| The Russian | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Punisher Vol. 5, #8 (November 2000) |
| Created by | Garth Ennis (writer) Steve Dillon (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Ivan Vassilovitch Dragovsky[1][2] |
| Species | HumanCyborg |
| Place of origin | Earth-616 |
| Team affiliations | Gnucci Family General Kreigkopf's Army |
| Abilities | Considerable strength, stamina and durability Nigh-invulnerability Enhanced sense of smell |
The Russian (Ivan Vassilovitch Dragovsky;Russian: Иван Васильевич Драговский) is asupervillain appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. He is an enemy of thePunisher andSpider-Man.[3]
Kevin Nash portrayed the character in the 2004 filmThe Punisher while Billy Clements portrayed him in the 2024Marvel Cinematic Universe filmDeadpool & Wolverine.
Created byGarth Ennis andSteve Dillon, the character made his first appearance inThe Punisher Vol. 5, #8 (November 2000).
The Russian debuted off-panel inThe Punisher Vol. 5, #8, was fully introduced in the following issue, and appeared in every subsequent one up until his death in Issue #11. In the following series, the character was resurrected as acyborg, and was featured inThe Punisher Vol. 6, #1-5.
The Russian received profiles inMarvel Encyclopedia #5,All-NewOfficial Handbook of the Marvel Universe #9, andOfficial Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #9
The earliest known sightings of the Russian occurred while he was vacationing inAfghanistan in the 1980s. He subsequently traveled the world, inserting himself into various conflicts for fun and profit; locations he is said to have fought in includeLebanon,Iraq,Rwanda,East Timor,Chechnya, theBalkans, andBelfast (where heconsumed a man on a bet). The Russian's activities led to him being wanted dead or alive by numerous law enforcement agencies, as well as criminal organizations such as theyakuza.[4]
The Russian is contacted at his home inKazakhstan by American crime lordMa Gnucci, who offers him ten million dollars to kill thePunisher. The Russian agrees to the deal, boards a Russian airliner to North America, crashes it above Canada, and crosses the border into New York City, where he is briefed by Gnucci.[4][5] The Russian is then brought to the Punisher's current address, and engages thevigilante, their fight (which the Russian dominates) bringing them into the apartment of the Punisher's neighbor, Mr. Bumpo. The Punisher burns the Russian's face with a hot pizza that Bumpo had been dining on, trips him, and then throws Bumpo on top of him. The Russian asphyxiates under Bumpo, and has his head cut off by the Punisher, who uses it to intimidate what remains of Gnucci's forces into surrendering.[6][7][8]
The Russian's remains are recovered by General Kreigkopf, who resurrects him as acyborg using technology stolen fromS.H.I.E.L.D. He is given experimental hormone treatments to stabilize his body, causing him to develop breasts (which he adores) and an implied form ofmenstruation.[9] To test the Russian's capabilities, Kreigkopf approves his request to return to New York City to kill the Punisher, who the Russian throws off of theEmpire State Building. The Punisher is saved bySpider-Man, and in the battle that ensues he wields the superhero as a human shield, and uses his web-shooters to knock the Russian off of the skyscraper. The Russian survives crashing through the street below and being hit by a subway train, and retreats to Kreigkopf's base on Grand Nixon Island.[10] The Russian is repaired, and denied another chance to face the Punisher.[11][12]
The Russian is placed on aBoeing 747 full of soldiers that Kreigkopf intends to have attack theEuropean Union inBrussels. The Punisher, who had tracked the Russian down, forces the airplane to crash into Grand Nixon Island's fuel depot; the Russian emerges from the wreckage as the only survivor.[13] When Kreigkopf improvises his attack plan by ordering that a French airplane carrying a nuclear warhead be hijacked, the Punisher boards the aircraft, followed by the Russian. The Punisher blows out the back of the Russian's head by shoving a gun into his mouth, then chains him to the atomic bomb and drops it on Grand Nixon. The island and all of the criminals on it are obliterated, as is the Russian.[8][14]
In his first storyline, the Russian possessed tremendous strength and durability; he singlehandedly wipes out a Bravo Force team, unintentionally crushes a man with a friendly gesture, smacks the Punisher with a toilet he had ripped out of its foundation, and tears apart a revolver, while also being unfazed by being kicked in the crotch, stabbed in the stomach, and bludgeoned with a chair. Additionally, he alludes to surviving freefalling from an airplane, and being repeatedly shot in the head. Despite his nigh-invulnerability, the Russian was sensitive to heat, becoming enraged when the Punisher successfully injured him with a stove, and a hot pizza.
When General Kreigkopf resurrected the Russian, he had his body augmented with plastics andadamantium, replaced most of his organs with ones taken from animals, and gave him olfactory sensors that increased his sense of smell to the level of abloodhound.
In his initial comic appearances, the Russian was shown to have an obsession withAmerican pop culture. His first thoughts upon being offered $10 million to kill the Punisher was a realization of how many pairs ofLevi's andCompact Discs he could buy with that amount. The Russian is also a self-confessedsuperherofan. He is the president of "TheDaredevil, Man Without Fear, Fan Club" ofSmolensk. He also wished to gain autographs from theX-Men, theFantastic Four, andSpider-Man. He also believesThor would make a goodcommunist because of his big hammer.
An alternate universe variant of the Russian makes a cameo appearance inThe Punisher (vol. 7) #75.[15]
An alternate universe variant of the Russian appears inPunisher Noir. This version is a mercenary and former soldier. FollowingWorld War I, he was sent after Frank Castelione, who shoves a grenade into the Russian's pants and leaves him for dead in their ensuing fight. Years later, the Russian, now identifying as female, assistsJigsaw andBarracuda in murdering Frank on mob bossDutch Schultz's behalf.[16][17] After Frank's son, Frank Castelione Jr., grows up to become the Punisher and kills Barracuda and Jigsaw, he confronts the Russian at theBronx Zoo, where the latter is mauled by alligators before Castelione Jr. kills her and frames her as the Punisher.[18]
The Russian appears as a boss inThe Punisher (2005), voiced byDarryl Kurylo. He works with General Kreigkopf to combat the eponymous character until the Russian is killed by a nuclear device that was smuggled into Grand Nixon Island.[22]
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