Squid Game Season 2: How Thanos Inspired The New Characters? T.O.P and His Drug Scandal?
Netflix’s Squid Game has found its chaos agent, who sports purple hair in homage to the most famous villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The second season of the successful Korean series introduces player 230, a gaudy rapper who calls himself Thanos, complete with nails painted in the same color as the colors of the Infinity Stones. Played by the K-pop star T.O.P. (Choi Seung-Hyun), this unleashed competitor brings electricity to the series of deadly competitions. Unlike Josh Brolin’s destructive titan of the universe, Squid Game‘s Thanos earned his nickname thanks to his musical skill, boasting that his “they could kill half of the people on the planet”. The character arrives in the game after losing his fortune in a cryptocurrency scam orchestrated by the financial YouTuber “Amazing Myung-gi” (Yim Si-wan), who also finds himself competing in the games.
Squid Game Season 2: How Thanos Inspired The New Characters? T.O.P and His Drug Scandal?
The interpretation of T.O.P. stands out for its manic intensity. His Thanos moves in lethal games with a disturbing combination of drug-fed swagger and evil intentions, “often dancing, cheering and trying with young women while the players around him hide for their lives”. The character is never seen without his huge cross-shaped necklace, which contains an assortment of party drugs. The casting of T.O.P. adds a level of authenticity to the role. As a former BigBang member, one of the most influential K-pop groups – once called “Kings of K-pop” and the first Korean artist added to Forbes’ Celebrity 100 list in 2016 – he gives the character real-world star power. In addition, he took his role very seriously.
Executive Producer Kim Ji-Yeonso Told TheWrap
It was a moment of reflection on his career and his life in the music industry. T.O.P. was very serious in his approach and had already shown his talent in previous works. So we thought it was suitable for this role.
The role marks the return of T.O.P. to acting after a seven-year hiatus, after his last appearance in the 2017 German-Chinese thriller Out of Control. His previous performances have received important awards, including that of Best New Actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards 2010 and the Baeksang Arts Awards 2011 for his work in the Korean War film 71: Into the Fire. The creator of the Hwang Dong-hyuk series conceived the character before T.O.P. was hired, creating an antagonist that would bring an unprecedented level of chaos into the games. This is particularly evident in the Red Light, Green Light sequence, where Thanos’ actions lead directly to the death of multiple players.
In a nod to the meta-referential nature of the show, this is not the first time that “Squid Game” has been playing with real-world connections. The first season of the hit series saw a competitor talk about Korean actor Lee Byung Hun, who played the masked Front Man who runs the games. While Squid Game continues its exploration of human nature in extreme circumstances, Thanos represents a new type of threat – one that treats deadly competition as its playground, bringing Marvel-inspired chaos into an already lethal game.
The Drug Scandal of the Actor Who Plays Thanos?
With purple hair, Choi Seung-Hyun, better known as T.O.P, joins the cast of the second season of Squid Game. South Korean rapper and actor Su-bong, nicknamed Thanos in the series. Play player 230, who enters the deadly games, due to an overwhelming debt he needs to solve. His appearance in the series has generated a mixture of expectations among those who questioned his selection in the ‘casting’ for his controversial past and artistic profile. Inclusion in the T.O.P series, a former member of the K-pop band BigBang, marks his unexpected return as an actor after several years of apparent retirement from the world of entertainment. His portrayal in “Hwang Dong-hyuk’s Squid Game” promises to be a turning point in his career. Some consider his performance to be charismatic, while others consider that there was a poor selection of actors in the case of his character.
Who is The Rapper Thanos in “Squid Game Season 2”?
Choi Seung-Hyun plays Su-bong, known as “Thanos” in Squid Game. With an eccentric attitude, he plays the role of a (also) famous rapper who joins the games to pay the debts he accumulated after the fall of a cryptocurrency. According to the story, Su-bong invested in this digital currency on the recommendation of YouTuber, Lee Myung-gi, played by actor Yim Si-wan, but his financial decision led him to a crisis that he could not sustain. In addition to his financial problems, Thanos challenges other players in the competition and introduces himself as a drug user, which he carries in a religious cross-shaped container that hangs around his neck with a chain.
On the Korean page Newsis refers to the character as the “narco rapper ”. Although Su-bong has a vulnerability layer, the character is also a stalker and always does his thing in the company of his friend Nam-gyu, played by Roh Jae-won, recognized by the Netflix series “A Daily Dose. of Sun”. According to Newsis, critics disagreed with the South Korean singer’s performance in the role of Su-bong. “Every time T.O.P appears, the flow is interrupted”, a user of the series told the Asian medium. Other critics related Thanos’ story to the controversial fall of the true rapper and actor, who was embroiled in drug use scandals in the past.
The T.O.P Scandal With Drugs
In 2017, T.O.P faced one of the darkest moments of his career when he was found guilty of marijuana use, according to the media The Asahi Shimbun. The rapper admitted to using that drug, which led him to receive a suspended sentence of 10 months in prison and evade prison. This scandal exacerbated criticism of his conduct. According to the BBC T.O.P was found unconscious at its police station due to an alleged benzodiazepine overdose, medications used to treat anxiety in 2017. He was transferred to intensive care and his state of health raised concerns. This incident marked a turning point in his personal and professional life, taking him away from the stage and the cameras for a time. T.O.P’s case was not isolated within BigBang. Other members of the group also faced legal controversies. Among them, Seungri, who in 2021 was found guilty of collusion in a plan of tax evasion, bribery, and prostitution. The singer served an 18-month prison sentence, reinforcing discussions about the extreme pressure facing K-pop stars and the challenges of maintaining a career under constant public scrutiny.
Who is T.O.P?
In addition to his role as an artist, T.O.P is passionate about visual art, collaborating with institutions like Sotheby’s to promote contemporary Asian art. He studied at the Dankook University School of Art and Design and specialized in theater. In his academic training, he joins his versatility as an actor in different films and series. Without a doubt, today he is better known for his musical career with the band Bigbang, of which he has not been a part since this year. In a publication on his Instagram account, the singer announced the news with the description: “I keep making my music albums”.
He began his career in acting with the dorama “I Am Sam” (2007). His first participation in cinema, with “19-Nineteen” (2009), led him to win some local awards. His facet as a complete artist, stood out with the release of the film “71: Into the Fire” (2010), which is about a conflict between some South Korean students who face North Koreans in the war. There is a video clip, “Oh, Mom” that reflects the epic extension of the movie and T.O.P plays the song.
On Instagram, where T.O.P is known as @ttt, has 1.7 million followers, who have closely followed his artistic and personal evolution. His latest posts are two videos from the Netflix series. With his participation in Squid Game, the rapper returns to the spotlights, defying criticism on the Korean and international entertainment scene.
