How Thanos in ‘Squid Game’ saved actor and rapper T.O.P.

International audiences, however, had a different response, as people created fan videos and auto-tune raps of T.O.P.'s character. T.O.P. has thanked fans for their love.

Why does South Korea hate T.O.P? And how has a character in Squid Game helped revive his international public image?

The K-pop lowdown 

T.O.P., real name Choi Seung-hyun, rose to fame as a lead rapper of the K-pop band BigBang. The band performed for nearly 20 years, debuting in 2006. As of 2025, however, they are not reuniting. 

What happened? T.O.P. was arrested for cannabis use and received a 10-month jail sentence, with two years of probation in 2017. In addition to the media backlash and jail sentence, T.O.P. received thousands of hate comments. In June 2017, he was found unconscious in police barracks where he was completing military services, and rushed to the hospital to be treated for a benzodiazepine overdose. 

In 2022, T.O.P. admitted in an interview with Prestige that the experience was traumatic. Unsurprising, as few people can survive a harassment campaign with their mental health intact. As of this year, T.O.P. has stated he won’t be returning to BigBang because of his shame regarding the drug scandal. 

T.O.P.’s treatment by the South Korean media and public, compared to fellow BigBang member Seungri when he was arrested for his involvement in the 2019 Burning Sun scandal, highlights a double standard and hypocrisy within South Korean society. The Burning Sun crime ring—which first came to light after a male customer complained that the Burning Sun staff assaulted him for protecting a female customer from harassment—involved women being assaulted, drugged, raped and photographed at the nightclub. Multiple investors, businessmen, entertainers, and club owners were indicted; Seungri was the Burning Sun director before resigning to complete military service. In 2021, The Manila Bulletin reported that Seungri had to register with the South Korean government for his sex crime after serving a three-year prison sentence. Despite the severity of Seungri’s crime (and the fact that others were harmed—as opposed to T.O.P.’s offense, which only directly affected himself), the South Korean media seems to have left Seungri alone while netizens expressed concerns about him returning to BigBang. It took an event in Indonesia for people to complain. 

Squid Game also has plenty of actors with worse charges. Lead Lee Jung-Jae received two DUIs in the 2000s, leading to his license being revoked. In 2022, O Yeong-su who portrayed Oh Il-nam received an eight-month prison sentence for sexually assaulting a woman, and was also assigned 40 hours of classes on sexual violence. Oh Dal-soo, who plays minor character Captain Park, was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women, though he was not charged. Despite these crimes, we don’t see any public callouts or shamings.

Why did T.O.P. receive more scrutiny and hate? Why is recreational drug usage worse than sexual assault, rape, extortion, and drunk driving? Is it because K-pop idols are held to higher standards compared to actors?

The second place rapper  

In Squid Game, we meet Thanos when he complains that the pink guards have taken away his limited edition sneakers. Several of the other characters gush that they are big fans of the fictional rapper, and when the guards refuse to let them do a group selfie, since all phones were confiscated, Thanos promises they'll do selfies after the games. He also says protagonist Seong Gi-hun sounds like his alcoholic father when the latter warns them about Red Light Green Light's fatal stakes. Thanos may be a jerk, but he's not a villain like Deok-su or the Front Man.

There is one important aspect, however, of his cringe rap personality: Thanos is not stupid. Ditzy, with "the intelligence of a goldfish," in T.O.P.’s words, but not stupid. He won't lay a hand on Gi-hun after the latter saves people during Red Light Green Light and reveals during the group vote he was a previous winner. Thanos asserts that if Gi-hun risked his life to save them with no benefit to himself, he would continue to help the players if they stay. Gi-hun can’t respond to this while telling everyone that if they don’t go home, they will die. 

In several interviews, namely when reacting to Thanos scenes, T.O.P. mentions that he provided insight for his character’s design, script and attitude: “I wanted to create a unique, never-before-seen character.” The nail polish and purple hair were his idea—so were the raps and broken English. 

Ego and cringe go hand in hand. In the same reaction video, T.O.P. asserts that if you have to call yourself a “legend,” then you are not really a legend. He rewrote the original raps in the script to make the audience wince, joking that the dubbed translations are too polished. 

How did Thanos save T.O.P.?

International audiences are less likely to know about T.O.P. 's earlier film and stunt work, including his fight with Lee Byung Hun in the 2009 drama Iris. Squid Game introduced viewers unfamiliar with K-pop or South Korean cinema to T.O.P.'s talents. 

Thanos adds unexpected comedy to an otherwise tragic series. Viewers coming into Squid Game know most of the cast will die by the Games’ end. They were not expecting Thanos, a wild card and obstacle to Gi-hun’s crusade.

Thanos reinforces Gi-hun’s belief that no one deserves the Games. He’s a terrible person, but he also becomes vulnerable with his temporary ally Min-su. Thanos tells Min-su, with Nam-gyu listening, how after he lost his fortune, he planned to jump off a bridge. The Recruiter intervened, inviting him to play ddjaki. Thanos knows rationally he should quit, but the Recruiter felt like a sign to him. The irony is that Thanos, out of all the players, could rebuild his fortune with his music. But he persists, and when death ambushes Thanos, the audience is stunned.

One could argue that Thanos allows T.O.P. to act out the worst version of himself, the version that South Korean media sees. Thanos is selfish, opportunistic, and arrogant. Yet he is still a human being. If not even season two’s most morally compromised player deserves to die, then none of them do. 

What about the future?

South Korean media still judges T.O.P. for his past drug usage, and those attitudes will not likely change any time soon. With that said, interest from international audiences provides the potential for him to release solo music, act in other franchises, and rebuild a music career.

It would be wonderful to see T.O.P. show off years of acting experience in different genres. Though he hasn’t starred in a feature film since 2017, international audiences know he can steal any show. His character adds a new layer to Squid Game’s second season while casting a mournful, comedic pallor.