The characters of the Major Grom film series.
For the characters from the Comic Book series, see here.
Due to the movies' heavy reliance on plot twists, spoilers on this page are UNMARKED. Thus will give away what happens in the movies.
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Introduced in Plague Doctor
Major Igor Grom
Igor Konstantinovich Grom
"I am no superhero. I can't fly or shoot lasers from my eyes."
Click here to see him in A Rough Childhood
"My name is Igor Grom, and I'm in sixth grade."Portrayed by: Tikhon Zhiznevsky, Kay Aleks Getts (young)
The protagonist of the series. A Saint Petersburg criminal investigator with a keen sense of justice, who follows a strict moral code.
- The Ace: Between his athletic prowess, hand-to-hand combat skills, and brilliant analytical and deductive capabilities, Grom is the best detective in the city — and he knows it.
- Action Hero: While Grom is an investigator, this is his primary operating procedure: chases and restraining are right up his alley, and when he needs information, he prefers to beat it out of people.
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: In the films, Igor watched his police officer father, whom he loved dearly, die when he was twelve years old (due in part to his own actions) and lived with the guilt for years. No such events transpired in the comics.
- The alternate opening to Plague Doctor also reveals that Igor once had a partner who died or disappeared on his watch; because of this, he works alone. Again, this never happened in the comics.
- Adaptational Backstory Change: In the comics, Igor had a fairly stable childhood, attending school with his peers, making top marks, and studying chess and hand-to-hand combat under the encouragement of a Childhood Friend. In the films, by contrast, Igor was an unruly child who (though a brilliant student) frequently skipped class, hung out with ruffians, and rarely saw his police detective father before he was killed in the line of duty died (causing Igor to be adopted by Prokopenko). Film!Igor also didn't study martial arts or hand-to-hand combat until adulthood, when he joined the police force himself.
- Always Gets His Man: Grom never lets a criminal get away — even if it's his day off.
- Catchphrase: "Think, think!" He says this as he imagines and rewinds possibilities before jumping into a fight.
- Combat Pragmatist: Grom's M.O. is "just beat people up", and he will use anything in a fight: bricks, broken glass, a garbage truck...
- Cowboy Cop: He is a Combat Pragmatist who's fond of Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique and openly disdainful of rules. He gets away with this because he is the best, and because his disregard for procedure makes him the only one who is actually able to bring criminals to justice.
- Dark and Troubled Past: When he was a boy, Igor's father was never around. When he tried to earn money so that he and his dad could go on vacation together, his efforts ended up contributing to his father's demise—which happened in front of him. He was twelve years old at the time.
- Doesn't Like Guns: One of Prokopenko's many grievances against Grom is that he never carries his assigned firearm (as he prefers to use his fists). His dislike of firearms may stem from gun-related trauma from his childhood (including a mishap involving a cartridge from his father's gun, getting caught in a shootout, being grazed by a bullet, being threatened with a gun, and watching his father die from a gunshot wound — all of which occurred within the span of 24 hours).
- Generation Xerox: He's almost the spitting image of his father, Konstantin — and, like he, is a Cowboy Cop who prefers to work alone. Yulia even remarks on the striking resemblance between the two."Is this your father? [gestures to photo] Two peas in a pod!"
- Genius Bruiser: As a boy, he was the city's top student in mathematics and physics; as an adult, he remains a brilliant analyst, and is also a skilled fighter.
- Happily Adopted: Averted; while Prokopenko and his wife gave Igor a good home after his father's death, he spent most of his childhood in a state of unhappy numbness (due to grief and the role he played in his father's demise).
- He Cleans Up Nicely: Grom is rather striking when he dons a tuxedo for the grand opening of the Golden Dragon casino (in Plague Doctor).
- Hellbent For Leather: He's rarely seen without his signature worn, brown leather jacket (which is hinted to have previously belonged to either his father or Prokopenko).
- Heroes Fight Barehanded: Igor almost never carries a firearm, preferring to chase down and subdue criminals with his own hands — usually by beating them unconscious.
- Hero Insurance: Subverted: the cost of Igor's collateral damage comes directly out of his paycheck — and that of every other member of the police department. Grom isn't bothered by this. (Prokopenko, however, is.)
- Hidden Depths: Underneath his gruff, Cowboy Cop loner persona, he's an expert strategist and analyst. He's also good at chess—and a good dancer (as is shown at the casino grand opening).
- Hunk: He is a ruggedly handsome manly man.
- Ineffectual Loner: At the start of Plague Doctor, he's a perpetual loner who, while he Always Gets His Man, is undermined by his own careless, reckless behavior and inability to work with others. In the film's final act, after being framed and arrested for the Plague Doctor's crimes, he's forced to rely on others and learns that he can't always go it alone; by the end, he, Dima, and Yulia have become True Companions
- It's All My Fault: He blames himself for his father's death, because he removed a single cartridge from Konstantin's gun on the night he was killed. It isn't truly his fault, but he continues to torment himself over it, even as an adult.
- I Work Alone: Initially, Grom doesn't like working with others, and isn't thrilled when he's partnered with Dubin. By the end of '"Plague Doctor'', he moves past this.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's reckless, aloof, likes to beat information out of suspects, and often gives little thought to how his actions effect others. He also has a soft spot for the downtrodden and a drive to "fix" things when he inadvertently hurts others.
- Lonely Bachelor Pad: Grom lives in a run-down studio apartment, with no food in the fridge except for a rotten apple and a can of whipped cream. Pchelkina even points out that the bathroom has no door. A Rough Childhood reveals that it was the apartment where he was raised by his father; it's hinted that he never renovated or did any repairs because he wants to keep everything as it was when his father lived there.
- Meaningful Name: "Grom" means "thunder".
- Majorly Awesome: Major Grom, who is awesome.
- Manly Tears: After Razumovsky destroys the police station by remotely detonating his fuel canisters, Igor believes that Prokopenko has been killed, and sinks to the floor in tears. When the two are reunited at Razumovsky's arrest, Igor tearfully hugs Prokopenko.
- The end of A Rough Childhood sees him weeping as he looks at his old childhood sketchbook — and a Polaroid of his father.
- Pet the Dog: Literally: he feeds a stray dog who hangs around his favorite shawarma stand.
- Signature Headgear: His brown tweed flat cap, which was given to him by Fedor as a boy for beating him in a game of chess.
- Smart People Play Chess: As a boy, he was taught to play chess by his father and Prokopenko. The game helped to teach him strategy.
- Street Urchin: While Igor was neither an orphan nor homeless, he was very much a child of the streets: due to his father always working, he was often left to his own devices, and spent his days hanging around ruffians, spray painting public property, staying out late, and generally getting into trouble. Ironically, it came to an end after Konstantin died and he became an orphan for real (as Prokopenko took him off the streets and put him in a good school).
- Superhero: Discussed at the end. Grom says that he's not a superhero because he doesn't fly or shoot Eye Beams. Yulia says that "a superhero is not the guy with superpowers, but the guy who defeats the supervillain".
- A Rough Childhood also shows that as a boy, he sometimes fantasized about being an anime-style hero.
- Thou Shalt Not Kill: While he is a Cowboy Cop fond of Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique, he draws the line at killing people. This is what separates him from the criminals he helps prosecute.
- Trademark Favourite Food: He loves shawarma. A Rough Childhood shows that he loved it even as a boy.
Dmitry "Dima" Dubin
Dmitry Evgenievich Dubin
"What do you know about twelve missing refrigerators?"
Portrayed by: Aleksandr Seteykin
A trainee at the Police of the Russian Federation, and Igor Grom's partner.
- Adaptational Wimp: Downplayed: in the comics, he looks to be a young, naïve, defenseless bookworm, but is actually a skilled martial artist capable of taking down a man much larger than himself in one punch; in the film, while he's brave enough to face the Plague Doctor and resourceful enough to defend himself in a dangerous situation, Dima lacks virtually any combat skills.
- Affectionate Nickname: "Dima" counts as one; it's an abbreviated form of his name.
- Alliterative Name: Dima Dubin.
- Badass Bookworm: He knows every law and crime statistic by heart, and he isn't afraid to take on a flamethrower-wielding serial killer.
- Blue Is Heroic: He consistently dresses in blue tones, representing his disciplined nature and his dedication to law and order.
- By-the-Book Cop: Contrasting Grom, Dima is concerned with paperwork and enthusiastically investigates the bizarre refrigerator theft he is assigned to.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: He's the only blonde character in the cast, and is the kindest and most good-hearted.
- Hidden Depths: He is introduced as a Naïve Newcomer cop. He turns out to be a rather skilled artist, and he is the one to correctly guess the Plague Doctor's motivation and origins. Grom initially dismisses his guesses as unrealistic, then follows up on them straight to the perpetrator.
- The Intern: In the film's opening, Dima Dubin comes in for his first day at the police station.
- Manly Facial Hair: Grows a mustache in The Game.
- Naïve Newcomer: He is fresh out of the police academy, and chooses to think the best of others (even when they're criminal lowlifes).
- Nice Guy: He's a genuinely kind, decent young man.
Colonel General Fyodor Prokopenko
Fyodor Ivanovich Prokopenko
"Who do you think you are, a superhero?"
Click here to see him in A Rough Childhood
"Grom, have you lost your mind?!"Portrayed by: Aleksey Maklakov (Plague Doctor), Alexey Vedernikov (A Rough Childhood)
Igor Grom's boss, the head of the Saint Petersburg police.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: In the comics, his hair is blonde; in the films, his hair is brown (and later, gray). This was done to give the character a softer, more "fatherly" appearance.
- Affectionate Nickname: Konstantin used to call him "Fedya" (the informal form of his name). Igor also calls him "Uncle Fedor".
- Arson, Murder, and Lifesaving: Subverted; he gives Igor a huge dressing-down, yelling about the collateral damage he caused, the expense of it all, and how it reflects poorly on himself and the department; the positive — that a gang of dangerous thieves was apprehended — never comes up.
- Beleaguered Boss: Prokopenko hates Grom's Cowboy Cop ways and how they reflect poorly on the rest of the department — and himself.
- Da Chief: By the time of Plague Doctor, Prokopenko is the chief of the police department and Grom's superior, and frequently threatens to fire the Cowboy Cop. The rest of the Department has bets riding on when his patience will finally give out. (It doesn't.)
- Happily Married: While she doesn't appear much in the films, he and his wife, Lena, are an old married couple, and he cares about her very much (even refraining from using rough language in front of her and discouraging others from using it, as she dislikes it).
- Honorary Uncle: He was partners with Igor's father in the 1990s, and spent a lot of time with Igor as a boy, teaching him how to play chess and giving him his signature hat. Off duty, Igor still calls him "Uncle Fedor".
- Large and in Charge: As an old man (i.e. by the time he's become chief of police) he's a rather rotund fellow.
- Like a Son to Me: Though he hides it in front of the rest of the department, Prokopenko sees Igor as the son he never had. The prequel to Rough Childhood confirms that he and his wife, Lena, actually became Igor's legal guardians after Konstantin's death.
- Manly Facial Hair: He wears a paintbrush mustache.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Though he frequently loses his temper with Igor, he knows that Grom solves cases and catches criminals, so he mostly just yells at him, then leaves him be. Some of his tolerance is likely due to the sense of affection he feels for Grom.
Sergey Razumovsky / The Plague Doctor
"My purpose is to change life for the better."
Click here to see him as the Plague Doctor
"Our city is eaten alive with a plague of lawlessness...I will purge this disease with fire."Portrayed by: Sergei Goroshko, Makar Martyanov (young)
A billionaire philanthropist and creator of the Vmeste social network. He has a split personality who acts as the Plague Doctor.
- Affectionate Nickname: Oleg calls him "Seryozha" and "Seryozh", both familiar forms of his name.
- The Alcoholic: As the Plague Doctor's influence becomes stronger (to where he feels he's losing control), he tries to drink his sorrows away. It doesn't work—and, in fact, seems to make The Bird even bolder (causing Sergey to behave more recklessly out of costume).
- Animal Motifs: Ravens. As a boy, he drew pictures of ravens and raven-like creatures, and his alter ego is the Plague Doctor, whose costume evokes a raven (with the mask based directly on a raven's skull). His internal manifestation of the Plague Doctor even appears briefly as a humanoid raven.
- Black Cloak: The Plague Doctor wears a leather one, similar to the robes a medieval Plague Doctor would have worn. It adds to his Grim Reaper vibe.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: He's the head of a tech company, and his alter-ego is a serial murderer, the Plague Doctor (who, ironically, targets Corrupt Corporate Executives himself).
- Evil Counterpart: The Plague Doctor (as Oleg) explicitly compares himself to Batman; both are costumed vigilantes in armored, all-black costumes — with the crucial difference being that Batman doesn't kill. Additionally, Sergey is, like Batman, a wealthy philanthropist with access to high-tech gadgets (with his vigilante side being a split personality instead of a carefully cultivated Secret Identity).
- Evil Genius: He's a brilliant technological innovator, and he's a vigilante serial killer who burns people alive.
- Evil Is Hammy: As the Plague Doctor, he's larger than life.
- Evil Orphan: While he was never adopted, Sergey was extremely troubled as a boy, to where he burned three bullies alive when he was eight years old.
- Evil Redhead: He has sleek, chin-length red hair, and his alter-ego is the Plague Doctor.
- Evil Wears Black: The Plague Doctor costume (save for his mask) is pitch black. Notably, Sergey starts out wearing half-black, half-white outfits; as the Plague Doctor's influence becomes stronger, however, his wardrobe gradually shifts to all dark colors — until the film's climax, when he's revealed in the Plague Doctor's signature all-black costume.
- Famed In-Story: As the Plague Doctor, he amasses quite the fanbase In-Universe because common folk sympathize with his goals and even his methods.
- Fiery Redhead: The Bird reveals himself to be this (in contrast to The Doormat, who is nervous, geeky, and soft-spoken).
- Heroic Blue Screen of Death: When he's in the middle of unveiling Vmeste 2.0 at a press conference, the news breaks that Kirill Grechkin has been acquitted of killing a young girl from the same orphanage where Sergey (and Oleg) grew up. Sergey is so shocked that he drops his phone, stumbles offstage, and runs to his private elevator, where he begins having a panic attack. This is the incident that causes the Bird personality to take up the Plague Doctor mantle.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Oleg Volkov (who has been his friend since childhood).
- Ironic Name: His last name is Razumovsky. "Razum" means "mind" in Russian — for someone who's lost his mind.
- Jekyll & Hyde: Sergey is a shy, nervous, geeky philanthropist; the Plague Doctor, by contrast, is a cocky, violent, bombastic serial killer.
- Kill It with Fire: The Plague Doctor costume is equipped with flamethrowers; his preferred method of dealing with Corrupt Corporate Executives is burning them alive.
- Meaningful Name: His last name is Razumovsky. "Razum" means "mind" in Russian. This suits a genius and a shrewd villain; this is also an Ironic Name for someone who's lost his mind.
- Nervous Wreck: Razumovsky is very nervous when he has to present his invention to the public. He becomes even more jittery after he learns that Oleg is a maniac using Sergey's social network as his tribune, and gets worse still when he realizes Oleg was only a manifestation of his own Split Personality, so he himself is the Plague Doctor. By the stinger in the asylum, he is a frightened, sobbing wreck.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Razumovsky is an obvious stand-in for a real-life entrepreneur Pavel Durov, the creator of the most successful Russian social network Vkontakte/"In contact" — compare Vmeste/"Together" — who later launched the messenger Telegram, one of the main selling points of which was similar untrackability of the information. (Notably, the teaser for the movie heavily focuses on paper planes, which is literally Telegram's logo.) Obviously, besides their business projects, there are no further similarities between the two.
- Plague Doctor: He wears the mask of a medieval plague doctor, uses the concept of a plague in his Motive Rant, and bases his killing method on an actual plague doctor practice (i.e. burning the victims of a disease).
- Pretty Boy: Razumovsky is a slender, well-groomed, attractive young man.
- Rags to Riches: From a penniless orphan to one of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the world.
- Reluctant Psycho: Near the climax, he realizes that the Plague Doctor is his alter-ego and tries to fight him. He loses.
- Serial Killer: As the Plague Doctor, he murders the corrupt, wealthy elite of the city.
- Slasher Smile: He pulls off a rather impressive one
in The Stinger of A Rough Childhood. - Split Personality: Razumovsky is both Sergey ("the doormat" or "the softie") and the Plague Doctor ("the bird").
- Split-Personality Takeover: In the movie's final act, The Bird reveals himself to Sergey in full. Sergey tries to will him away; he fails, and his alter ego seizes control."You will not ruin my plan! You will be with me all the way. You will be in the front row, my friend!"
- Start of Darkness: His dark, vengeful side ("The Bird") was born in childhood when he was bullied, and fully realized when he witnessed a trio of boys tormenting a stray dog and threatening to burn it alive — which inspired him to commit his first murders, and burn them alive.
- Supernatural Gold Eyes: When The Bird is in control, Sergey's eyes seemingly turn golden yellow, like a bird's. Plague Doctor suggests that this change only happens in his mind; however, in The Stinger of A Rough Childhood, Dr. Rubenstein reacts as if the change is externally visible, throwing this into question. This is in contrast to the comics, where Sergey wore yellow contact lenses as part of his villain gear.
- Vigilante Man: The Plague Doctor hunts down the Corrupt Corporate Executives that evade justice thanks to their money and connections.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Razumovsky isn't really worried about being revealed as the Plague Doctor: he has "money, technologies and the power" and frames himself as the victim and Grom as the Plague Doctor.
- Voice of the Legion: When The Bird speaks, his words echo in distorted whispers.
- Wealthy Philanthropist: Sergey spends huge sums of money on funding the orphanage he grew up in and many other things.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Corrupt Corporate Executives evade justice thanks to their money and connections; the Plague Doctor burns them alive.
- Wicked Cultured: Razumovsky is a ruthless serial killer; he's also rather cultured and sophisticated, with an office full of fine art and sculptures (including a giant recreation of Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus) and a love for fine wines, charcuterie boards, and silk dressing gowns.
- Would Hit a Girl: As the Plague Doctor. His second victim is a corrupt female bank president; he burns her alive. He also burns the wife of a corrupt land developer alongside her husband (and tries to kill Yulia Pchelkina via the same method).
- Would Hurt a Child: As the Plague Doctor, he burns a Corrupt Corporate Executive along with his wife and teenage son. He says he's avenging countless other kids who suffered because of what the executive did.
- The flashback also reveals that he burned three young bullies when he was a kid himself.
- You Are What You Hate: On two levels:
- Razumovsky is shocked and horrified by Oleg's crimes as the Plague Doctor. Eventually, he realizes that Oleg has been dead for a while, and the one he sees is a manifestation of his own insanity, so he himself is the Plague Doctor.
- Both of his personalities hate Corrupt Corporate Executives that get away with murder; as "The Doormat", he is a corporate executive himself, and as "The Bird", he is the Plague Doctor who burns people alive and very nearly gets away with it by framing up a good guy.
Oleg Volkov
Oleg Volkov
"Seryozh, this is your life's work. This is a revolution."
Portrayed by: Dmitry Chebotaryov
Childhood friend, advisor, and bodyguard of Razumovsky.
- Animal Motifs: Wolves. The root of his name, "Volk", means "wolf", and he wears a silver pendant with a wolf's head and claw.
- Beard of Evil: As envisioned by Sergey, Oleg sports a sinister-looking beard, and is unmasked as the Plague Doctor; the actual Oleg (who appears in the second post-credit scene) also has a beard, but he is much less sinister.
- Childhood Friend: He and Sergey have been close friends since childhood, when they were growing up in the same orphanage.
- Dark Is Evil: In Plague Doctor, Oleg is dark-haired, invariably dresses in black, and is revealed as the Plague Doctor. This representation of him also turns out to be a hallucination representing Sergey's own dark side.
- Dead All Along: Zig-zagged. In the movie's climax, it's revealed that Oleg was killed in combat a year earlier, and what Sergey has been "seeing" is actually an internal manifestation of his own Split Personality. In the mid-credit scene, however, Oleg is shown to be alive in Syria and watching a news story about Sergey's arrest on TV.
- From Camouflage to Criminal: From military special operative to serial-murdering terrorist. (At least, that's how it appears.)
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Sergey Razumovsky. The news of his alleged death in combat was the catalyst that pushed Sergey into full-blown madness.
- Living Emotional Crutch: The real Oleg was Razumovsky's Only Friend, his confidant, and his biggest supporter, and while he was around, Razumovsky's evil alter-ego was dormant.
- Meaningful Name: The "volk" in his last name means "wolf", which is appropriate given his protective tendencies.
- Morality Chain: He acted as one to Razumovsky, helping to keep Sergey's dark, violent impulses at bay.
- Only Friend: He is the only friend Razumovsky has ever had.
- The Scapegoat: In Plague Doctor, Sergey imagines his dark side taking Oleg's form, allowing him to further distance himself from the Plague Doctor's horrifying crimes.
Yulia Pchelkina
Yulia Pchelkina
"What, did you think I'd be down on my knees begging for forgiveness? It's every man for himself."
Portrayed by: Lyubov Aksyonova
A blogger and journalist, who is drawn to Grom by the Plague Doctor case.
- Action Girl: Yulia isn't afraid to get her hands dirty while chasing a story, and can hold her own against street thugs (including the Plague Doctor's followers).
- Adaptational Badass: In the comics, she's a defenseless (if brave) Damsel in Distress who often needs to be saved by Grom. Her film incarnation, by contrast, is a street smart mistress of disguise who is definitely not in need of rescue.
- Adaptational Curves: Inverted: in the comics, her figure could rival Jessica Rabbit's; in the film, her figure is far more realistic.
- Adaptational Modesty: In the comics, Yulia's eveningwear consists of impossibly tight, slinky dresses that leave little to the imagination; in the Plague Doctor film, Yulia wears a black, long-sleeved evening gown that (despite having an off-the-shoulder top and a deep slit in the skirt) is far more modest in design.
- Dark Is Not Evil: She frequently dresses in black, and uses dishonest, underhanded tactics (both in chasing news stories and in breaking Grom out of jail). However, Yulia is on the side of good.
- Fiery Redhead: Her hair is dyed bright, fiery red—and she has the personality to match.
- Foil: To Sergey Razumovsky. Both are intelligent, attractive, wealthy, sophisticated redheads who work in a social media-related field, wear disguises, are fond of the color black, and use unethical, deceptive tactics to achieve their goals. However, Yulia is on the side of good and only uses violence in self-defense, whereas Sergey is a murderous criminal vigilante.
- Intrepid Reporter: She is a YouTube journalist, and she gets into the thick of the action to further her investigations.
- Mistress of Disguise: She's accustomed to assuming other identities during her investigations. Over the course of the film, we see her take on the roles of a victimized prostitute, a socialite, and a lawyer.
- Relationship Upgrade: Implied with Grom at the end of Plague Doctor. Confirmed in Rough Childhood, where she is shown spending the night at Igor's apartment (and referred to as his "girlfriend").
- The Smurfette Principle: She is the only woman amongst the main characters in Plague Doctor. (The later films introduce other female characters, with A Rough Childhood bringing in Elena Khmurova and The Game introducing Maria Arkhipova.)
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: She poses as a prostitute and has her male associates pretend to assault her in Igor Grom's vicinity, knowing that he will assist her and she will have the chance to get inside his apartment — and take pictures of his classified documents about the Plague Doctor case.
Ignat Shpunko
Ignat "Buster" Shpunko
"The hell are you doing, my mustached friend?"
Click here to see him in A Rough Childhood
"Keep in mind that Ignat is not a freeloader. Ignat is a partner."Portrayed by: Albert Vasiliev (Plague Doctor), Vladimir Yaganov (young)
Grom's friend and informant. He's the manager of a boxing ring, and the leader of a gang of sports fans.
- Adaptational Heroism: The character he's based on from the comics is a vicious Neo-Nazi whose establishment was sponsored and frequented by Kirill Gretchkin. In the film, he's just an unscrupulous character with questionable business practices (and a good heart).
- Affectionate Nickname: He's referred to as "Buster" or "Booster".
- Big Eater: As a child, he was constantly nibbling on candy. He once ate his entire stock of Snickers bars, and after having all his money taken by a gangster and being strung up by his collar on a fence, his first priority was to make sure he still had his toffees.
- The Big Guy: He's easily the biggest (and fattest) character in Plague Doctor. Rough Childhood shows that he has always been husky.
- Childhood Friend: He and Igor have been pals since they were boys.
- Friend in the Black Market: As a boy, he was the go-to guy for Western goods, from candy and small toys to cigarettes and sunglasses. As an adult, he helps provide Grom with whatever he needs for investigations — be it a lead, tickets to an invite-only event, a tuxedo to wear to said event, or a dubiously acquired sports car to drive there.
- Knows a Guy Who Knows a Guy: Grom doesn't ask where Ignat gets anything.
- Loveable Rogue: He's a petty criminal, and is always getting into trouble or breaking the law in one way or another. However, he always comes through for Igor, and helps defend the citizens of Saint Petersburg against the Plague Doctor's followers.
Introduced in A Rough Childhood
Major Konstantin Grom
Konstantin Igorevich Grom
"We are both bad. One is worse than the other."
Portrayed by: Sergey Marin (A Rough Childhood), Aleksandr Udalov (cameo; Plague Doctor)
A major in the St. Petersburg Petersburg police. Honest, uncompromising, and open, he is nonetheless a loving and caring father to his son Igor.
- Affectionate Nickname: His associates sometimes call him "Kostya".
- Badass Normal: Unlike his son, he isn't brilliant or athletic. However, he is clever, determined, and brave.
- The Cameo: He appears briefly during a flashback in Plague Doctor, as a uniformed officer (self identified as "Uncle Kostya") who questions Sergey Razumovsky about the murder of three boys on a beach. The character was recast for the prequel, and reconned from a By-the-Book Cop to a Cowboy Cop.
- Cassandra Truth: Konstantin discovered that 8-year-old Sergey Razumovsky burned three boys alive, and realized that the orphan was a budding serial killer; his superiors dismissed his report because they were convinced that no child could commit such heinous acts."That kid's going to give us Hell one day!"
- Character Death: When Smirnov tries to take a duffle bag of the cult's ill-gotten money for his own use, Grom turns on him — only to find that his firearm is empty, because Igor removed the last bullet. Smirnov shoots him, and the two end up fighting to the death in front of his son.
- Cowboy Cop: Like son, like father. Konstantine Grom has the same disregard for authority and violent methods his son demonstrates in Plague Doctor (though he generally tries to trick or threaten suspects before getting physical).
- Daddy Didn't Show: In the first act of the film, he misses Igor's academic decathlon. It's hinted that this has happened many, many times.
- Hidden Depths: As shown in the film, he's an excellent chef, with presentation worthy of a fine dining establishment.
- Majorly Awesome: Igor definitely inherited his father's badass nature. The man is fearless.
- Mirror Character: To his son, Igor: both dark-haired, aloof cowboy cops who dress in earth tones, are fond of the Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique and disdainful of authority and rules, but with hidden hearts of gold (and the determination to fix their mistakes).
- Smoking Is Cool: He smokes cigarettes as part of his "tough guy" image.
- Taken Off the Case: Khmurova forces him to take a two week vacation for the sake of his mental health. Naturally, it doesn't stop him from continuing the investigation into Anubis.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: A divorced single dad, he often buries himself in his work, and as such misses out on most of his son's milestones and accomplishments. After he misses Igor's academic olympics, Igor is hellbent on making money so the two of them to go on a vacation to Disneyland.
Major Yuri Smirnov
Yuri Smirnov
"I love this city. This is a city of endless possibilities. After all, here in one day you can become a rich man... or a beggar."
Portrayed by: Daniil Vorobyov
An undercover cop from Konstantin Grom's department. He assists Konstantin with the Anubis case.
- Dirty Cop: He helps Grom disobey direct orders, has in-roads to all the corrupt businessmen of the city (thanks to his undercover work), and tries to steal evidence for personal gain.
- Dual Wield: He carries a pair of Makarov semi-automatic pistols.
- Face–Heel Turn: In the film's climax, Smirnov shoots his boss dead before Konstantin has a chance to finish questioning her, then seizes the opportunity to fill a duffle bag with money from the cult's stash. When Konstantin protests, Smirnov shoots him as well – with Igor watching from the doorway.
- Fatal Flaw: Avarice. He yearns for the finer things in life, and is tired of working hard for little payoff."I don't plan to live in poverty. The money is right under our feet. We just need to learn how to pick it up."
- Gun Spin: He considers this his signature move. In fact, his introductory scene shows him practicing it (while the other officers time him).
- Opportunistic Bastard: Konstantin notes that he only shows up when he wants to brag or needs money. In the film's climax, after he finds out that Konstantin has unmasked their boss as Anubis, he shoots her dead and then tries to steal from the cult's stack of money, assuming that Konstantin won't rat him out. (Unfortunately for him, he underestimated the strength of Konstantin's moral code.)
Colonel General Elena Khmurova / Anubis
Elena Alexandrovna Khmurova
"Final warning. You're lucky there are no decent courts in this city."
Click here to see her as Anubis
Portrayed by: Irina Rozanova
The tough and domineering police chief of Saint Petersburg in the 1990s. She moonlights as Anubis, a powerful and mysterious cult leader.
- Big Bad: The central antagonist of A Rough Childhood.
- Boyish Short Hair: Appropriate to her station and the 1990s setting, Irina wears her hair in a close-cropped style.
- Casting a Shadow: In a sense: the drugs she uses on her victims cause hallucinations in which they're attacked by (and of the life being drained from her victims in the form of) shadows and black smoke.
- Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: A contrasting prequel antagonist, in this case. While she is similar to the Plague Doctor in some ways, like wearing a black suit with an animal mask and working outside the law to eliminate powerful criminals, she is, unlike Pretty Boy Wealthy Philanthropist Razumovsky, an older policewoman, and she gains money from her vigilantism. While the Plague Doctor burns his victims alive, she uses guns and drugs that make them see shadows attacking them. Also, unlike Reluctant Psycho Razumovsky, she doesn't appear to have any internal conflicts or regrets over what she does.
- Da Chief: Between being understaffed and underfunded, Konstantin's reckless behavior, and the general lack of a functioning court system in the city, she's at her wit's end trying to hold the police department together — and she isn't afraid to let people know it, or give others a piece of her mind.
- Dark Is Evil: As Anubis, she wears a coal black suit, with only a few red and gold accents to break up the darkness. She also uses hallucinogens that make her assassins (and herself) appear as black shadows.
- The Dreaded: As Anubis, she is feared by every gang in the city, due her brutal efficiency, stealth, and apparent supernatural abilities.
- Evil Sorcerer: Anubis is presented as possessing dark magic, including teleportation, incorporeal shapeshifting, and the power to drain the life from a human body. Khmurova bolsters the image with a group of hired "acolytes" and a sinister-looking "herald" who perform fake rituals.
- Fake Wizardry: Anubis's "black magic" is actually accomplished by hallucinogens (and highly skilled assassins).
- Life Drain: Anubis's staff can allegedly drain the life from his enemies. It's all an illusion, of course.
- Magic Staff: Subverted: Anubis's black, winged crook lacks any true magical powers; however, Khmurova's drugs create the illusion of it possessing life-draining abilities.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: Her method of dealing with the city's wave of crime and corruption is to murder the crime lords herself, while frightening the low-level criminals and blackmailing the oligarchs and scammers into submission through Anubis's cult.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: The Anubis costume is pitch black with red (and gold) detailing.
- Signature Scent: Konstantin identifies her as Anubis almost immediately thanks to the familiar scent of her cigars (and the "old lady" perfume she uses to disguise it).
- Villainous Crossdresser: Downplayed; Anubis is traditionally depicted as a male deity, and no one (aside from Konstantin) ever questions the cult leader's gender.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: She believes the only way to control crime in the city is to literally control crime in the city. While she claims her methods are "a hundred times" more effective, we don't see life in St. Petersburg improve in any significant way.
Introduced in The Game
August van der Holt
August van der Holt
Portrayed by: Matvey Lykov
The CEO of Holt International, a multinational weapons manufacturer. He has a cybernetic life support system, owing to a near-fatal childhood accident.
- Adaptational Dye-Job: In the comics, he has black hair; in the film, his hair is light brown.
- Cyborg: He has high-tech electrodes implanted in his spinal cord, which help regulate his vital functions with an electric current. (He hides them under his clothes, leaving the general public unaware of his special "enhancements".)
- Megaton Punch: The trailer shows him using the power afforded by his implants to punch his sparring partner across the room.
Lieutenant General Maria Arkhipova
Maria Arkhipova
Portrayed by: Olga Sutulova
A lieutenant general who arrives from Moscow to carry out reform in the St. Petersburg police.
The Ghost
The Ghost
A mysterious criminal hired by August van der Holt to carry out terrorist acts in Saint Petersburg. He has a major grudge against Igor Grom.
- Spree Killer: Murders countless civilians with his explosives.
Others
Misc.
- Asshole Victim: Most victims of the Plague Doctor are Corrupt Corporate Executives that evade justice thanks to their money and connections. For burning them alive, he amasses quite the fanbase.
- The Proud Elite: The Plague Doctor's victims are all wealthy and powerful, caring little for how their actions effect others.
- Perpetual Smiler: Strelkov constantly shows off his unnaturally perfect teeth. Even other characters refer to him as the one with the smile.
- Upper-Class Twit: Kirill Grechkin, the Plague Doctor's first victim, is a brainless, soulless offspring of the rich.
- Olga Isayev, the Plague Doctor's second victim, is the unscrupulous bank president who defrauds her customers while living and acting as if she were royalty (right down to commissioning a portrait of herself in the style of Catherine the Great).
