'Squid Game' fans explain real reason Thanos switches to English in Season 2 of hit series

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: Thanos is one of the most polarizing characters in 'Squid Game' Season 2. Some viewers are fond of him, while others find him unbearable, and many have been puzzled by his use of English.

Among the contestants, he stands out as the most eccentric; with his purple hair, Infinity Stones-inspired nail paint, and carefree attitude, he often appears high on whatever substances are hidden in his necklace, even as others tremble during the brutal games.

A distinctive feature of Thanos is his switching between Korean and (often amusing) English. For instance, when he meets Player 125, he says, “What’s up, nice to meet you my brother, welcome to the Thanos world.” Additionally, some of his rap lyrics incorporate English words.

In the series, Thanos, also known as Player 230, is portrayed by Choi Seung Hyun, known professionally as T.O.P.

Why does Thanos speak in English in 'Squid Game' Season 2?

According to Dexerto, Thanos often speaks in English in 'Squid Game' Season 2 because it's a common practice among Korean rappers and K-hip-hop artists to incorporate English lyrics into their music.

For instance, South Korean rapper Gaeko’s 'Smoke' begins with the line, “Light it up,” and includes other English phrases like, “I’m a south side baddie, collect all these veggies” and “Man, I can’t curse to you ’cause you already die for it.”

Another rapper Loopy’s track 'Rrrr' also features a long section where he raps, “Turn off the f**kin’ phone, now we get it” repeatedly. RM (formerly Rap Monster) is another example, as he raps in English in songs like 'Wild Flower', which opens with “Flower field, that’s where I’m at,” and 'Come Back to Me', which is almost entirely in English.

In K-dramas, it's also common for characters to occasionally switch to English. For example, in Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite', one character says, "I’m deadly serious."

Reddit fans explain Thanos' use of English in 'Squid Game' Season 2

Fans on Reddit have also explained why Thanos switches to English in 'Squid Game' Season 2.

A user explained, "Also…not sure if anyone else has mentioned this but TOP (the actor—from the Kpop group Bigbang) is fluent in English. They probably wanted to humor a western audience since Bigbang already has a pretty big international fan base."

Another added, "A rapping thing. Non native English speaking rappers do it a lot."

One commentator remarked, "I figured it's similar to American weebs dropping random phrases they learn from anime."

A person stated, "In certain countries (like mine) speaking in English shows that you’re more cultured, educated and upper class. And people who can’t speak English tend to look at you in a different more awe light if you do. Since Thanos was a LOT of ego, he was probably speaking in English like that to show off his superiority."

Someone else chimed in, "Yeah I understand that people do that but in the context of the show he was specifically the only one who did. I was wondering if it’s something Korean rappers are known for doing."

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