20 Greatest Arrowverse Villains
19. Anatoly Knyazev
For the majority of his time on Arrow, Anatoly Knyazev was like a big brother to Oliver Queen. Not one he spent a huge amount of time with, owing to his membership of (and later leadership of) the Russian mob, but close nonetheless.
David Nykl played the genial Bratva gangster as a charmer with a moral code and a wry sense of humour, a man who’d go a long way to repay a debt or to help a friend. That’s why, when the two of them fell out so dramatically, Anatoly’s transition to impassive, ruthless criminal had such a powerful impact.
Believing himself betrayed by Queen, Knyazev showed why it is that you never cross the Bratva, allying himself with Ricardo ‘The Dragon’ Diaz to gain revenge on his former friend and causing a million Arrow fans across the world to post cryface emojis and NOOOOO memes.
Fortunately, everyone’s favourite KGBeast came to his senses in time to help foil the villain and save the day. But for a good season or so, Anatoly Knyazev was the worst kind of villain: the kind that used to be your best friend.