Summary
- Thanos’s death will drive plot development for other characters in Season 3, leading to new conflicts and motivations.
- Thanos was meant to provide comedic relief in Season 2, and his exit will allow the focus to shift to more impactful characters.
- The absence of Thanos in Season 3 will change the dynamics of the show, allowing other characters to take center stage and drive the story forward.
Season 2 of Squid Game featured a bunch of new characters participating in the sadistic and deadly competition, with some major characters not making it out alive. Though some of these characters were unpopular among some fans, many also enjoyed their introduction and how they brought a different tone to the season.
In particular, Thanos was a well-loved character introduced in the second season, who brought a much more comedic tone to the series. However, the character was taken out relatively quickly, leaving many fans shocked and sad to see him go. Despite losing such an interesting character in Squid Game, however, there are a few different reasons as to why he made his exit early on.
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Plot Development
Thanos’s Death Will Allow Other Characters to Take Center Stage
Despite the character becoming incredibly popular and being used as some comedic relief in a dangerous and fatal environment, his death comes very quickly, in season 2, episode 6, “O X”. When in a fight in the bathroom with Myung-gi, Thanos is stabbed in the throat by him with a fork. Though the two continue to tussle a bit after this, Thanos dies due to massive blood loss. After this unexpected scene, Thanos is no longer a part of the games and is officially eliminated.
Your money, your girl, your life, they’re all mine. It all belongs to me, Thanos the great!
However, the character’s exit is important to drive the plot forward for other characters. His death gives the potential to further the story of not only Myung-gi, but Min-su and even Nam-gyu as well. Although Nam-gyu did everything Thanos wanted him to in the second season, now the character will be free of Thanos’s chains. He might up the ante in the final third season, leading to a possible showdown between him and Min-su. Although Min-su has a timid nature and is easily scared off by those in Thanos’s gang, it’s safe to say he might be much more motivated by revenge this time around after the death of his friend, Se-mi.
While fans already saw a lot of Myung-gi and his past in season 2, Thanos’s death could also allow more conflict to appear in the final season for Myung-gi and his ex-girlfriend, Jun-hee. After taking Thanos out in a surprising way, this could lead to a much deeper look into Myung-gi’s intentions and whether he will be able to patch up his relationship with Jun-hee.
The Character Was Never Meant to Be Permanent
Thanos Was Always Meant to Be Comedic Relief
While Thanos was an entertaining character to watch in the second season, the nature of his characterization made it obvious that he would not receive much progression in the plot. There isn’t a lot of detail given about Thanos’s background other than surface-level information. He also doesn’t really receive any flashbacks, or a glimpse into what made him the man he is today, especially what brought him to become such a bully.
It seems probable that Thanos’s character was mostly to bring comedic relief into the second season, and the third season will be much more serious as the final showdown begins. It would be difficult to bring his character into the last season, as it will likely want to focus most of its time on the more important characters who have a major impact on the story, such as Gi-hun, In-ho, Jun-ho, and more. There won’t be much time for a straight-up antagonist like Thanos, especially one that isn’t a part of major conflicts in the story.
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What Will Change For Season 3?
How Will Thanos’s Exit Change Things?
If Thanos had stuck around and made it to the final third season, there’s a lot that could have been explored with his character. Fans could have gotten a deeper look into his past, and see a more serious side of the jokester. Due to his competitive nature and ability to quickly change sides, it seemed likely that Thanos could have made it to the final episode of season 2, and possibly into the following season, to keep a conflict going between some of the side characters. If he had survived, fans could have seen a more intricate battle between Thanos, Myung-gi, and even Min-su.
However, since he has been taken out of the picture, this will change things for the upcoming season. Thanos was a fun character to watch, but season 3 will be able to focus on other characters introduced in the second season that will have more impact on the plot. Viewers will get to see more of Hyun-ju, Dae-ho, Jun-hee, and more. There are too many characters from both season 1 and season 2 that survived to the final season, and keeping everyone around would make it difficult to focus on the bigger picture of the story.
When the final season is released in June of 2025, viewers of Squid Game will likely get to see intense conflicts as Gi-hun continues his revolt against the Front Man and the Squid Game guards. Though it is sad to know that Thanos will likely not make another appearance, his impact in the second season will be remembered, and his character will remain a favorite among fans.