Just when you thought they couldn’t possibly cram any more characters into Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, more come out of the woodwork. We now have a face to put to the name Anatoli Knyazev, otherwise known as the KGBeast. According to new reports, Callan Mulvey will take on the role, though likely with a little twist.
Heroic Hollywood has the story, and while they make reference to the KGBeast character, it sounds like this version will be significantly different than the one that readers have seen in the comics. In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Anatoli Knyazev will be Lex Luthor’s right hand man who "keeps tabs" on the film’s laundry list of metahumans. Whether he will still be the scientifically advanced (ex) KGB agent of the comics, who happens to be on Luthor’s payroll, or just a hired tough guy is unclear. Depending on how much he has to do to keep up with the metahumans, the altered guy may be the one Luthor needs. Either way, it doesn’t sound like Mulvey will actually be referred to as the KGBeast in any way in this movie, but that’s the reason that they make sequels!
Callan Mulvey is an Australian actor who hasn’t made a big splash in the US, although you’ve certainly seen him around. He played the role of Scyllias in 300: Rise of an Empire (giving him a Zack Snyder connection), and he had a small part as one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. turncoats in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Remember the guy who asks if Cap is wearing a parachute at the beginning of the movie? Yeah, that guy. Well, I could have said he played Jack Rollins, but it’s not like that would’ve helped.
We’ve known he has a part in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice we just didn’t know what it was until now.
In the comics, the KGBeast was actually one of Batman’s tougher, if lesser known, foes, who at one point cuts his own hand off in a fight with the bat in order to avoid capture. Now that is a seriously tough guy. The character has also appeared on Arrow (again, not under the KGBeast name) as one of the contacts Oliver Queen makes while shipwrecked on Lian Yu.
Since they’re bothering to give Mulvey’s character a name, and a good one at that, we hope he’ll have some opportunity to kick some butt and he’ll be doing more than just being "hired thug #1." Dropping in Easter eggs for pure fan service can only get you so far. At the same time, there’s so much going on this movie, it’s hard to tell where they’ll have time for another major villain.
