Former ‘Justified’ star David Meunier joins the CW’s Arrow in a recurring role. Meunier will be playing the character of Ishmael Gregor – Russian Mafia’s (Batva) leader ‘Pakhva’. Deadline describes the character as, “The slick and intimidating Pakhan (“Godfather”) of the Bratva, whom Anatoly (David Nykl) reports and takes a special interest in Oliver Queen.”
In the comics Gregor was a Russian crime lord who wanted to desperately acquire the demonic powers of Sabbac, however it is reported that the show will take a different approach with the character and explore its earthly desires and ambitions. The character could be the main villain next season as Arrow star Stephen Amell recently revealed that the main bad guy this season won’t be having superpowers.
It’ll be interesting to see how the showrunners fit the character and revolve the story around him on the show. At the moment it’s unclear whether we’ll be seeing him in the flashback storyline or the present one, or maybe both. Since his obsession with Oliver Queen is an integral part of the storyline, speculations suggest that Gregor will be a major part of both the storylines on the show. The show’s flashback arcs have always been under heavy criticism, let’s hope Gregor’s involvement changes things this time around.
The actor best known for his role as Johnny Crowders on FX’s Justified, has also appeared on several other shows. He was recently a series regular on A&E’s Damien, while also appearing on NBC’s Aquarius. Lets see how the actor plays out his Russian crime lord character. Are you excited to see Meunier as the main villain? Is he the right choice for the role? How excited are you for the new season’s premiere? Let us know about your valuable thoughts by commenting below.
Arrow Season 5 premieres on Wednesday October 5 on the CW.
