Squid Game Season 3, and the Thanos Dilemma
Netflix’s global phenomenon Squid Game has returned with its highly anticipated Season 3. And as much as fans celebrated, the season has stirred up mixed reactions—largely due to one new figure: “Thanos.”
Unveiled during a splashy finale event in the heart of Seoul’s Sejong-daero, the introduction of the controversial character drew cheers, jeers, and plenty of debate from critics and longtime fans alike.
Who is “Thanos,” and Why Is He Divisive?
The Creative Case for Thanos
Let’s be clear: this isn’t Marvel’s mighty villain. Squid Game’s Thanos is its own creation—a deeply unsettling character introduced in Season 2 but fully unleashed in Season 3. Violent, hedonistic (pleasure-seeking), and shockingly unpredictable, this character injects a new level of intensity into the survival drama.
Supporters argue that Thanos’s psychopathic tendencies and chaotic nature serve a larger purpose. Like Joker in the 2019 psychological thriller, his extremism becomes a lens through which we view society’s dark undercurrents—narcissism, moral fatigue, obsession with pleasure, and disregard for empathy.
In a world increasingly desensitized to violence and driven by instant gratification, Thanos becomes a mirror—albeit a broken one—reflecting what’s truly terrifying about modern humanity.
The Backlash: Too Much, Too Fast?
Still, not everyone is buying it. For some viewers, Thanos’s sheer brutality and exaggerated behavior have gone too far. Critics argue that the character feels more like a grotesque comic book villain than a grounded reflection of real-world issues. His actions border on the absurd with little connection to the grounded, desperate reality that made Season 1 so compelling.
"It feels like we went from Parasite to Mad Max," one online commenter wrote. The shift in tone—from razor-sharp social critique to gory chaos—has left early fans feeling alienated. To them, Season 3 sacrifices nuance for adrenaline.
When Layers Collapse: Violence vs. Message
To be fair, Thanos isn’t the only issue. Season 3 leans heavily into spectacle, building feverishly complex plots surrounded by flashbacks, dream sequences, and morally opaque characters. It’s ambitious—but exhausting.
Gone is the minimalism of Season 1, where stripped-down settings and clear motives made the horror feel painfully real. Today, we’re dealing with psychedelic montages and operatic set pieces. In pushing the story’s limits, creators risk breaking its core—human vulnerability under capitalism’s crush.
Still, The Soul Remains
Despite criticisms, Squid Game’s deeper themes remain intact—if you read between the chaos. Seong Gi-hun, still haunted from his Season 1 experience, emerges as the moral heart of the show. In a world collapsing under its own cruelty, his small acts of compassion resonate even louder amid the carnage.
Season 3 pits hope against nihilism. While Thanos spirals deeper into madness, Gi-hun clings to dignity—offering viewers one final reminder of what it means to be human, even when everything screams otherwise.
Fan Reactions: Polarized but Passionate
On Reddit, Twitter (now X), and countless fan forums, debate is raging. Some hail Season 3 as bold and boundary-pushing, praising Thanos as a well-timed response to society’s numbing descent into cynicism. Others see it as tone-deaf, an overstuffed sequel that forgot why people cared in the first place.
Die-hard fans dissect everything—from Thanos’s costume colors to possible symbolism in his player number. Meanwhile, more casual viewers complain that they simply want the show to make sense again.
And perhaps this is where Squid Game’s greatest success lies. Whether you love or hate the direction, you’re still talking about it. It’s no longer just a drama—it’s a conversation starter, a global touchpoint.
So, What Should We Expect From Here?
Squid Game is at a crossroads. The franchise has proven it can reinvent itself—and still spark discussion about fairness, greed, and dignity. But as it leans further into psychological horror and surrealism, it risks alienating the very people who made it a hit.
The introduction of Thanos could mark a daring evolution or a costly distraction. Time—and Season 4—will tell. For now, Squid Game remains essential viewing, even when it veers off track.
