Controversy among South Koreans The casting of T.O.P received controversy in South Korea, the actor's face blurred on the Korean show
Live This Morning when airing a segment about the show. The casting led to some viewers to believe that
Lee Jung-jae, who portrayed
Seong Gi-hun and was close to T.O.P, had gotten him the role, a claim that Lee denied.
Netflix and Hwang received criticism for this casting for possibly setting a bad precedent. Responding to speculation that he was removed from promotional events over the controversy, Hwang said that they planned to not have him featured from the beginning, wanting T.O.P to be able to talk about his involvement at his own pace. and was surprised that he had still not been forgiven. After release, his acting was criticized, particularly that his vocal and facial performance was out of place, with the quality of his rap having mixed reception. Outside of South Korea, the negative reaction to his casting was criticized by some people, who found it excessive and unreasonable. David A. Tizzard, writing for
The Korea Times, discussed how the K-pop industry has
anti-fans so he finds the response to the casting unsurprising. Discussing criticism of his portrayal, Tizzard appreciated that offers jokes in between the sadder elements of the show, believing he would fit into a
Quentin Tarantino movie. He also felt that T.O.P's treatment from the media over his drug conviction influenced his portrayal of Thanos.
International reception Reception to Thanos and his performance was less negative than from South Korean viewers according to
Korea Times. A survey held by Netflix about the favorite new character was conducted, with Thanos winning 50 percent of the vote out of 700,000 people.
IGN writer Shannon Miller praised T.O.P, stating that he "found a way to imbue pitch-perfect physical comedy, rage, and tragic recklessness" into Thanos, making players "hold their breath in fear and beg for more."
The Wrap writer William Goodman found him to be a standout character, finding him "endlessly appealing." Fellow
The Wrap writer Kayla Cobb felt he was a standout character among the villains of
Squid Game season 2, feeling that he brought an "unhinged jolt of energy" to the season.
Comic Book writer Evan Valentine felt that he represented how poor conditions for the current generation can be, and how even being a celebrity does not protect them from their bad actions. He found the idea of Thanos conceptually unbelievable, he was impressed by how the character was portrayed, particularly how he performs in the games and "poisons" contestants into joining his side. Despite the more positive reception, he also received criticism from international viewers.
Looper writer Mike Bedard called him the worst character in the second season, feeling he did not fit in with the rest of the cast due to how over-the-top he was portrayed. He compared him negatively to season 1 antagonist
Jang Deok-su, commenting that while he appreciated that Thanos is not a repeat of Deok-su's character, he wished he was either a "complete psychopath" or sympathetic villain.
Collider writer Therese Lacson felt that Thanos, along with much of the cast lacked depth, arguing that the show does not offer an exploration of him as a person, instead caricaturizing him.
The Guardian writer Rebecca Nicholson considered him one of the most irritating characters in recent TV series, finding him "cartoonishly awful." ==References==