Who is Thanos in Squid Game Season 2? Character explored in depth

Squid Game Season 2 is all over the news for its casting. Along with familiar names from Squid Game Season 1 such as Lee Jung-jae and Lee Byung-hun, the second installment of Squid Game brings together a host of new cast members who add to the aura of the Netflix show.

Among the other contestants of the brutal game, Thanos or Player 230 has attracted attention due to his tough and unpredictable nature.

The name Thanos is associated with Player 230 in Squid Game Season 1 due to the force of the character, highlighting his powerful disposition. This is evident from one of the altercations on Squid Game Season 2 when Player 230 tells one of the other contestants:

"I, Thanos the great, will protect you."

To this, the other player responds with:

"Right, Thanos. So have you got all the Infinity Stones?"

Player 230 then answers in the affirmative and proceeds to display his nails which are painted in the same colours as the Infinity Stones.

The character of Player 230 or Thanos is portrayed by Choi Seung-hyun, also known by the alias T.O.P. He is a former rapper and a past member of the South Korean boy band BigBang.

Squid Game season 2: Thanos is a complicated character

Throughout the runtime of the Netflix show's season 2, Thanos is noteworthy for his unpredictable nature and his dark comedic antics. The show presents him as a former rapper who is currently washed up.

The reason behind his insolvency is he invested heavily in the 'Dalmatian' bitcoin gamble and when it turned out to be a scam, he was robbed of all his wealth. His brooding unpredictable nature and violent outbursts at times make him a hazard to those around him.

He uses psychedelic drugs and pops a lot of pills to dissociate himself from the brutal reality of the games. He also gathers a group of minions around him including Se-mi, the risk-taker Nam-gyu, and the remarkable coward character of Min-su.

He doesn't play by the rules and seems to have very little fellow-feeling for the other contestants as is evident from him pushing those in front of him during the brutal Red Light Green Light game.

Squid Game Season 2: Thanos' identity revealed

Choi Seung-hyun portrays the character of Thanos or Player 230 in Squid Game Season 2. Seung-hyun is also known by his popular alias T.O.P. and is a former K-Pop star. He kickstarted his career as an underground rapper in South Korea, before breaking out as the lead rapper and vocalist of the famous boy band BigBang.

One of their tracks titled Fantastic Baby was the first K-Pop number to reach 300 million views on YouTube. As of this writing, the group has sold a total of 140 million records worldwide. Seung-hyun gave many hit tracks before officially retiring from the group in June of 2023.

Apart from being a musician, Seung-hyun made his debut as an actor in the same year as his debut in music. He appeared in the 2007 Korean romantic film I Am Sam and also starred in the thriller Iris alongside Lee Byung-hun, who plays the Front Man.