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"You are a fool to think a piece of cloth can separate a man from monster."
—Anatoly Knyazev to Oliver Queen

Anatoly Knyazev (born March 3, 1973),[1] also known as "KGBeast" in USSR secret service, is the former Pakhan (godfather) of the Solntsevskaya Bratva (previously a captain) and a former KGB agent who, in 2007, was held captive by the late Anthony Ivo on the Amazo. There, Anatoly met Oliver Queen and formed a close friendship with him that lasted for almost a decade until the moment their respective roles as a vigilante and a gangster drove them into a battle, resulting in a huge falling out between them which led Anatoly into being exiled from Russia, losing his position in the Bratva and joining first Cayden James's criminal cabal and later, after the group's disbandment, Ricardo Diaz's criminal organization.

However, he later turns against Diaz, after realizing he is a coward who lacks any honor and will destroy Star City if he gains full control over it, leading to Anatoly becoming again a close friend and ally of Oliver and Team Arrow, as well as an A.R.G.U.S. informant placed under government protection and getting U.S. citizenship under the alias "Jason Brown", until Diaz was killed and he chose to return to his homeland to open a bar.

Biography[]

Original multiverse[]

Life in the Soviet Union[]

Anatoly was born on March 3, 1973[1] in Russia, where he was raised alongside a sister.[2]

Young Anatoly Knyazev

Young Anatoly Knyazev running from the locker room.

From an early age, Anatoly became affiliated with the Solntsevskaya Bratva. In 1986, as a 13-year-old boy, Anatoly worked as a lookout for the organization under "Yuri the Bear. As the time-traveling Sara Lance entered the locker room of the banya and engaged in a fight with members of the Bratva, Anatoly almost immediately ran from the room.[3]

At some point in his life, Anatoly became a navy sailor and later an operative of the KGB, Soviet Union's secret service, gaining the codename "KGBeast".[1] According to Knyazev himself, the KGB "taught him many things", particularly information on the workings of landmines.[4]

Eventually, Anatoly rose through the ranks of the Bratva until he became a captain.[5]

Prisoner on the Amazo[]

Oliver meets Anatoly

Oliver meets Anatoly.

Under unknown circumstances Anatoly was captured by Anthony Ivo around 2007, made prisoner on the Amazo and taken to Lian Yu. During this time Anatoly was forced to undergo their "trial" by digging out a bullet in his torso and stitching it up.[6]

Some time after this, he met Oliver Queen, and was quick to get along with. After Oliver escaped, he promised Anatoly he'd come back for the others. Later, right when Ivo was about to gouge out Anatoly's eye, Oliver set off an explosion on the beach that distracted Ivo, so he never did actually remove Anatoly's eye, instead he took measures sending his men to the beach to capture Oliver, Slade, and Sara. Oliver allowed himself to be captured so as to feed Ivo misinformation on the whereabouts of Slade and Sara, effectively allowing them to come aboard unnoticed and allowing Sara to free the other prisoners. The plan succeeded and Anatoly and the others were freed.[7] Upon returning to land, Anatoly was the first to notice Oliver's disappearance and they discovered that Slade Wilson had taken Oliver prisoner. They later agreed to trade Oliver for an engineer they had and attempted to kill Slade with landmines but failed.[4][8]

Sara, Oliver and Anatoly on the Japanese submarine

Sara, Oliver and Anatoly on the submarine.

Oliver and Sara then fixed a nearby submarine to destroy the Amazo in the event they failed to cure Slade of the Mirakuru.[9] Anatoly waited for a time limit given to him by Oliver and reluctantly destroyed the ship, dragging Sara, Slade, and Oliver to their presumed deaths.[10]

Anatoly and the other former prisoners of the Amazo later managed to leave the island, presumably with the Japanese submarine, and return to their homes.

In Krasnoyarsk[]

Oliver reunited with Anatoly

Oliver reunited with Anatoly in Krasnoyarsk.

Anatoly and Oliver are later reunited in Russia, where the latter intended to hunt and kill government strongman and part-time crime boss Konstantin Kovar, a brutal ruler of Krasnoyarsk. Anatoly, who oversaw the Krasnoyarsk division of Bratva at that time, recognized Oliver, saved him from death and, in return for what he did for him on Lian Yu, offered to help him become a full-time member of the Solntsevskaya Bratva, a membership he needed for his mission.[5]

Solntsevskaya Bratva prepare Oliver for the second step to his initiation

Solntsevskaya Bratva prepare Oliver for the second step to his initiation.

After a dangerous initiation process, Anatoly brought Oliver before the other Bratva bosses in Krasnoyarsk, who, after listening to the American, agreed to give him formal Bratva membership, nicknaming him "Kapiushon".[11]

Oliver officially becomes a Bratva member

Anatoly hugs Oliver after he officially becomes a Bratva member.

Some times after this, Anatoly introduces Oliver to Bratva Pakhan Ishmael Gregor, who sent him on an undercover mission to destroy one of Kovar's casinos.[12] However, after he discovered that Pakhan Gregor had made a deal with Kovar, Anatoly questioned his decision as it betrayed the organization, so he was beaten badly by Pakhan's men. After Oliver visited him and found out about what happened, he proposed to Anatoly a plot to kill the Pakhan.[13] However, before the two could decide their moves, Gregor and his men attacked them in the hospital where Anatoly had recovered.[14]

Anatoly elected new Pakhan

Anatoly elected new Pakhan.

Knowing prior that he and Oliver could be killed, Anatoly invoked the "spros dopros", a Bratva trial in which the Pakhan is asked to answer for his deeds. Before the process, Oliver broke into Kovar's home finding evidence of Gregor's corruption, therefore the majority of the Bratva captains decided to vote for Anatoly as the new Pakhan; then Gregor's men opened fire on them starting a mutiny.[15]

After the shootout most of the captains are killed and Gregor escaped with some of his men intending to promote new captains loyal to him; however, Anatoly and Oliver, dressed in his green suit, attacked Gregor during the meeting with his loyal Bratva members managing to kill him.[16]

As the new Pakhan, Anatoly met with Konstantin Kovar to question him about the deal he made with Gregor, learning that the governor planned to overthrow the Russian government using a nerve gas during an evening into his casino. Anatoly, Oliver and their fellow Bratva companions tried to prevent Kovar from acquiring the weapon but failed and are then forced to infiltrate the casino battling Kovar's criminal organization; however they are betrayed by Viktor and taken under custody by Kovar, who then tried to kill them and all the people into the building with the gas.

Oliver gets his Bratva captain tattoo

Anatoly makes Oliver a Bratva captain.

After Oliver managed to stop Kovar's plan subduing him, Anatoly tried to convince his friend to bring him to justice, but Oliver choose to stab him instead. Later, Anatoly made Oliver a Bratva captain.[17]

Oliver then asked Anatoly if he could get transportation back to Lian Yu, as it was the one alibi that could explain why he had been gone so long. Anatoly asked him to reconsider, wanting him to become a full-time Bratva member. After Queen refused the request, Knyazev asked Oliver to visit a hospital with him. They saw many sick children and Anatoly revealed that he wanted to steal medicine from a warehouse to help the kids and have their faith in the Bratva. This heist would also act as a goodbye celebration for the both of them. After stealing and distributing the medication, Anatoly once again tried to persuade Oliver to stay. Again, he kindly rejected the offer. Anatoly relented, wondering what he would become without Oliver at his side.[18]

Prochnost

"Prochnost".

Later, Anatoly and Oliver returned to Lian Yu together to enact Oliver's plan to be found there. Upon the shore, Oliver found Slade Wilson's mask and impaled it with an arrow, believing that it was a sign. He then bring Anatoly to the graves of all the people he buried on the island, explaining why he has to complete his mission, once he will return home. Before leaving, Anatoly tells him that he bribe some fishermen to come to the island in 48 hours to rescue him and made it look like it was just a coincidence that they found him. He also gave him a fake beard and wig from one of his KGB friends to further complete his story as a castaway.[19]

After he and Oliver parted ways, Anatoly told the other Bratva members, including Alexi Leonov, many good things about him[20] however, for an unknown reason, Anatoly never liked Alexi.[13]

Moving to Moscow[]

Anatoly greets Oliver and Diggle in his office

Anatoly greets Oliver and Diggle in his office.

Eventually, Anatoly moved to Moscow and, in 2013, he met again with Oliver to help him find information regarding the whereabouts of Lyla Michaels. They found out she broke into a "gulag" prison known as Koshmar, but evidently had trouble breaking back out. He later helped them break Lyla Michaels, John Diggle, and Floyd Lawton out.[21]

Sometime after that, Anatoly heard that Oliver asked for a favor from Alexi Leonov, but when Alexi asked for a favor in return, Oliver pointed a gun on his head. He also heard that because of this favor, Alexi got killed. Anatoly got angry on Oliver for breaking the Bratva's sacred rules and realized that he shouldn't welcome Oliver as a Bratva member anymore. He also decided that Oliver is not welcome in Russia.[13]

Dissent among the ranks[]

Anatoly tells Oliver he is no longer welcome in Russia

Anatoly tells Oliver that he is no longer welcome in Russia.

In 2017, Oliver decided to come to Russia to stop general J.G. Walker from selling a nuclear device to a group of separatists form Markovia. Due to Anatoly being his only friend in Russia, Oliver tried to contact him, but Anatoly didn't respond, probably because of what happened with Alexi Leonov. Oliver came to Russia anyway, and as Anatoly met him at the airport, he punched Oliver in the face saying that he should never have come back. Anatoly reminded Oliver that he once disobeyed the orders of Alexi, and told him that in doing so, he broke the sacred rules and was no longer welcome. Oliver and Diggle met with him later that day to request the Bratva's help to catch Walker and reminded Anatoly that the only reason that he was Pakhan was because Oliver had killed Gregor. Anatoly consented to help, but on the condition that Oliver help him with mob business. After Queen refused, Anatoly told them that there was no way he would help. Queen later returned, asking what was required of him. Anatoly sent Oliver and Dinah Drake to shut down a rival criminal outfit.

Anatoly and his men help Team Arrow

Anatoly and his men join their forces with Team Arrow.

After doing so, he met with Team Arrow to attack Walker, his men, and the Markovians. They were able to stop the sale and have the criminals arrested. The next day, they celebrated at a bar. After drinking with Drake, he called her his new "favorite American". He approached Oliver about another favor and his loyalty to the Bratva, reminding him that his oath was for life.[13]

Severing ties[]

Oliver asks Anatoly to kill Adrian Chase

Oliver asks Anatoly to kill Adrian Chase.

Roughly two months later, Anatoly was called to Star City by Oliver. They met in the Arrowcave, where Oliver told him that he needed the Bratva to kill Adrian Chase/Prometheus. Oliver admitted that the hood couldn't contain his monster. Anatoly was pleased that Oliver finally saw himself clearly and had remembered his Bratva oath. He insisted on a two-part payment to complete the deal, two sets of pharmaceutical drugs from factories throughout the city, and Oliver agreed. While stealing diabetes drugs, Knyazev and his men were interrupted by Diggle, Dinah, Curtis Holt, and Rene Ramirez. Anatoly told John that they were there with Oliver's blessing. While meeting with Oliver, Anatoly explained that he was combining two drugs to create an opioid that was more addictive than heroin, thus finally cementing his role as Pakhan. Diggle arrived and caught the end of that conversation, causing him to be more committed than ever in getting the Bratva out. After his men were stopped from killing Chase by Oliver's team, Anatoly yelled at Oliver for letting his friends get in the way again, and Oliver announced that their deal was off and his men needed to stand down. Anatoly was satisfied, as he needn't kill anybody and he could still take the rest of the drugs. He warned Oliver that if Oliver interfered, their prior relationship wouldn't keep him from being declared a Bratva enemy.

Anatoly confronts Oliver

Anatoly confronts Oliver.

Anatoly and the Bratva headed to the next location, this time taking hostages during the heist. As he was confronted by Green Arrow and his team, he ordered his men to kill the hostages, forcing Oliver to choose between the people and pills. Oliver sent his team in to free the civilians while he fought Anatoly's men. In the end, Anatoly gave him an ultimatum: if he wanted to kill his old life, he'd have to kill Anatoly. Oliver instead activated an alarm so they all had to run before the police arrived, giving his old friend a chance to escape.

Anatoly and Oliver sever their ties

Anatoly and Oliver sever their ties.

Anatoly decided to head back to Russia but leaving behind his men, who were furious at Oliver's betrayal. Oliver refused to apologize for keeping Anatoly from menacing innocent people for money, telling him that he was no better than Gregor. Anatoly admitted that he had to become what he'd became. Without Oliver's presence, Anatoly slipped into corruption and self-interest.[18]

Exile[]

Anatoly shoots his hostage in front of Oliver

Anatoly shoots his hostage in front of Oliver.

Due to his friendship with Oliver, Anatoly was seen as "weak" to the rest of the Bratva and thus exiled from Russia until he prove the contrary. So he and a group of his men came back to Star City and kidnapped a group of Markovian delegates, demanding ransom. After Oliver and his team freed three of his hostages, Anatoly escapes with one, injecting him with a deadly toxin and demanding a ransom for the second time in order to spare the man's life. After Team Arrow detects the toxin and Oliver injects the hostage with the antidote, Anatoly kills the man due to not having received his money, then he was confronted by his former friend over his change of attitude. Anatoly still insists that he is an honorable and good man, claiming that the fact that he did not kidnap, torture or try to kill William, Oliver's son, and revealing that he did not reveal Oliver's identity, as proof and escapes.[22]

Working with Cayden James[]

Cayden James's criminal cabal

Anatoly and the cabal.

Soon after Anatoly allied with Cayden James, Laurel Lance/Black Siren, Vincent Sobel/Vigilante and Ricardo Diaz/Dragon, watching alongside them as Team Arrow implode from the hidden camera that Laurel had planted in the Arrowcave during her initial attack.[23]

Some days later, after Oliver tracks Cayden James and Black Siren into their lair, Anatoly and the Bratva, along with Diaz's men and the Vigilante intervened taking him by surprise and forcing him to leave. As the next night Jerry Bertinelli and Green Arrow set a trap for Cayden's criminal cabal, attracting them to the port, Anatoly fights the Emerald Archer together with his allies until he managed to set an explosion and use it to escape, then he watch as Diaz kills Bertinelli under Cayden's order giving them full control over the port.[24]

Anatoly was present at a meeting to discuss the death of Sheck. James sent him and Diaz to see that the bomb was moved and, after Sobel is exposed as a traitor of the cabal, he is asked to torture him, but does not get any results and is later forced to flee as both branches of Team Arrow attack their lairs, while using some hostages to keep Oliver busy.[25]

Green Arrow and Spartan brought Anatoly to James

Green Arrow and Spartan brought Anatoly to Cayden James.

Later, Anatoly and the rest of the cabal were thanked by James for their contributions to his plan and after noticing the helicopters meant for their escape didn't come, he departed to not be there when the detonation of the bomb occurred. While leaving, he was captured by Spartan and Green Arrow (who accused him for having framed him for the death of James's son) and brought him to James who suspected him of being a traitor along with Black Siren and Diaz. He managed to escape but was chased by Wild Dog and Mister Terrific, whom he fought with before fleeing.[26]

Partnership with the Dragon[]

Anatoly arranged a meeting between Diaz and Black Siren

Anatoly working with Diaz.

After he discovered Diaz killed Cayden James, Anatoly choose to ally with him as the only things that matter for him are money and revenge on Oliver, no matter who can provide them; so he arranged a meeting between Diaz and the escaped Black Siren, then he tried to take Roy Harper away when Team Arrow came to their hideout in order to rescue him, but failed and barely managed to flee.[27]

Anatoly and Diaz sent a message to the police officers who are not under Diaz's payroll

Diaz and Anatoly after he killed one of the officers who had arrested him.

Some weeks later Anatoly was abducted while selling Vertigo for Diaz and arrested by the SCPD officers led by lieutenant Dinah Drake, however, when Oliver went in the interrogations room in order to speak with him, Anatoly informed him that Diaz has men everywhere and is then released by district attorney Sam Armand because he was arrested without a warrant. That night, he killed officer Martin Hurst, one of the officers who had arrested him, out of revenge.[28]

Anatoly visit Oliver after his fight with Diaz

Anatoly visits Oliver after his fight with Diaz.

Some weeks later Anatoly was approached by Oliver, who told him that he has paid his debt with the Bratva in order to allow him to return from his exile and asked him to help him stop Diaz stating that deep down he know Dragon has no code nor honor; however, Anatoly knocked out Oliver and later chained him in order to take him to see Diaz, declaring that he dedicated all his life to the Bratva and because they casted him out, he no longer has interest in them. As he was led to Diaz, Oliver told Anatoly that by working with him, he has betrayed everything in which he has ever believed, so Anatoly convinced Diaz to fight Oliver fairly after watching the former beating the latter with no reason. Oliver managed to best Diaz, only for the latter to stab him with a knife, shocking Anatoly. He tended to Oliver's wounds and planned to help him escape but, before he can do it, Diaz has Oliver arrested and brought to the SCPD anticipating his trial.[29]

Oliver's infiltrator[]

Anatoly as Oliver's infiltrator

Anatoly as Oliver's infiltrator.

After the conclusion of Oliver's trial, Anatoly started to work as a double agent for the vigilante inside of Diaz's organization. After Diaz ordered to kill all of Star City's vigilantes and Lydia Cassamento expressed her dislike for this unplanned action, Anatoly suggested him to move to a safer place where it would be easier to defend. However, Anatoly informed the reformed Team Arrow, who attacked Diaz's truck during the transportation. Anyway, the crime lord managed to fled to the SCPD station and ordered the computer engineer to check the completeness of the data on his pendrive, then he began to strangle Anatoly, accusing him of betrayal. However, the Russian turned the suspicion away from him directing it to Cassamento, something that led Diaz to murder first the woman and then Dragos Ibanescu, becoming the Quadrant's leader much to Anatoly's horror.[30]

Anatoly is threatened at phone by Diaz

Anatoly is threatened at phone by Diaz.

When the vigilantes took back the SCPD station with the aid of the FBI, Anatoly was informed and fled before their arrival, however, as Diaz told him that he allied with the Longbow Hunters in order to kill Green Arrow, Anatoly turned himself in to inform his friend. However, as it turned out, Diaz had fooled Anatoly and had used him to lure Team Arrow to a trap, which Anatoly only realized after learning that the place where he sent them was mined, after which Diaz called Anatoly. Anatoly immediately scornfully lashed out at his former ally and Diaz in return cruelly promised he will kill Anatoly painfully instead of the swift death he planned for the FBI and Team Arrow, but having known of what Diaz truly is, Anatoly remains unfazed.[2]

A.R.G.U.S. Informant[]

Diaz captures Anatoly

Diaz captures Anatoly.

Five months afterwards, Anatoly went back to Moscow and started working as an A.R.G.U.S informant, helping them discover the Longbow Hunters' actions.[31] However one month later, he was tracked down by Diaz who, wanting to exact his revenge on Anatoly for his betrayal, used his newfound strength to easily dispatch his guards on top of a roof holding Anatoly near a ledge. As Silencer walked up she asked if he got what he wanted. Diaz happily answered her question, saying he was going to keep his promise and sarcastically asked the frightened Anatoly if he was right.[32]

Diaz torturing Anatoly

Diaz torturing Anatoly.

Anatoly was taken back to Star City, where Diaz duck taped him to a chair and tortured him. Diaz reminded him of the last time they spoke and how Anatoly betrayed their "friendship". Anatoly claimed that Diaz has no friends. Diaz decided to point out that all of his friends are gone and that he picked the losing side. Diaz picked up a blowtorch and told Anatoly that he's going to help him destroy Oliver Queen, before burning him. Once Diaz was through torturing Anatoly, he forced him to contact an old associate of his in the KGB, Pyotr Roslov, to purchase two of a weapon called BETAB-500 so he could destroy Star City. Having gotten what he wanted from Anatoly, Diaz and the Longbow Hunters took him to a munition's plant in Orchid Bay and put him in a crate with Honor's belt, finding the tracker that Felicity and Black Siren planted in it, and a bomb to lure Team Arrow and SCPD to their doom. However, this failed when Rene noticed the bomb and immediately yelled for everyone to leave the building after saving Anatoly and disabling Silencer's belt.

Anatoly in mission for A.R.G.U

Anatoly in mission for A.R.G.U.S.

After being safely taken to the A.R.G.U.S. headquarters, Anatoly was forced by Felicity into helping their investigation on Diaz's purchased weapon under the threat of revealing his position to the FBI, so he met with Roslov using the excuse of talking about old times in KGB to stole him the files regarding the BETAB-500; however he was discovered and nearly killed due to Felicity refusing to proceed with the extraction plan until the files were entirely copied on her computer.

Anatoly gets a US identity

Anatoly gets a U.S. identity.

Later that night the woman tried to apologize for her action but Anatoly told her that if she really want to be ruthless she had to learn there would be no way to came back on what is done. Felicity thanked Anatoly for his advice and, later, gave him the new identity of "Jason Brown" allowing him to gain U.S. citizenship. Before parting ways with her, Anatoly gave Felicity a gun for her protection.[1]

Back in his homeland[]

Anatoly as a bar owner

Anatoly as a bar owner.

For some time Anatoly lived at the Maldive under his new identity, however, after Diaz's death he decided to return to Russia and open a bar. There he was reached by Oliver Queen, his time-traveling adult children William Clayton and Mia Smoak, and his old ally Laurel Lance in order to find a way to contact general Alexi Burov using his old connections. Anatoly managed to find the general at a Bratva fight club so he, Oliver and Laurel went there to discuss about the experimental weapon he was working at, a pulse wave generator. After Oliver accepted to take part in a fight for the general in exchange of the weapon's plans, Anatoly watched the battle with Laurel confessing he still doesn't trust her. Later, Bratva members kidnapped Oliver and Mia, leading Anatoly and Laurel to rescue them with William's help.

Anatoly shares one last drink with Oliver

Anatoly shares one last drink with Oliver.

Then, after Oliver tried to sent his children away, Anatoly had a drink with him and remembered the first thing he told him, that life wasn't for weak, and his kids are not; thus leading Oliver to make a plan to come back into the fight club and stole the general's hard drive from Bratva's hands. Before Oliver's departure, Anatoly said goodbye to him stating that they had been friends, enemies and from that moment on they would simply be brothers. He also apologized to Laurel for having doubted her change, prior to saying farewell to her too.[33]

Anti-Monitor Crisis[]

During the Anti-Monitor Crisis, Anatoly as well as everyone in the multiverse except for the seven Paragons, was killed in an antimatter wave by the Anti-Monitor on December 10, 2019,[34] only to be restored a month later, after the Paragons and the Spectre created a new universe.[35]

New multiverse[]

Oliver Queen's funeral[]

Anatoly at Oliver's funeral

Anatoly at Oliver's funeral.

Anatoly went to Oliver’s funeral in order to honor his friend. There, he asked a resurrected Tommy Merlyn if it was true that the grave was actually empty since his body was gone, the latter replied positively, explaining that they had only buried a few belongings of his. Later, Anatoly listened to Diggle's eulogy for Oliver.[36]

Personality[]

"You want to be ruthless to pursue madman, I'll not judge you. I am, after all, wanted criminal."
"I actually thought you'd be more pissed I almost got you killed."
"Yeah. Of course I'm angry. You threaten my life, but I don't like apologies. You cannot take away mistake by wishing it so. In my line of work, you make choice, you do not look back.
"
—Anatoly Knyazev and Felicity Smoak[src]

Due to Anatoly's time on Lian Yu, he developed a warrior's perspective, believing that living isn't for the weak and was willing to hand Hendrick Von Arnim over to Slade Wilson for Oliver Queen, as he knew Slade would kill Oliver, but he was less sure what he would do to Hendrick, his time under Anthony Ivo's torture and the island he also seemed to have developed a sadistic sense of humor, as he was perfectly willing to make Ivo suffer once he became his prisoner. He is also displayed to be a very talkative person as Alexi Leonov learned from him Oliver went to Russia to break into a Gulag.

Despite Anatoly's status as a mafia leader, he has a deep sense of honor, as he awarded Oliver the rank of captain in the Solntsevskaya Bratva and therefore; granting him access to its resources, for saving his life, even though it was extremely rare for an American to hold such a rank in the organization, even Oliver stated that his relationship with the Bratva and Anatoly is an extremely valuable one, he holds Oliver in high regard, to the point he doesn't hesitate to help Oliver in anyway he can and also takes an immediate liking to anyone Oliver vouches for, Anatoly is also proven to be a very considerate individual, as he was the first individual who asked where Oliver was after escaping the Amazo, Anatoly also likes individuals with an unbreakable determination as he stated he took a liking to John Diggle when he refused to deter from his mission to save Lyla Michaels from the Gulag, despite hearing how dangerous of a mission it is. His loyalty to his friends is without question and oddly enough for a mafia leader, Anatoly is exceptionally friendly and seemed to be a man of good morals as seen by his reaction to Oliver's growing violent tendencies and when he tried to convince Oliver to let the Bratva bring Konstantin Kovar to justice instead of killing him.

However, over time, Anatoly began to change in Oliver's absence, becoming corrupt, ruthless and self-serving under the justification that he became what he needed to be, these traits caused his friendship with Oliver to end and turned them against each other, however, Anatoly does still hold onto his friendship with Oliver as he was visibly affected to the point of near tears when Oliver lectured him on how he has fallen and he did warn Oliver that his best men were staying behind in Star City to get revenge on Team Arrow. If he had truly wanted Oliver dead, he would have let them take Oliver by surprise because Oliver knew they were arrested, but not out on bail.

After Anatoly was exiled from Russia and stripped of his Pakhan status, he blamed Oliver, as his friendship made him appear weak which has made him forgo his personal sense of honor in favor of ambition and power, although Anatoly retains his jovial and sarcastic demeanor, he displays a far more ruthless streak; such as when he kidnapped a group of Markovian delegates, demanding ransom money and injecting one of him with a deadly toxin in order to force Oliver to give into his demands, then killed his hostage without hesitation; when his ex-friend didn't give into his demands. Oliver was horrified by this act, claiming the good man Anatoly was has devolved into a monster even worse than Ishmael Gregor (the latter who focused more on personal fulfillment than the good of the Bratva that Anatoly ironically despised) Anatoly corrected Oliver; stating that Gregor was just as bad as he was describing him to be, but Oliver never saw it as he was too naïve.

Despite Anatoly's ruthless actions, he still retains a sense of honor, as he claims to be an honorable man; proof of this was the fact that he did not resort to revealing Oliver's identity as Green Arrow to the public or having his son, William Clayton kidnapped and tortured, as well as offered Oliver a chance to surrender instead of shooting him outright, proven that even though they stand apart and he blamed his ex-friend for him losing everything, he still had a level of care for Oliver. Anatoly also was clearly disapproving when Oliver revealed that all his allies have left him and he is doing it alone due to his convintion that alone means he can succeed, showing that he does not approve of just simply neglecting allies.

Even with all that happened, Anatoly's own sense of honor and decency proves to outweigh his desire for money, power or reputation, as he was drawn to Ricardo Diaz's operations because of the rewards it would reap, however, after witnessing Diaz's true nature, that of a self-serving and cowardly sociopath with no sense of honor and decency, as when he unhesitatingly cheated to defeat Oliver, Anatoly's eyes were finally opened and he saw Diaz for what he truly was. This caused him to realize that despite his claims of being an honorable man, working alongside Diaz meant abandoning all form of decency and honor, just like Oliver said he was becoming by following Diaz, still deeply valuing honor, Anatoly was horrified and disgusted by Diaz's true nature, and was ashamed and regretful for what he almost became, because of his ambitions. He remorsefully and sincerely apologized to Oliver for not realizing what Diaz truly was and for working with such a man.

Therefore; Anatoly's new-found clarity of Diaz's true nature caused him to immediately switch sides, completely reconciling with Oliver out of sympathy and guilt for what his ex-friend, who betrayed him but clearly proved to be a honorable and decent man; unlike Diaz who lacks any form of honor and decency, to the point that he was willing to break Oliver out and openly betray Diaz despite the risk it would put him in had he not been interrupted by Diaz's men, after Diaz began open war with Oliver, Anatoly does not hesitate to risk his life to give Oliver information and even willing to turn himself in to warn Oliver of the Longbow Hunters. Upon realizing that his cover was blown, Anatoly immediately lashed out at Diaz and did not attempt to reinforce his cover, exchanging spiteful words with his former ally.

Due to Anatoly being completely aware of Diaz's true nature, he has no fear of him, remaining unfazed by Diaz's threats of a slow and painful death, as he was only concerned by the fate of the ones trapped by Diaz, however, after coming face-to-face with a now-enhanced Diaz months later, Anatoly displayed true fear of Diaz, not because he was going to fulfill the promise he made months ago (regarding a slow and painful death) but because of the latter's new-found enhanced strength. However, despite this, Anatoly quickly got over his fear of Diaz's enhanced strength, as he began to taunt the latter, stating that "men like you don't have any friends". Anatoly is also proven to be reasonable, as he bore no ill-will at Felicity for risking his life and instead gave her advice on how to be ruthless.

By 2019, Anatoly has largely turned his life around; he now has a peaceful life as a bar owner. He now considers Oliver as his brother, regardless of whether or not if they are blood related. He even offers to be the "cool uncle" figure to William and Mia Smoak.

Abilities[]

"Ah... KGB. You taught me many, many things."
—Anatoly Knyazev[src]
  • Peak of human physical condition: Anatoly is in considerable physical form for a man of his age; he has fast reflexes, a remarkable durability, and is strong enough to swiftly incapacitate or even break the neck of a much larger foe with ease,[16] as well as outclass the physically well-trained Curtis Holt and Rene Ramirez at the same time,[26] although he is still grossly outclassed by some of the physically most powerful individuals in the entire multiverse, such as Oliver Queen and Ricardo Diaz. Anatoly has commendable durability and resilience, as he could withstand being tortured with a blowtorch for a whole day and get back into action in a few hours.[1] His conditioning also lets him recover from most injuries very quickly, though not superhumanly.[13] He has proven to be incredibly nimble and agile, such as when he escaped from Team Arrow or fought them while unarmed.[26][27]
    • Honed senses: Anatoly has sharp hearing and sight, as well as keen skills of perception.[14] He is able to pick up an incoming danger and react extremely quickly.[26]
  • High-level intellect/Master tactician/Leader: As the leader of the Solntsevskaya Bratva, Anatoly has proven to be an extremely intelligent individual, a very capable tactician, planner and leader; being able to organize criminal activities all while remaining off-charts and covering up his tracks up until his retirement.
    • Expert of deception/Manipulator: Anatoly can be very deceptive, effectively helping Oliver with his cover story about the five years he spent away from Starling City. Anatoly was even able to fool Diaz himself into instead believing Lydia Cassamento was the traitor in his organization when confronted over his betrayal. However, Anatoly was unable to convince Diaz a second time after being caught contacting by Oliver.
    • Explosives expert: Having worked for KGB, Anatoly is an expert in explosives, knowledgeable in how Russian and Japanese bombs work. He was able to disarm a Japanese landmine on Lian Yu and taught Oliver how to build electronic bombs, during the latter's stay in Russia.[12]
    • Expert interrogator/Torturer: During his time with the KGB, Anatoly became an effective interrogator and torturer. He is capable of inflicting much physical pain into a target without killing them and even employs mind games to worsen the discomfort.
    • Bilingual: As a native Russian, Anatoly speaks that language fluently, in addition to English.
  • Expert hand-to-hand combatant/Martial artist: Although Anatoly prefers to use firearms, he is proven to be an excellent hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist, able to compete against dangerous combatants and easily disarm or kill armed men with his bare hands.[16] When Mr. Terrific and Wild Dog hunted for him, Anatoly was able to escape them, easily overtaking the former in a swift attack and effortlessly disarming the latter of his gun.[26] However, Anatoly's combat skills are no match for combatants at Oliver Queen and Ricardo Diaz's level, as when he attempted to attack Oliver, he was effortlessly countered and beaten to the ground with a single punch,[27] and on both times Diaz attacked him, Anatoly was swiftly subdued and put into a chokehold.
  • Expert marksman: As a former member of the Russian navy and the KGB, Anatoly is highly skilled in the use of firearms. He was able to easily best Wild Dog in a shooting match while running away, managing to shoot the vigilante in the arm. He also shot and killed Alec Tarkov and Martin Hurst, and accurately shot one of Mr. Terrific's T-Spheres.
  • Escape artist: Anatoly is also a master escape artist, able to free himself from various confinements such as zip-cuffs.
  • Network: As the leader of the Solntsevskaya Bratva and a former agent of the KGB, Anatoly has established many connections who provide him aid for various natures.
  • Indomitable will/High pain tolerance/Expert survivor: Anatoly has an extremely high tolerance for pain; presumably due to his experience with the KGB, he is proven to be quite resistant to torture[6][7] and is able to dislocate his own thumbs to free himself from restraints with no sign of pain.[5] Anatoly also has great survival skills, as he was able to survive in the wild on Lian Yu. His willpower allowed him to survive near-death experiences.

Equipment[]

  • Pistol: Anatoly is very proficient in using guns. He kept one holstered under his jacket to use it in case of emergencies.
  • Dual handguns: Anatoly used two pistols as weapons to kill Gregor's men. He is a skilled gunman, shooting two pistols with ease.
  • Taser: Anatoly used a taser to subdue Oliver.

Appearances[]

Arrow[]

Season 1

Season 2

Season 5

Season 6

Season 7

Season 8


DC's Legends of Tomorrow[]

Season 1[]

The Flash[]

Season 5[]

Trivia[]

Behind the scenes[]

  • In the DC comics, Anatoly Knyazev is a Russian assassin known as "KGBeast". He is primarily an enemy of Batman and his allies.
    • Anthony Ivo trying to remove Anatoly's eye in "The Promise"​ is a reference to the comics, where KGBeast has a cybernetic eye.
  • Anatoly was originally credited as "The Russian" and "Knyazev" in "Crucible"​ and "Keep Your Enemies Closer"​, respectively.
    • Unlike his comic book counterpart, Anatoly on the show started out as a supporting protagonist until transitioning into a villain before becoming an ally to Oliver Queen again after seeing Ricardo Diaz's lack of honor.
  • The actor who plays Anatoly as a young, George Klimovich, also played a bully in the first season of The Flash.

References[]

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