• Fans and critics are raving about a new player in "Squid Game" season two, Thanos.
• Thanos is a rapper who seems to delight in the death games.
• Choi Seung-hyun, who plays Thanos, was already a popular K-pop star before landing the role.

Warning: spoilers ahead for "Squid Game" season two.

"Squid Game" season two introduces a new cast of eccentric players, but the character fans and critics are talking about most is Thanos.

Thanos (Player 230), named after the alien the Avengers fight in the Marvel movies, is a purple-haired, self-absorbed, and callous internet rapper and one of the main antagonists of season two.

He takes over from season one's Jang Deok-su (Player 101) as the main bully within the deadly children's games. But while Deok-su was a menacing criminal, Thanos is a celebrity and a wild card.

Thanos and his sidekick Nam-gyu (Roh Jae-won) seem to enjoy the games, unlike the other characters who are competing for money to pay off their debts. They laugh, skip, and take drugs from Thanos' secret stash as people are killed around them and continually vote to continue the slaughter.

Choi Seung-hyun's screwball performance as Thanos has been getting a lot of praise, including from The Wrap, which hailed it as one of the best TV performances of 2024.

"Squid Game" season two is looking to be a global hit like the first, which could raise Choi's profile outside South Korea, as it did with other actors from the show including Lee Jung-jae.

Here's what to know about Choi and his character's fate.

Choi began his career as a K-pop rapper

Choi is better known by his stage name T.O.P, which he adopted in 2006 when he joined the boyband Bigbang, one of the first K-pop bands to become popular in the West.

The band's fifth record, 2012's "Alive," was the second album by a South Korean artist to chart on the US Billboard 200, placing 150th.

In 2016, they were the first South Korean band to be included in Forbes' top 100 richest celebrities list, after earning $44 million that year: more than Drake, Katy Perry, and Maroon 5, respectively.

Choi, who was an underground rapper before joining Bigbang, has also released hit solo tracks "Turn It Up" and "Doom Dada," but hasn't reached the heights he did with the band.

In 2007, Choi began pursuing acting, appearing in the TV romance K-drama "I Am Sam." He has starred in other shows and movies, and won acting awards in Korea.

In "Iris," a thriller TV series, Choi acted alongside "Squid Game" star Lee Byung-hun, who plays the Frontman in the Netflix show.

Choi's career in Korea stalled after he was convicted of using marijuana

In 2017, Choi paused his career to complete military service as a conscripted police officer.

However, that June, Choi was indicted by South Korean prosecutors for using marijuana several times in October 2016.

A day later, Choi was found unconscious after overdosing on prescribed tranquilizers, and hospitalized.

A month later, Choi pleaded guilty to using marijuana in court and was sentenced 10-months in jail, suspended for two years. He also had to complete his military service as a public service worker instead of as a police officer as planned.

He told reporters at the court: "I'm truly sorry that I disappointed my fans and the public. I will do my best to make a fresh start and not to make such a mistake again with what I've learned from this lesson."

Choi appeared in Bigbang's single "Still Life" in 2022, but that year YG Entertainment announced that he had ended his contract with the company, and a year later, Choi confirmed he had withdrawn from the band.

Choi will likely not return in 'Squid Game' season three

"Squid Game" is a bold return for Choi, especially playing a character who openly uses drugs.

Hwang Dong-hyuk, the creator of "Squid Game," told People before the series aired that it took "a lot of guts" for Choi to portray Thanos.

"Despite the long hiatus, I have to say, as a director, he performed very impressively and I'm very satisfied with what he did with the character," Hwang said.

In the season finale, there is a brutal fight in the men's changing rooms between those who want to stay in the games and those who want to leave. Thanos, the instigator of the brawl, is stabbed in the neck with a fork and bleeds to death.

So, it's unlikely Thanos will return in season three unless there is some sort of flashback.

• My husband died when I was 46, and I received a wake-up call about financial preparedness.
• His life insurance policy was a lifesaver as I developed a more long-term plan for our family.
• I sought professional advice to get through that time, and I'm glad I did.

In the wee hours of the morning, several days after my husband's death in 2003 from sudden cardiac arrest, I awoke out of breath, my heart racing. Would my daughters be able to stay in their schools? Could I continue to pay the mortgage on our home?

When my husband accepted his first overseas diplomatic assignment, I gave up my career. Once back in the States, I began to slowly rebuild my professional life, but I was far behind my peers in earning power and savings. Still, I didn't worry too much about our income and my slow-growing 403b. We weren't diligent savers; we had mortgages, car loans, and two children in private schools. We relied on the assumption that Uncle Sam had our backs.

Insurance was a lifesaver for me during that time

Suddenly, with a base salary of $42,000 a year, I became responsible for my two teenage daughters and, as an only child, my elderly mom. My husband had good life insurance in place (with his morbid sense of humor, he often joked about how "well off" I'd be when he died), which was a godsend, but I needed to understand how to use our money efficiently.

Most financial experts say you should have enough money in your emergency savings fund to cover three to six months' worth of living expenses. Being unprepared is exacerbated if you are not used to navigating the finances. In my case, I was aware of our position in general terms, but large decisions, such as our daughters' education and buying or selling a home or vehicle, were always joint.

As my husband's beneficiary, I received his federal life insurance payout. Early on, I received incorrect information, leading me to believe that I needed to keep the insurance payout I received in the low-interest settlement account. Learning that I was able to move it to an account that delivered a higher rate of return eased a lot of stress. My initial priority was not investing but making sure I had enough money coming in to pay our bills. I chose to work with an advisor at our credit union to invest the money in instruments that would conserve — and hopefully increase — my principal and provide an income stream to supplement my small salary.

I developed a long-term financial plan

My advisor suggested investments that would help me achieve the goals we had planned for our daughters. I was happy to learn I'd be able to keep my younger daughter in parochial high school and enable my older daughter to remain at her current college. Next, I paid off some high-interest items with part of the insurance money, which eased the burden on my modest income and saved me from having to make large draws from our investment accounts. Later, I tackled estate planning issues such as updating my own will and beneficiaries on all financial items.

Even though I knew how to access our bill-paying software and bank accounts, having no real savings of my own and a meager retirement plan due to contributions of only the 10 years we'd been back in the States made me anxious. The reality of planning a possible solo retirement made me again wish I'd been wiser about my personal saving practices. Soon after tragedy strikes, many widows and widowers rush to make huge — and sometimes unwise —

major financial decisions. A short time after my husband's death, I considered selling our home. but an accountant friend advised me to wait until I was on steadier emotional ground. I'm glad I did because the house appreciated in value, and I was able to secure a good price when I did sell it 15 years later.

I learned a lot about financial preparedness when I became a young widow

In my grief support group, I saw firsthand others having to sell homes or move in with family after losing a spouse or partner's income. I know I was fortunate because of my husband's foresight in planning for a future that did not include him. Because my life insurance had always come as a benefit of my employment, I purchased additional insurance to guarantee that the girls would have some assets should my financial situation change, or I could no longer work.

Even though I learned a lot by becoming a young widow, I wish I'd known more about financial planning before tragedy struck. Having to shoulder the weight of a family's financial present and future only added to my already fragile emotional state. At least, seeking both professional and personal help and a dose of strategic planning eased one of the burdens I felt immediately after my husband's death.