Hazbin Hotel (and actually, all of creator Vivienne Medrano’s Hellaverse) is a strong example of Latinx folks using the occult to understand ourselves and our work. For us, stories about demons, Hell, and fallen angels are not just valid forms of entertainment but also a way in which we question and challenge the status quo. This Latina-created show reimagines the same biblical stories I grew up hearing (and fearing) in a fun and naughty way, with biblically accurate angels. I’m in.

For those who need it, here’s a quick recap.

Hazbin Hotel is an animated musical comedy show. Think Broadway, but in a cartoon version – in fact, it just had its Broadway debut earlier this month at a one-time-only event at the historic Majestic Theater. It was created by Salvadoran-American cartoonist, illustrator, and writer Vivienne “VivziePop” Medrano and features other Latinas like Stephanie Beatriz. The show revolves around Charlie Morningstar, the princess of Hell, and her quest to create a place that rehabilitates sinners and offers an alternative to Heaven’s very violent solution for the current overpopulation of Hell: a yearly extermination.

Yes, that’s as bad as it sounds. Once a year, Heaven’s army descends upon Hell to eliminate random souls. The rationale is that sinners can’t be redeemed, and even if they could, they wouldn’t be interested in it anyway… They are in Hell for a reason, after all. However, as the season progresses, we start to realize that “good” and “evil” are not black and white. Some angels behave like sinners, just with no repercussions for their bloodthirsty actions. And the angels think they’re untouchable, since they’re on Heaven’s side and all.

While the show is now produced by Amazon-MGM in collaboration with A24, Medrano funded her original version of Hazbin Hotel on Patreon back in 2014. Its pilot episode was released on YouTube on October 28, 2019 and made entirely by freelance animators. It wasn’t until January 2024 that Hellaverse fans finally got a full season of Hazbin Hotel, when it debuted on Prime Video and became the largest global debut for a new animated series in the streamer’s history.

Hazbin Hotel season 2 opens up with the amazing realization that Charlie’s theory is right: souls can, in fact, be redeemed. Early on in the first episode, we find out one of Charlie’s friends and former Hotel resident Sir Pentious wakes up in Heaven after selflessly sacrificing himself to save his love, Cherry Bomb, from an angel attack. This, of course, turns Heaven and Hell upside down.

The show explores and questions notions of what (and who) is “good” and “bad” – those in Hell aren’t just automatically bad, they’re characters with dimension and layers. Similarly, those in Heaven are also not “good,” despite what their all-white attire and halos might suggest.

Hazbin Hotel also encourages the viewer to question what the mainstream media is telling us. Vox is the perfect example of how mainstream and legacy media spin things to fit a narrative that serves those in power – and how oftentimes we really have no clue who “those in power” actually are. When the stories all point in one direction, it’s easy to assume that there is truth in numbers, when really, the angry, violent mobs are rarely the ones on the right side of things.

Running Hell’s media, the Vees show us exactly how easy it is to pick up a story, twist it, milk it, and discard it as soon as it no longer brings views, clicks, or traffic that can be converted into money. The bottom line? Don’t believe everything you read (or watch)! A healthy dose of doubt is always a good thing to keep around.

Vox may try to paint Charlie’s attempt at helping all the sinners, her loved ones, and herself as negative, but it’s really only a transgression against the status quo. And a reality in which he holds tremendous power. He’s attempting to establish himself as the true savior, even going as far as saying he’s trying to “Make Hell Great Again” (sound familiar?).

The second season of Medrano’s Hazbin Hotel shows us how dangerous it is when (potentially well-intentioned) people are manipulated to the point where they can’t see the facts in front of them. Talk about echoing our current problems.