Perhaps the most colorful addition to the cast of “Squid Game” season 2 is Thanos (Choi Seung-hyun), a good-for-nothing young man who always seems to be starting a fight with someone. He loves investing in cryptocurrency, taking drugs, bullying his potential allies, and making major life decisions based on the assumption that he will never die. It might seem strange that such a sleazeball has become a fan favorite, but hey, viewers love a wildcard.
That’s why it’s so tragic that he died somewhat randomly in season 2’s penultimate episode, “O X,” when another player stabs him in the neck with a fork. Sure, it made for a good upping-the-ante moment, setting the stage for a truly game-changing finale, but it also feels like a waste for the show to dispose of Thanos so soon. As far as the actor’s concerned, however, it all made a lot of sense. As Choi Seung-hyun explained in a recent interview:
“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.”
When asked how Thanos would’ve responded to the big player rebellion that happened shortly after his death, Seung-hyun replied, “Based on my interpretation of him, Thanos would probably be dancing with the pink soldiers.”
Thanos may have died, but his spirit lives on
Much like how the impact of Thanos’ actions in the Marvel Cinematic Universe can still be felt years after “Endgame,” there are some pretty strong implications that the memory of Thanos of “Squid Game” will live on in season 3. This is most obvious in the character arc of Nam-gyu (Roh Jae-won), Thanos’ slightly mellower (yet still evil) friend. He stole Thanos’ drug stash from his corpse in the finale, a move that does not bode well for him.
Thanos’ mysterious drugs (most likely some variant of ecstasy) have served as one of the show’s many Chekhov’s guns, one that hasn’t gone off yet. Throughout season 2 we expected Thanos to do something crazy on account of those drugs, but instead, he got himself killed all by being his regular annoying self. Now the gun is in Nam-gyu’s hands, and his final moments in the finale show him more strung-out than ever. Nam-gyu is almost certain to take one too many of those drugs and do something ill-advised. Nam-gyu’s not surviving these games, I can guarantee that much; the only real question is how many people he’ll take down with him.
The other benefit of Thanos’ demise is that it provides some closure to season 2, which has otherwise felt like half a season. Almost nothing is resolved in the season 2 finale, but at least fans can appreciate that Thanos’ arc was wrapped up. By letting himself get stabbed to death in a bathroom brawl, Thanos helped the show fend off accusations that it was just treading water until season 3. It was a worthy sacrifice, I’d say. Even if you didn’t like Thanos in the way his hardcore fans did, hopefully, you can still appreciate his service in that respect.
Rest in peace, Thanos. May the crypto landscape be kinder to you in the afterlife.
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