Honestly, if you watched the second season of Squid Game, you probably spent half your time wondering who the guy with the purple hair was and the other half wanting to reach through the screen and shake him. His name is Choi Su-bong, though you likely know him as "Thanos."
He’s easily one of the most polarizing characters the show has ever produced. While the first season gave us a classic gangster-bully in Jang Deok-su, season 2 handed us something way more chaotic: an internet rapper who thinks he’s an Avenger but acts like a total nightmare.
The Backstory Google Won't Tell You
Most people just see the "Thanos" persona—the dyed hair, the painted nails, the weirdly timed English phrases. But if you look at the lore, Choi Su-bong is a cautionary tale of the modern digital age. He wasn’t born a villain. He was a rapper who almost made it big, taking second place in a televised competition called "Rap Battlegrounds."
Then things got messy.
He forgot his lyrics during the finals. That kind of public embarrassment is hard to scrub off in Korea's "cancel culture" climate. To make matters worse, he fell down the crypto rabbit hole. He wasn't just unlucky; he was scammed by a YouTuber named Lee Myung-gi (Player 333), also known as "MG Coin."
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Imagine being stuck in a death game and realizing the guy who stole your life savings is sitting three rows over. That’s the fuel for Su-bong’s fire.
Why the Name Thanos?
It’s not just because he likes Marvel. Su-bong is obsessed with the idea of power because he has none in the real world. He tells other players his raps could "kill half the people on the planet," which is a pretty cringe-worthy reference to the Infinity Gauntlet, but in the context of the games, it's chilling. He’s a man who has lost his grip on reality and replaced it with a superhero-villain delusion.
The T.O.P Connection: Casting Controversy
You can't talk about Choi Su-bong without talking about the man behind the mask: Choi Seung-hyun, better known as T.O.P.
Before he was Player 230, T.O.P was the lead rapper for BIGBANG, one of the biggest K-pop groups in history. His casting was a massive deal in Korea. Why? Because T.O.P was essentially blacklisted for years after a marijuana scandal in 2017.
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Director Hwang Dong-hyuk didn't cast him by accident. He wanted someone who understood what it felt like to fall from grace. He needed someone who knew the weight of public hatred.
"I thought it took a lot of courage for him to take on a role that mirrors some of his own personal challenges," Hwang said in a 2024 interview.
Some fans hated the casting, calling it a "rehabilitation project" for a controversial star. Others argued his performance was the highlight of the season. Whatever your stance, you can't deny that T.O.P brought a layer of genuine desperation to Su-bong that a "clean" actor might have missed.
The Bathroom Fight and the End of Player 230
Su-bong’s end was as messy as his life. He wasn't some grand mastermind. He was a guy who used drugs to numb his fear, becoming more erratic as the games went on.
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His rivalry with Lee Myung-gi (the crypto influencer) eventually boiled over. It didn't end with a sophisticated game of wits. It ended in a bathroom brawl on November 3, 2024. Su-bong was stabbed to death by Myung-gi, a brutal and unceremonious exit for a man who called himself "Thanos the Great."
What We Can Learn From His Character
Su-bong represents a specific kind of modern desperation. He’s the person who tries to "get rich quick" through crypto and fails. He’s the person who uses social media bravado to hide a crumbling mental state.
- The Crypto Warning: His debt wasn't from gambling in a casino; it was from following "influencer" advice.
- The Delusion of Fame: Even in the games, he lets fans take photos with him. He’s addicted to the spotlight, even when it’s literal life-or-death.
- Drug Use as a Shield: His "carefree" attitude during the games was a chemical mask. Without the pills, he was just a scared man in a tracksuit.
Moving Forward: The Legacy of Choi Su-bong
If you’re looking to understand the deeper themes of Squid Game, keep an eye on how the show treats "influencer" culture in season 3. Su-bong was the opening act for a much larger critique of how we value ourselves through screens and digital currency.
To dive deeper into the world of the 37th Games, pay close attention to the background characters in the dormitory scenes—many of them have subtle links to Su-bong’s failed rap career. You might even find references to his old tracks if you listen to the ambient audio carefully.
The best way to appreciate the nuance of Choi Su-bong is to rewatch his interactions with Player 333. The bitterness isn't just about the money; it's about the betrayal of trust in the digital age.