#hazbin deep dive

[justakidicarus]

Alastor has something he fears.

With how modern media has been going, well written characters are harder to come by, so I am very pleased to see how Alastor is written in the season 1 finale of Hazbin Hotel. Admittedly I did not watch the episode in full, but two major scenes are what I want to talk about.

Adam vs Alastor, and what I want to call Alastor’s interlude (his verse in the final song).

During Alastor’s fight with Adam, Alastor has clear technical advantage, but Adam’s sheer firepower overpowers him. Everyone has probably seen the “What just happened?? … Fuck.” Moment. Now most writers would write another character coming in for a save, or in the context of Hazbin a regular sinner would keep fighting.

Alastor is not your average sinner.

He accepts his defeat and slinks away before Adam can land the finishing blow. This is actually a massive thing no one really talks about, the fact that instead of staying to fight Alastor acknowledged when he was bested and left to fight another day. He is a fucking smart guy but this moment, when he chooses to lose rather than die, is super important to his character, and becomes clear in Alastor’s interlude.

Alastor is terrified of dying.

And I really do mean terrified.

Throughout the song you can hear the emotion in his voice (holy shit did Amir Talai do a good job). His facial expressions are panicked, especially during the line “died for his friends” and the close up at “The constraints of my deal surely have a back door,” that line in particular really capturing the picture of panic and terror. When he first speaks of dying, he looks more angry, but the rest of the verse he just looks terrified. Even if he may be a sinner and thus, has already experienced death, it remains his greatest fear as evident by his reaction to nearly meeting it.

Which makes sense when you look at the context of his death.

Alastor was shot in the head while occupied with burying a body in a hunting reserve. A gunshot to the brain is a quick and near instant way to die, especially since he likely wasn’t aware of the hunter and gun. To him, he heard a loud bang and was suddenly in hell. He has never experienced death properly because he didn’t even have a moment to process that his time was up until he was in the afterlife. Even in the afterlife, as a sinner he can’t permanently die, the only way possible is being killed by angelic weapons.

Weapons like what Adam wields.

Most people believe that Alastor retreated when his staff broke because he couldn’t fight without it, but I actually believe it’s because he realised that Adam could actually kill him. For the first time in his entire life, and afterlife, Alastor was faced with the possibility that he would die. For good.

And he was terrified of it.

He fled not because he couldn’t continue to fight, but because he was scared of fighting Adam and running the suddenly very real risk of dying, but hiding it as best he could. This is obviously made easier by his constantly smiling mouth (which I don’t think he can stop doing if you look at the stitched from his deal with Charlie) but there are a few signs. He loses control of his power such as his left eye and shadow. His ears tilt back as he’s getting up, a sign of distress in animals, and when he first gets up he looks around alert despite knowing the threat is in front of him, classic prey animal behaviour. Not to mention there’s almost 10 seconds where he doesn’t get up and is just on the ground with his face obscured while Vox gives his declaration. These behaviours could be pain related, he does have internal and external bleeding from Adam’s attack after all, or it could be fear based. Still, his interlude leads me to believe it’s a mix instead of solely the former.

Finally his sudden dedication to finding a loophole in his deal with his unknown contractor (I’m hesitant to say Lilith but idk).

From what I can gather by his actions surrounding the hotel and his strange dedication to Charlie and the hotel’s wellbeing, I’m inclined the believe his deal centers around protecting Charlie and the hotel. A deal he now desperately wants out of. It’s no secret that Alastor hates being on a leash (Husker found that out the hard way) but how the fuck did he even end up on one in the first place if he hates it so much?

Simple, he didn’t see it as a bad idea at the time. That or he could have died without it but we don’t know that yet

If what he got in return was a good deal of power or something else he coveted, why wouldn’t he take the deal to play secret bodyguard and watcher for the princess of hell, one of the most well guarded people in hell, and her lofty idea that ultimately will fail and likely gain no traction at all? It’s practically free power.

And then Charlie starts pissing off all of heaven. And dragging her father and whole host of powerful and dangerous beings into her charade.

Now this is becoming a bad idea he can’t back out from.

And then he almost dies.

Why would the try to escape his deal? Alastor values his life above all else and his greatest fear that I think he now knows about, is the fear of death itself, a suddenly very real risk with the people Charlie, the person he’s forced to protect, is angering. Alastor wants out because of that sheer human thing that is the fear of death.

That’s why it’s such great writing.

Alastor is scared of death and that is what makes him human.

It’s a part of his character he can overcome or fall victim to, something that makes his character relatable and 3D rather than a distant mask. It’s something that makes him human, and that’s especially important in a character that was once just that.

No matter where Alastor’s character goes in the future, if he overcomes this fear and is somehow redeemed (plausible in the way the show is going), or if he is a villain for a future season brewing in the shadows, still driven by this fear that is so central to his actions (again, plausible with how the show is so far, he still had a villain moment after all even if it was a humanising one), Alastor’s character has actually gained so much depth, and all from one little scene sharing one shard of humanity he has left.

[glitzernglamour]

✧ THEORY: ON ABEL & ADAM'S FAVORITISM ✧

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This post contains confirmed canon information from Hazbin Hotel S1, as well as discussion of leaks & narrative implications that may hint at future plot developments. Proceed with caution if you’re avoiding spoilers or unreleased material. Please keep in mind this is all speculative <3

In a nutshell, here is what I’m arguing: Abel is not Adam’s biological son, & his existence reframes everything we understand about Adam’s legacy. If Abel came from Eve & Lucifer, then Adam’s claim to moral authority collapses. Sin came from his line.

It’s been confirmed that Abel was not Adam’s favorite son... that he’s nothing like him, he’s pleasant & ‘is his own rockstar’. In the leaked episode, we see that he’s also soft-spoken, polite, & generally more joyful. In contrast, Adam is a narcissist: vulgar, sexist, fanatical, disgusted by sinners, & fully willing to kill them for sport. He displays a restrained yet persistent fixation on punishment [ I say restrained because I don’t feel he’s as obsessed compared to Lute. ] He doesn’t merely fight sinners: he enjoys it, & he makes that clear to Charlie in S1E1 [ “And for those of us with divine ordainment, Extermination is entertainment!” ].

In the same [ leaked ] episode, Abel shows very little concern over his father’s death. He acknowledges it, makes a cross gesture, & says “Rest in Peace” during Sir Pentious’s trial, but… that’s about it. In contrast, Lute is visibly shaken & furious. Adam’s death is clearly destroying her both mentally & emotionally. When she snaps, “Adam never even fucking liked you!” Abel simply agrees, saying “I know 🥺” before quickly redirecting the conversation to Sir Pentious, showing more interest in how a sinner was redeemed than in processing the loss of his father. Later, he even joins in singing with Emily & Saint Peter during Sir Pentious’s introduction to Heaven, behaving as if nothing is wrong. This boy gives no care about his father's death [ in my opinion ]

It’s worth noting that Abel is formally named the new commander of the Exorcists [ effectively demoting Lute. A decision made by both Emily & Sera since he is seen as more fair, ] & he seems just a little smug when confirming this to her. [ There’s also a brief, strange smirk before he departs, which might support the circulating rumor that he’s “a little shit,” but more on that another time. ] Later, he casually asks for one of Adam’s guitars “to remember him by,” but the tone is so nonchalant, calm & even pleasant, like Adam’s death wasn’t something that affected him in the slightest. [ Lute screams at him to leave, which he does. She performs her song, & when she looks toward the door, she catches Abel watching who looks shocked, likely because, from his perspective, she’s destroyed Adam’s office like a crazy person while singing along with a hallucination. ]

Despite the fact that we don’t have the real Adam around [ seemingly, ] we can tell by Abel’s behavior & general attitude that their relationship was strained to some degree. There’s no grief, mourning or reverence. When he agrees that Adam never liked him, there’s no bitterness either. It feels like he accepted long ago that he was never truly wanted, & now that Adam’s gone, he’s simply moving on, maybe even relieved. He doesn’t carry Adam’s wrath, fire, or ideological rigidity. There’s irony in that: the new leader of the Exorcists doesn’t care about punishment or vengeance. When Sera asks how Heaven should respond to Hell, Abel says: “I don’t much like confrontation, so I don’t love the idea of going down for revenge or anything… buuut they did sorta kinda kill my dad a little bit so… maybe? I’m pretty okay with either option to be honest.” Lute’s hallucination of Adam reinforces the point: “I never liked that kid,” before calling Abel a “major pussy.”

One theory suggests that Abel is the product of Eve & Lucifer. There are religious texts & interpretations, particularly in some strands of Jewish mysticism & early Christian apocrypha, that suggest Eve slept with the serpent [ Satan ]. In some readings of the Zohar & Talmudic Midrashim, the serpent isn’t just a deceiver, he’s a sexual tempter, implying Cain [ or by extension, Abel ] may have been fathered by a corrupting, external force. Notice the ‘eating out gesture’ Lucifer makes when referencing Lilith… but when it comes to Eve, he switches to the other gesture & that’s when Adam gets really mad. Lucifer is often not given enough credit, in my opinion. Yes, he’s nicer, he’s trying to be a good father to Charlie, & he’s painted as good, kind, & “misunderstood”… but he’s still the literal devil. Fandom often prefers to uphold the previously established dynamic between him & Lilith [ that they’re like Morticia & Gomez, that he’s only ever fallen for her & wouldn’t cheat on her — which, he didn’t have to in order to sleep with Eve, but I digress... ] & that’s exactly why many dismiss the idea that he would ever sleep with Eve in the first place. But I don’t personally believe that gesture was truly random or simply a provocation for its own sake. Perhaps Lucifer is implying something Adam refuses to acknowledge. He hit a sore spot, & I don’t think he’s referring to the fruit.

Another popular theory is that Adam didn’t eat the fruit [ “I’ve never made a mistake in my fucking life!” ] But if that statement is just an attempt to paint himself as untouchable & unfallen, then his hatred of sinners may stem from personal failure. The first true sinner after Eve wasn’t an outsider; it was Cain, a child from his bloodline, & if Abel was indeed not his child, then Abel’s existence becomes more than a disappointment, it becomes a direct challenge to Adam’s authority over creation, legacy & spiritual purity. In that context, Adam doesn’t hate sinners simply because they defy Heaven; he hates them because they reflect his inability to enforce control. They remind him that sin began inside his own house.

Abel being Lucifer’s son reframes everything. Adam was never the sole architect of mankind, nor the moral gatekeeper he claims to be. The order he fought to preserve was already fractured. There’s a reason he calls Charlie & her group, “You ungrateful, disgusting, fucking LOSERS!” with such vitriol, such hate & disgust. That wasn’t just him lashing out in the moment; it was absolutely personal & full of genuine contempt. It also exposes a contradiction: if Adam truly despises sin, if his hatred for impurity is so absolute, then why would he favor Cain, the first true sinner after Eve, over Abel, who was pleasant, joyful, & seemingly harmless? Unless what truly enrages him is the fact that sin came from his bloodline, while that true / genuine goodness Abel possesses may have come from Lucifer, who he calls “the most hated in all of creation!” While mankind, which he furiously reminds everyone “came from these fucking nuts!” turned out disgusting, sinful, & imperfect.

Abel is the reminder that Adam may have been the beginning, but he was never meant to be the blueprint. Why did Adam reject him? Why would a man obsessed with purity favor a murderer over the brother who did nothing wrong? Why would he call Abel a coward, when he was the one murdered by a sinner? Maybe Adam didn’t reject Abel because he was weak. Maybe he rejected him because he wasn’t his. He claims dominion over all of humanity, yet speaks of it with nothing but contempt. Maybe he never had control. Maybe that’s why he’s so desperate to erase the reminder [ sinners, ] & why Exterminations are “fun” for him.

To recap: Abel is confirmed to be nothing like Adam — he’s calm, soft-spoken, pleasant & generally uninterested in punishment. He doesn’t inherit his father’s wrath or fixation on judgment. If Abel isn’t biologically Adam’s son, it implies that sin, violence, & control may be tied to Adam’s bloodline, while empathy, grace, & the capacity for redemption could stem from an outside force, potentially Lucifer. Maybe that’s part of why Adam never accepted him: not necessarily because he was weak, but because he was never his.

[glitzernglamour]

✧ THEORY: THE ROO SUBTERFUGE ✧

I originally shared a shorter version of this theory on Twitter, but I wanted to go more in-depth here — so let’s dive in! Please keep in mind this is all speculative & not intended as canon & be sure to check the tags, as this post contains both spoilers & leak discussion! <3

Before we begin, I want to clarify that this post assumes Rosie is Lilith. That’s not a theory I’ll be unpacking here since it has its own framework, evidence, & implications. Other posts can explain far better than I ever could. This post focuses on Lute, Roo, & the question of Eve’s identity & a bit on Charlie’s biological mother.

In a nutshell, here is what I’m arguing: Lute is the real Edenic Eve & Roo [ the embodiment of “Evil” we see in E1 alongside the embodiment of “Good”. I’m well aware that “Root Of All Evil” is a fandom-given name. I’m using the name “Roo” for simplicity’s sake ] has overwritten her, erased her, supplanted her in the story, & made herself the version of Eve that history remembers. Lute gets to disappear, have a chance at atoning for her sin & hide the truth, buried under millennia of false memory, remains protected… until Adam’s death, that is.

Let’s return to the Eden sequence in EP1. Contrary to what Charlie narrates later on, it isn’t both Lilith & Lucifer who offer the fruit — it’s only Lucifer. He’s the one holding it, standing directly in front of Eve. Lilith, meanwhile, remains off to the side: distant, silent, & notably uninvolved in the actual exchange. If you rewatch the clip, she doesn’t even move until Lucifer steps back toward her. Her distance feels purposeful, like she already knows something isn’t right. This may be our first visual clue that the “Eve” in this scene isn’t who we’re later told she is, & it may also suggest that Lilith herself recognizes what’s happening. It could be also be a setup or a trap, & Lilith refuses to participate. Whether this is out of defiance, planned, caution, or knowledge of what’s truly at stake, she knows something.

A brief commentary on Lucifer: He emerges from the tree in his serpent form — let me reiterate: not near it, but from it. That detail is easy to overlook, but it’s telling. Whatever connection he has to Roo, it’s there from the start. This could suggest he’s complicit, knowingly or not. Good & Evil existed as cosmic principles long before the Garden, long before Heaven itself. Charlie alludes to this: “... It was ruled by beings of Pure light, Angels that worshiped good & shielded all from evil.” If Roo predates Heaven itself, then even Lucifer wouldn’t be immune to her influence.

Let’s talk about the tree itself: In that same Eden sequence, the tree isn’t portrayed as a passive background. The roots are just beneath Eve’s form [ & a bit on Lucifer’s side as well. The roots do not touch Lilith ] It’s like the tree has selected her, it knows she will succumb, or the illustration itself is quietly revealing the truth to the viewer, even if the characters remain unaware. The fruits are also glowing red — which we all know, is a color heavily associated with Hell in Hazbin's universe, & of course, the “Evil” embodiment we see earlier. It visually ties the tree to something ominous. In fact, it could be argued that the fruit’s appearance deliberately mirrors the many stylized eyes we see throughout Hell; round, glowing, unblinking & always watching. The fruit doesn’t just invite Eve to sin, it’s actively watching her do it. This adds to the theory that the tree is Roo: a living, watchful entity embedded in Eden, already aligned with Hell long before its formal existence. Eve is already framed within its gaze, underneath the tree, above the roots.

This isn’t a metaphor. Roo is the tree — embedded in Eden, hiding in plain sight as the source of temptation & surveillance alike. She can’t simply corrupt anything from the outside. Heaven was preventing that; it can be assumed she needs a vessel, a bridge. That’s where Eve comes in; she is her way in. Lilith’s earlier distance makes more sense in this context: she knows Roo is present, & she chooses not to intervene. The moment Eve reaches out to take the fruit from Lucifer, it’s over, & the infection begins.

A popular theory is that Eve became Roo, that they are the same being. I disagree. I think Roo predates humanity, & that Eve was simply her first open door. Roo is far older than Eve, [ & even Lucifer. ] Eve didn’t transform into Roo; Roo entered through Eve. The Eve we see in the book, the one shown in Heaven’s iconography, the one Charlie remembers, that is not the real Eve [ as in, Lute. ] It’s Roo.

There are subtle clues supporting the idea that Lute is Eve. Jessica Vosk herself has indirectly confirmed this theory. She has also stated Lute plays a significant role in the overarching Heaven versus Hell arc, & that she has a sympathetic reason for hating sinners.

The reason? She introduced sin. She carries the weight of the original failure [ as suggested by the deleted tweet. ] Her obsessive loyalty to Adam, her constant need to atone, her extreme rigidity, it all fits with someone who blames herself for the fall of humanity. Lute is not just an overzealous Exorcist: she is a penitent architect of sin & that is why she overcorrects. Anything less than perfection might expose her for what she truly is.

According to the S2E2 leak, Sera deems Lute unfit to lead the Exorcist Army. She’s warned directly: if she continues with her plans, it will be considered treason. Lute is shown to emotionally break, hallucinating Adam in the process. On its own, this breakdown might suggest she’s losing control. However, if we take Jessica Vosk at her word, if Lute is truly a “mastermind” central to the arc, then this moment isn’t a complete collapse, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to plan anything. No, it can’t be... because Lute has an ace up her sleeve: she has Roo.

Think back to the end of S1: two details stand out. First, listen closely to how Lute says Lilith’s name. This person may not be Lilith at all. Second: everyone assumes the deal mentioned is between Lilith & Adam... but Adam couldn’t keep a secret to save his life. You’re telling me Adam had a deal with Lilith & never bragged about it — not even during the final battle, when Lucifer was taunting him about her? This is the same man who nearly exposed everything in public before Lute stopped him. The same man who blurted it out in court without hesitation. This is the man Lilith had a deal with? Sorry, I don’t buy it. I don't even believe he knew she was there. So... what if the deal was made between Lute & Lilith? Or perhaps even between Lilith & Heaven itself? One that reshaped the record, protected Roo’s presence, & more importantly, ensured the lie would stay intact.

Lute’s official playbill bio is classified — a detail unique to her among all the main cast. That alone should raise questions. Why redact a backstory unless it hides something foundational? Jessica Vosk mentioned in an interview that Lute’s role is “slowly being set up” & will “pay off in a huge way” in S2. She describes Lute as a mastermind, someone who plays a key role in the conflict between Heaven & Hell.

A supposed 4chan leak once described Roo as a parasitic force that lives inside Eve’s body, feeding off her rage & grief. While I don’t take leaks as canon, it aligns eerily well with what the show hints at. Roo feeds off what was lost — off Lute’s guilt, her betrayal, her self-erasure & that helps explain why Lute is so focused on Charlie. In E1, she immediately tells “Lilith” to control her brat, saying she’s threatening the very foundation of Heaven. Why does Charlie matter to her that much? She’s not going after Niffty, Alastor or even Vaggie. Why would redemption be a threat — unless it risks exposing something? If the system breaks open, the lie collapses. Roo is revealed. & Lute loses the only version of herself she has left, the version she has worked so hard to maintain. In the leaked episode, when Emily tells Lute redemption is possible, Lute looks at her slowly with bloodshot eyes & warns her: “Don’t you dare.” This is not meaningless.

In that same leaked episode, Lute isn’t just angry; she’s panicked, even seemingly afraid. Her opposition to redemption is bordering on desperation. Even when confronted with evidence that it’s possible, in front of her, she rejects it outright. At one point, she pleads with the Speaker: “Your Majesty, please! I cannot hold my tongue when I have seen firsthand the destruction demons have caused us. The threat they pose. I have lost so much. I have endured! I am willing to give my life for Heaven, to stop those filthy. Fucking. Monsters!” It's as if the very concept of redemption threatens to unravel something she can’t afford to face.

A quick note regarding Charlie’s Mother: The shadowy “Lilith” seen on the card, in Heaven, & in the Eden flashback. Her face is always obscured. In my opinion [ again ] this is Roo, maintaining her false position in the narrative by appearing wherever Eve or Lilith should be. This has always been too obvious & early for me. The show wants you to connect this mysterious woman to the Eve figure in Charlie’s book. The implication is too clean & almost heavy-handed; it’s a red herring. That’s why I think it’s intentional misdirection. If the show was trying to keep Lilith’s identity hidden, it wouldn’t have put the shadow woman in such an obvious visual parallel to Eve. They want you to look at her & assume she's Eve. Some people argue that the Lilith figure Charlie remembers is just a child’s misremembered version of events. That she hasn't seen her mother in seven years, & the figure is more emotional than accurate. I don’t buy that.

I personally think Roo is Charlie’s biological mother & I think Rosie [ the real Lilith ] left Lucifer because of a core ideological difference: Lilith empowers sinners. She aligns with them. If we’re to take Vox’s words in one of the leaks reflect this: “With her song, she rallied sinners of Hell to attack Heaven in an effort to liberate us. But before she could wage war, she disappeared.” Lucifer, on the other hand, arguably supports the Exterminations. He sees free will as a mistake. Perhaps their separation was due to a fundamental philosophical divide. I believe Lilith left because she could no longer endorse what Heaven had become, nor could she stand by & support what Lucifer was actively upholding.

There’s also a theological reason Roo might be Charlie’s mother. In demonology, Lilith is often described as barren, unable to carry children, or doomed to have them die. Charlie, meanwhile, shares more visual traits with Roo than with Rosie. Her arm color, facial features, & makeup align with the shadow figure. Even her Zoophobia design supports this; there are physical echoes of Roo, not Rosie. She wasn’t just raised in a lie; she was born into one & perhaps everyone benefits from that lie. It lets them pretend that everything is stable, that Eve was never erased, that sin entered the world through a single fall instead of a centuries-long manipulation,

To recap: Lute is the real Eve. Roo replaced her through subterfuge, rewrote the story, & now exists in memory as the Eve everyone believes in. That’s why the Eve figure in Charlie's storybook matches the shadowy figure in Heaven. Charlie believes the mother in her memories is Lilith, but that figure may be someone else entirely. Lute allows this deception, this agreement to continue because revealing Roo would also reveal herself. It would expose her identity, her failure, & the sin she’s tried so hard to atone for. If the lie breaks, Lute loses her place beside Adam, her standing in Heaven, & the one identity she has left.