Origin
The KGBeast first appeared as a Batman villain in the comic book ” Ten Nights of The Beast“. In order to put an end to the good relations between Russia and the United States, Anatoli is sent by The Hammer’s General to kill ten highly ranked US officials who are working on a program called the United States Strategic Defense Initiative, or the “Star Wars” Program. Despite Batman’s efforts to prevent Anatoli from succeeding, The KGBeast was able to kill 7 of his targets. He even killed one hundred people in the banquet area just to make sure they were really dead. The worst part is that the KGBeast was able to escape. The Batman was able to capture him by roping his arm, and the only means of escape was to cut off his trapped arm with an axe. He then replaced his lost arm with a cybernetic gun.
Major Story Arcs
KGBeast’s next target would be the US President, but this time Batman was able to save the target and both the KGBeast and Batman continued their fight in the sewers. In the end of their chase, Batman was able to trap him in an underground room. Knowing that if Anatoli were to be arrested, he may be sent back to Russia to which he can escape punishment. The Beast invited Batman in a fight to the death but Batman just locked the room leaving him trapped. He was then found by the police and sent to Russia but true enough, he escapes custody.
The KGBeast then goes into hiding and his protege, the NKVDemon goes out from the shadows; however he dies in the hands of one of Russia’s Detectives named Nikita Krakov. He then reappears as a henchman for the Russian mob and fights Robin and The Huntress but in the end he escapes their grip. He next reappears threatening Gotham City with a Nuclear Bomb, he was then defeated by Robin and Batman.
Batman vs. Wildcat
Ted Grant meets with a local snitch named Flea Fitzgerald because he has heard about an underground fight club called the “The Secret Ring” in Gotham and a Wildcat wannabee was reported dead nearby. On the other side of Gotham, Bruce is made aware of this fight club thanks to his golfing rival Devlin. Devlin is a spectator of the sport and has often recorded the fights through a special satellite downlink.
As Batman, Bruce visits Gordon at the precinct to find out what the police is aware of. Gordon escorts Batman to the precinct’s morgue where they have kept the supposed Wildcat’s corpse for the last 24 hours. The body was found near a harbor in the Tri-Corner Yards with bite marks similar to that of Killer Croc’s. Gordon identifies the victim as Hector Ramierez, a high school graduate who joined the Navy and became a heavyweight boxer. Ramierez used Pugilism during his boxing matches which is a fighting style that Wildcat favors. Ramierez must have been a student of Ted’s and adopted his mentor’s mantle to keep the memory of Wildcat alive.
Bruce figures the only way to get in to the Secret Ring is to pose as Matches Malone. As Malone, Bruce pays Penguin a visit and inquires about the fight club but their conversation is interrupted by Wildcat. It turns out Flea has gone missing and Wildcat demands to where he is. Penguin agrees to assist Wildcat in order to prevent him from inflicting any more damage to the Iceberg Lounge.
Meanwhile, Ernie Chubb, the operator of the Secret Ring, organizes his next fight. In the second bout, KGBeast is scheduled to fight a Venom addict named Willis Danko. Ernie Chubb has been working with Lock-Up in order to detain all the heavy hitters for his fight club. Chubb gained Lock-Up’s obedience by promising Bolton that he would fulfill his need to exact justice on the scum of Gotham by putting them through these death matches in the “Secret Ring”. Chubb also guaranteed that he would share the revenues of the fights with Bolton in order to fund his latest incarceration venture. Lock-Up has designed a new prison within the bowels of Gotham which he has dubbed the Sewer of Life.
Chubb on other hand, wants to settle his own personal blood lust. Chubb was once a prized heavyweight boxer but his violent tendencies caused the deaths of numerous fighters. The promoters at first, warned Chubb to restrain his anger but when he refused to let up, they had him dismissed from the sport permanently. Chubb felt that the promoters and fighters were simply envious of his talents because their human frailty and lack of stamina was no match for Chubb’s superior abilities, education and raw power. Chubb believes that the sport of boxing is his birthright and he intends to take it back with the “Secret Ring”.
Wildcat catches up with Flea and decides to interrogate him at the Tri-Corner Landfill. Wildcat straps Flea to front of a motorcycle with his face facing the handle bars as well as Wildcat. After the grueling torture of heat and friction from the motorcycle, Flea finally divulges the actual location of the Secret Ring. The Secret Ring is located in the canal zone nearby the Union Railyard.
Oracle comes up with a homing device that tracks down pirated transmissions from satellites or transponders like the Secret Ring broadcast. Batman begins tracing the broadcast when the fight between KGBeast and Willis Danko initiates. KGBeast’s automatic sniper rifle is removed from his severed left hand and replaced with a crudely fashioned sledge hammer. As for Willis Danko, Chubb feeds Danko’s addiction by giving him a replica of Bane’s Venom modular. On a side note: Willis Danko may have some connection to Danko Twag (the supposedly first Killer Moth) since Willis exclaims that he wrap KGBeast in his “cocoon of terror”.
Batman races against time in the Batmobile as he heads east on Havelock then south on Bank Street near the canal zone’s hundred block. Batman reaches the source of the broadcast and has Oracle cancel the transmission. Wildcat makes his own brash entrance into the Secret Ring but Chubb’s men had masks and used knockout gas to sedate Wildcat. The fight between Danko and KGBeast ends bloody as KGBeast uses the sharp end of his sledgehammer hand to sever the connection between Danko and the Venom modular. Danko becomes fatigued from the Venom withdrawal and KGBeast ends Danko by slamming his head repeatedly into the ground with his sledgehammer hand.
Chubb orders Lock-Up to calm KGBeast down by using tranquilizer darts and then has him greet Batman with his electrical billy club. Batman is unconscious for a short while until he is thrown into the Secret Ring blindfolded. Chubb informs Batman that audience wants a little more excitement so Batman and his contender will not be able to see and will have to depend on their other senses to fight each other to the death. Both Batman and Wildcat have no idea that they are fighting each other nor do they realize that their boxing mitts have been spiked.
His Last Days
The KGBeast soon becomes distraught with his current criminal status. His old stories of legend and lore are soon forgotten and the great KGB hitman becomes nothing more than a henchman or someone for hire, even losing to Harvey Dent in a physical fight. KGBeast was killed by the Tally Man, by order of the Great White Shark. However, death could not hold the assassin, since KGBeast has been resurrected as a Black Lantern.
New 52
KGBeast appears in the New 52 as an enemy of Aquaman and the Others. His backstory seems the same. He is still one of the most dangerous mercenaries / soldiers of DC Earth.
Powers and Abilities
KGBeast is a Soviet super soldier. He was enhanced cybernetically and trained to perfection by KGB.
Superhuman Strength
KGBeast possesses superhuman strength due to his cybernetic enhancements, and is also known to be rather invulnerable to gunfire.
Enhanced Stamina / Agility / Durability
KGBeast possesses enhanced levels of stamina, agility and durability due to his cybernetic enhancements. He is faster than any human that Prisoner of War has ever faced and was able to escape Batman and survive after having cut his own arm.
Expert Combatant / Spy / Assassin / Marksman
KGBeast was trained to perfection by KGB. He is an expert in both armed and unarmed combat being able to hold his own against opponents like Batman and the Operative. He has been called “the greatest Sambo and Systema fighter on the planet”.
He is also an expert spy and assassin being able to carry his mission on foreign soil while superheroes try to stop him.
Weapons and Equipment
KGBeast has been enhanced cybernetically and replaced his lost limb with prosthetic weapon arm.
Cybernetic Enhancements
KGbeast has cybernetic enhancements that increase his physical abilities.
Weapon Arm
KGBeast replaced his missing arm with a special weapon arm. The prosthetic can fire bullets, dispense gas and also has a bayonet for melee combat. Anatoli is an expert with it.
Other Media
Justice League Unlimited
KGBeast appeared in the episode “Kid Stuff” in Justice League Unlimited. He, Blockbuster, Copper Head, and Cheetah were robbing a bank. They were all defeated by Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern. He later disappeared to another dimension, with other adults of the world. He was not voiced by anyone, but he started screaming when he was shocked by the electricity in his back pack. KGBeast later made a couple of background appearances as a member of Gorilla Grodd’s Secret Society in “I Am Legion”, “Dead Reckoning” and “The Great Brain Robbery”. In the episode “Alive” he is seen fighting on Gorilla Grodd’s side during his attempted mutiny, firing his gun at unknown villains. Hovewer, he was seen in Luthor’s group when Killer Frost froze his allies. He was probably killed in the blast when Darkseid blew up the ship.
Arrow
Anatoli Knyazev appears in the CW TV show Arrow, played by David Nykl. He was mentioned in the episode “Vertigo” in the first season, but did not appear. His first on-screen appearance was in the episode “Crucible”. Before Oliver Queen returned to Starling City, he was captured by Anthony Ivo and held prisoner aboard his ship, the Amazo. Knyazev was also a prisoner of Ivo, and this is where he and Oliver became acquainted. The two men became friends while imprisoned, and it is implied that Oliver learnt Russian from Anatoli. Years later, Anatoli would describe Oliver as “my favorite American”. At some later point, Oliver saved Knyazev’s life, and the latter considered himself forever in Queen’s debt after that . Returning to Russia after his imprisonment, he rose up the ranks of the criminal underworld until he became the head of Solntsevskaya Bratva, a mafia outfit based out of Moscow.
In the episode “Keep Your Enemies Closer”, Oliver and Diggle travel to Moscow after Amanda Waller informs them that Diggle’s ex-wife, A.R.G.U.S agent Lyla Michaels, disappeared while following Deadshot’s trail. Upon arriving in the city, Oliver suggests they first make contact with Knyazev to gather information and make a plan. Anatoli greets them warmly and extends his full hospitality. He digs around and finds out that Deadshot had been captured and imprisoned in a gulag, and that Lyla had also been captured and imprisoned in the same prison after trying to break in and bring Lawton back to A.R.G.U.S. He then provides Diggle with a way inside the prison and a way out after Lyla and Deadshot are retrieved.
This version of the character is not known by his alias “KGBeast” and does not possess any of the special powers or abilities of the original comic book character.
Anatoli Knyazev appears in the CW TV show Legends of Tomorrow. He is portrayed as a young boy in the episode “Fail Safe. ” He is played by George Klimovich. The episode takes place in 1986 as Rip Hunter and his crew pursue Vandal Savage through time and space.