out of boredom, especially since Alastor’s ultimate goal is more power. It’s not at all clear that he actually considers Charlie and the rest of the Hazbin gang worth fighting for.

Plus, there’s that weird rivalry that Alastor has with Lucifer in episode 5, “Dad Beat Dad.” He taunts Lucifer by claiming that he’s a better father figure to Charlie than Lucifer is. That’s the sort of thing you do when you’re involved with a guy’s wife! Did Lilith send Alastor to protect Charlie because Lucifer hasn’t been measuring up as a father? Ouch.

If this theory is correct, and Lilith is the one who owns Alastor’s soul, then that leads to even more questions. Did Lilith abandon Charlie and her people for Heaven out of selfishness, or was she somehow forced to go there? Has she been in Heaven for the entire seven years? And where was Alastor during that time?

Season 2 had better give us some answers.

(featured image: Prime Video)