Netflix’s 1992: The Flamethrower Killer’s Identity & Motivations Fully Explained

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Netflix’s 1992.

Netflix‘s 1992 waits till its final moments to reveal the Flamethrower killer’s true motives and identity, leaving viewers curious about why he carried out the brutal acts of violence. Unfolding as a well-rounded miniseries, Netflix’s 1992 keeps viewers on their toes with its gripping mysteries and investigative drama. Although 1992 does not do anything distinct to make itself stand out among other detective TV shows on Netflix, it manages to keep viewers hooked with its compelling character beats and performances.

One of the most intriguing characters in 1992 is an enigmatic criminal named the Flamethrower killer. For obvious reasons, his name stems from his modus operandi of killing as he uses a flamethrower to burn his victims to death. However, instead of randomly targeting innocents, the killer only focuses on a specific set of people, suggesting that he is driven by a strong sense of purpose and is seemingly murdering people to exact some form of revenge.

The Flamethrower Killer Is Revealed As Victor In 1992

Victor Plans To Kill Each Member Of The 1992 Expo Committee

1992 reveals that the Flamethrower killer is a middle-aged man named Victor who lives in isolation and meticulously plots his crimes. Victor sets his eyes on the committee members of the 1992 Expo in Seville and kills them one by one using a flamethrower. Since his modus operandi of killing his targets is very destructive, he also ends up murdering several innocents who come in his way. For instance, in the show’s opening arc, he kills Amparo’s husband while setting out to murder one of his main victims from the 1992 Expo’s committee.

Related

Cross Season 1: The Fanboy Killer’s Identity & Motivations Fully Explained

In its 8-episode runtime, Cross season 1 gradually unravels the tapestry of who the fanboy killer is and what he intends to achieve with his murders.

Even towards 1992‘s ending arc, the Flamethrower killer burns the Minister’s guards with his gun before entering his home to kill him. Victor has a distinct appearance because he has burns all over his body. This prevents him from blending in with the crowd. However, he still manages to disguise himself before sneaking into the locations where his victims are hiding. Moments before he kills his victims, he also wears the Expo’s Curro mascot’s head as a mask. The mask seems to be an important part of his ritual, which raises many questions about his past connections with the 1992 Expo.

Victor’s Backstory In 1992 Explained

Victor Had A Traumatic Childhood That Connected To The 1992 Expo

A flashback in the Spanish Netflix show reveals that, in 1992, Victor’s mother was a sex worker. She and two other women were invited to a party by the committee members of the Seville Expo. One of the committee members, Esteban, who later became the minister, accidentally killed her that night, leaving Victor with a lifelong trauma. Although Victor was initially clueless about his mother’s fate, he later found her body in the Expo’s pavilion moments before it was burned down by a security guard paid off by the committee members.

In a desperate attempt to save his mother’s body, Victor, too, severely burned himself. However, he somehow survived, and a cleaner, Rosa, became his caregiver. Although Victor gradually healed, he was left with severe burns all across his body. Despite having a traumatic childhood, Victor did not initially set out to avenge his mother’s death. He kept to himself for years until a fateful encounter with a man encouraged him to seek vengeance.

Why Victor Burns His Victim

He Hopes To Punish His Enemies The Same Way They Tormented Him

After almost getting burned to death as a child, Victor seemingly grows obsessed with fire. His destroyed nerve endings prevent him from feeling the heat of the fire, explaining why he places his palm over a flame in many scenes from 1992. Since both he and his mother were burned by the man hired by the committee members, he wishes to bring the same fiery pain and suffering to those responsible for their torment. By claiming control over the element that destroyed his life, Victor takes charge of his life and pushes further down a path of revenge against the people who harmed him.

How Fernando Victoria Uses Victor’s Trauma To His Advantage

Fernando Manipulates Victor To Save Himself From Bankruptcy

As the flashbacks in 1992 establish, Victor initially felt helpless and had no intentions of killing the committee members. He also knew little about what exactly happened to his mother that night. However, after one of the committee members, Fernando Victoria, hears about him, he decides to use his trauma to his advantage. After removing himself from a picture of the committee members, Victoria shows it to Victor, encouraging him to seek revenge by killing all of them.

He provides him with all the equipment he needs to pull off the murders and hides in the shadows to ensure no one else learns about his involvement in the crimes. While Victor commits the crimes, Victoria works from behind the scenes and asks the victims for ransom. Towards 1992‘s ending moments, the Minister also falls for his ploy and sends him $3 million. This saves Fernando from going bankrupt.

However, as seen in 1992‘s finale, Victor eventually finds footage from the night his mother was murdered. In the footage, he spots Fernando Victoria, realizing that he, too, was a part of the Expo’s committee and had helped the other members cover up the crime. Although Amparo and Richi try to stop him, the Flamethrower killer manages to complete his revenge plan by killing Fernando Victoria in 1992‘s final arc.

Amparo, played by Marian Álvarez, searches for answers after the mysterious death of her husband in an explosion. With the help of Richi, an alcoholic former police officer played by Fernando Valdivielso, he discovers a series of murders in Seville during Expo ’92, where the victims appear burned next to a Curro doll, the event’s mascot.

Release Date

December 13, 2024

Main Genre

Mystery

Number of Episodes

6

Cast

Marian Álvarez , Fernando Valdivielso , Paz Vega , Carlos Santos

Creator(s)

Jorge Guerricaechevarría , Álex de la Iglesia

Seasons

1

Expand