Season 2 of “Squid Game” welcomes new characters to the arena. Among them is a player who references Marvel and who is played by a “controversial” actor. Warning, spoilers.
Warning, spoilers. It is recommended to have seen season 2 of “Squid Game” before continuing reading this article.
The South Korean phenomenon series is back. After the global success of the first season, Squid Game returns three years later with a second round of episodes which offers new twists and new thrilling deadly games.
Three years after winning the Squid Game, Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), player 456, has given up on going to the United States and returns with a new goal: to stop the game. He tries everything for everything by diving back into the arena where he will face deadly situations with new participants who all dream of winning the prize of 45.6 billion won.
A nod to Marvel with this character
And among these new players, who we discover in the third episode, we find a crazy, colorful and psychopathic participant: Choi Su-bong, player 230. The latter is ready to do anything to win the games , even if it means crushing others, to pay off his debts.
He particularly attacks Myeong-gi, aka MG Coin, a YouTuber who caused his subscribers to lose billions of won by encouraging them to invest in cryptocurrencies. Choi Su-bong lost a lot of money due to MG Coin, which tainted his career as a rapper, under the name Thanos.
Yes, player 230 chose the name of the great antagonist of the Marvel film franchise as his pseudonym. And the wink doesn't stop there since he dyed his hair purple (like the color of the character) and painted his nails the same colors as the famous infinity stones that Thanos was looking to collect in the MCU films.
One of the punchlines of this finalist of the show “Rap Battle Grounds” is also: “My rap will wipe out half of humanity”in reference to Thanos' plan, which decimated half the world in the Marvel film franchise.
To hold out during the trials, Thanos surrounds himself with players whom he can manipulate or harass in order to win them. But he also takes drugs hidden in his cross necklace, which leads him to exhibit eccentric and psychotic behavior.
A controversial choice of actor
The character of Choi Su-bong aka Thanos has things in common with the actor who plays him, namely Choi Seung-hyun. The latter is a South Korean actor and rapper better known by his stage name TOP He was also one of the two rappers of the group BigBang, considered the “kings of K-pop” and the third highest paid male group in the world after One Direction and Backstreet Boys.
If Choi Seung-hyun or TOP has millions of fans around the world, his appearance in season 2 of Squid Game nevertheless created controversy due to his troubles with the law. In 2018, in the middle of compulsory military service, the former K-pop star shocked the South Korean population for using marijuana.
Netflix
A few days after the affair broke out, Choi Seung-hyun overdosed on benzodiazepine but was treated by doctors in time. The rapper had to make a statement apologizing for his behavior and was subsequently sentenced to 10 months in prison and two years suspended. He was also discharged from the military and, for a while, deserted social media and walked away from the entertainment industry, according to the BBC.
Released in 2019, TOP continued his career in the music industry solo and with the group BigBang, which he said he left in 2022. Since then, he has continued his activities and found himself in the spotlight. thanks to Squid Game this year, but his presence in the casting was poorly received by the public.
Hwang Dong Hyuk, the creator of Squid Game, did not expect the rapper's presence to create controversy. “The incident happened a long time ago and the sentence has been served”he told South Korean media outlet Maeil Business Newspaper (via Hindustan Times), “Many artists have come back after similar incidents, so I thought this might be an appropriate time for him to return to work.”
He felt that he may have “poorly rated” the level of public interest in this choice, which it maintains and supports due to the talent, work and commitment of Choi Seung-hyun: “He sent videos of his training sessions and showed effort and talent, even while reading the script”.
According to the creator of Squid Game, it was “the most appropriate choice” for the role, which paradoxically shares similarities with the rapper. He therefore decided to keep him in the casting.
Season 2 of “Squid Game” is available on Netflix.
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