Squid Game Season 2’s Thanos Star Reacts To His Character’s Shocking Death: “It Was About Time”

Squid Game‘s Thanos star Choi Seung-hyun, also known by T.O.P, reacts to his character’s death in season 2’s penultimate episode, “O X.” Aside from a few returning characters, season 2 was mostly composed of new players in a fresh installment of the game. Among them was Thanos, an amateur rapper who entered the games to pay his debts. The new Squid Game player quickly became a fan-favorite due to his many scene-stealing and viral moments, such as his random dancing during the mingle game. Despite surviving the first three games, Thanos was met with an early demise following a brawl in the men’s bathroom.

While speaking with Netflix’s Tudum, Choi shared his thoughts on Thanos’ unexpected death in season 2’s penultimate episode. He acknowledged that Thanos was dangerous and under the influence, so he thought death was timely. When he read the death scene, he was actually thankful to the creative team because the death was timed randomly in the story, which created more impactful ahead of the season 2 finale. Read his comment below:

Thanos is someone who is under the influence of drugs. He’s a dangerous character. So when I first read how he dies in the script, I honestly thought that it was about time. I thought his death was quite timely, and I also thought he deserved to die.

I was also actually very thankful to the director and the team, because they portrayed Thanos’ death at a very random time in the story. That made it that much more impactful.

Why Thanos’ Early Death Makes Sense Ahead Of Squid Game Season 3?

No One Is Safe!

While many Squid Game viewers are still in shock that Thanos died relatively early, it also exemplifies the high stakes in that any character could die any moment. This mindset seems to resonate with Choi, who appreciated that the death came unexpectedly since many viewers would have imagined that the antagonistic rapper would have survived a few more rounds. Even his death comes at the player’s own fault since he kept antagonizing Myung-gi/Player 333 since their arrival. Not long after, another major Squid Game death occurs with Gi-hun’s best friend, Jung-bae, which will certainly impact the returning winner in the final episodes.

Thanos’ Death In Squid Game Season 2 Explained

Squid Game season 2 introduced some colorful characters, including the self-proclaimed rap god, Thanos who met his end in a sudden and violent way.

Thanos’ death also sparks a tonal shift as Squid Game season 3 approaches. Despite the startling nature of these games, he provided much of the comic relief in season 2, which eased some of the tension for many viewers. Unfortunately, no other character can replicate that energy, so season 3 will be tonally dark in the final episodes. This was done on purpose, as the show creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, and many cast members have teased that season 3 will be dark and brutal. Thus, it is expected that the final episodes will show more deaths and another confrontation between a broken Gi-hun and the Front Man.

Our Take On Thanos’ Death

I Give Props To The Creator For Taking A Risk

Thanos plays Jegi in Squid Game season 2

I was just as equally shocked as everybody else that Thanos died so early. While I do wish we could have had one more episode with him, I also applaud the creator for taking these risks. Thanos was indeed a very entertaining player, who brought new energy to the games. However, Hwang didn’t create this show for purely entertainment purposes but to really provide the social commentary, with Thanos even being a tragic character himself.

Still, one of the greatest things about season 2 is that we got to see Choi make his acting comeback, and that too with a bang. In other parts of the interview, it’s clear how much time and effort he put into creating this character, which even met ideating his iconic MCU-inspired look. Choi clearly left an impact with his Squid Game character, whether viewers liked him or not. Even then, his death is now a reality check that no one is safe, and I will be holding my breath as we await the conclusion.

Squid Game season 3 will release the final episodes on June 27, 2025.

Source: Netflix