Vladimir Ranskahov was one of two leaders of Russian Mafia in New York City with his brother Anatoly. Although the Ranskahovs found success moving supplies of heroin for Madame Gao, when Anatoly was murdered by Wilson Fisk, Vladimir went on a one man war against him. After briefly teaming up with Daredevil, Ranskahov accepted his fate and was gunned down in a final shootout.
Biography
Early Life
Prisoners
- "Мы были в этой дыре три года, от хозяев в Москве до местной параши.[2]"
- ―Anatoly Ranskahov[src]
Ranskahov and his brother Anatoly were captured and tortured in Russia for many months. While his brother was being tortured, Ranskahov was left in their cell with the corpse of their cellmate Alexei, who had been left to rot by their captors. Once Anatoly had returned from being tortured, Ranskahov took the opportunity to rip out Alexei's ribs to be used as weapons against their guards, with Vladimir promising they would survive. When Anatoly returned they killed their captors and escaped, although Anatoly wished to go to Moscow, Vladimir convinced him to travel instead to New York City to begin a new criminal life in America.[3]
Working with Wilson Fisk
Leadership Questioned
Eventually the pair arrived in Hell's Kitchen in New York City where they created a crime syndicate and were recruited by Wilson Fisk to transport heroin produced by Madame Gao.[3] Ranskahov joined his brother Anatoly for a meeting with Wilson Fisk on top of a building along with Fisk's other associates, Madame Gao, Leland Owlsley and Nobu Yoshioka. The Ranskahov brothers were insulted when James Wesley came in Fisk's place, claiming Fisk was too busy to attend; Ranskahov angrily called Wesley a lapdog. When Wesley asked why the Ranskahov's payment was short, they explained that a masked man had attacked their men and freed the girls they were transporting. Madame Gao asked them if the man had taken the girls for himself but they explained that he had not.
Ranskahov and his brother kidnapped a young boy with the intension of selling him. Ranskahov and his men beat up the boy's father before putting the child in their van and driving away, leaving the father too badly injured to move.[4] The Ranskahov's set up a false location of the boy for the Man in the Mask to follow, allowing them to attack him and beat him nearly to death. The man escaped so the Ranskahovs sent Semyon to try and find him. Seymond was captured and questioned by the man who threw him off the roof after getting the information he needed before tracking down and rescuing the boy.[5]
Hunting the Masked Man
- "Tell Mr. Fisk, that if he wants a pound of flesh, he can come here and carve it himself."
"This is an offer, not an order. The choice of how we proceed is yours." - ―Vladimir Ranskahov and James Wesley[src]
When Anatoly was attacked by the masked man in one of the brothers' factories, they reunited at the Veles Taxi Garage and were confronted by James Wesley, who came to give them the assets of the recently killed Prohaszka. Wesley mocked the pair for not being able to defeat the man in the mask. The brothers were offered a deal in which Wilson Fisk would take over control of their business.
While Anatoly did consider the offer, Vladimir considered the deal to be an insult to them and refused; he chose to break Wesley's number one rule not to mention Fisk's name when refusing his offer. Once Wesley had left the Garage, they discussed the deal and Anatoly expressed his concern about what a war with Fisk could lead to, although the still furious Vladimir insisted they should not be afraid of Fisk. The pair decided to focus their efforts on tracking down the masked man, starting by visiting their former henchman, Semyon who was still recovering in the hospital.
The Ranskahovs went to the Metro-General Hospital where Semyon was being treated. They gave him a shot of epinephrine; when he awoke, they asked him if he could give them any information to help them find their enemy. They learnt the address of a woman who had been with the masked man. When they arrived they found her apartment empty, but they were able to beat up her neighbour until he revealed her location. Ranskahov's men kidnapped the woman and tortured her to learn the masked man's location; however they were attacked and the woman was rescued.
When the Ranskahovs discovered that their men had been attacked and their position in Wilson Fisk's organization was compromised due to the embarrassment of being defeated by the masked man yet again, Anatoly again suggested that they should take Fisk's offer, which Vladimir aggressively protested. Anatoly told him that whether he agreed or not he would go to Fisk alone and bow for the pair of them. Although he was still unhappy about the idea, Vladimir chose to side with his brother and allowed him to go to Fisk alone.[3]
War with Wilson Fisk
Anatoly's Murder
The next day, Ranskahov could not contact Anatoly on the phone. While waiting in his office for his brother to contact him, Ranskahov was visited by James Wesley. Wesley also showed confusion as to Anatoly's location, claiming that he had accepted Wilson Fisk's offer and left them in good spirits the night before to update Vladimir.
Before they could continue their conversation, one of Ranskahov's men informed him that they had located Anatoly. His men brought Anatoly's butchered corpse into the room; Ranskahov saw that his brother's head had been crushed to the point of complete removal. Ranskahov walked over to his beloved brother's body and expressed his regret that they did not return to Moscow. Inside his brother's jacket, they found the man in black's mask, leading them to believe that the masked man was responsible for Anatoly's murder.
As Ranskahov cleaned his brother's body, Turk Barrett arrived and offered his condolences. Ranskahov asked Barrett what he knew about the man who killed Anatoly; Barrett revealed that a mechanic he knew from prison, had had a black SUV come to his shop for cleaning covering in blood and brains. Barrett revealed that the car belonged to a large bald man who was most likely Wilson Fisk; he also claimed that Fisk was close to the man in the mask. With this information Ranskahov was convinced that Fisk was working with the man in the mask and had organized the murder of Anatoly.[8]
Tricked
Ranskahov ordered his men to get all their weapons ready to go to war against his former employer. As Ranskahov's soldiers prepared for war by gathering together in warehousing and stockpiling their weapons, Ranskahov put on his Bulletproof Vest and prepared to join them in attacking Wilson Fisk. Before he could call the rest of his men and they could leave however, they spotted one of Madame Gao's blind delivery men arriving in the warehouse. They questioned if they were expecting any more deliveries but witnessed the man lifting up a detonator. With just enough time to react, Ranskahov and his body-guard dived for cover as the blind man detonated a bomb, destroying the factory and killing all of Ranskahov's soldiers.
Ranskahov and Sergei barely survived the explosion and managed to make their way from the burning building. Before they could escape however they were ambushed by the man in the mask; Ranskahov attempted to shoot his enemy but missed. The man proceeded to beat him mercilessly until Ranskahov was too weak to move. The man in the mask prepared to hit him again, claiming this punch was for Claire Temple, but before he could strike the police arrived. However, they where shown to be corrupt, as they where there to execute them all. The man in the mask was able to defeat the incoming police, but during the fight Ranskahov was shot in the side and when they left, Sergei was shot in the head by one of the officers.[8]
Uneasy Alliance
- "What do I get out of it?"
"Pay back."
"I have counter proposal... Suck my dick." - ―Vladimir Ranskahov and the Masked Man[src]
The Masked Man then took Ranskahov's unconscious body to the safety of a nearby abandoned building. When he regained consciousness, Ranskahov told the man in black that he would kill him for the murder of Anatoly Ranskahov. The man in black however assured him that he did not kill his brother and Ranskahov had been played by Fisk; he told him that all he wanted was to go after Fisk and make him pay for all he had done.
Ranskahov crudely refused the offer before losing consciousness. He awoke when the man used a flare to seal his bullet would, causing him incredible pain which made him scream with agony until he lost consciousness again. When he awoke, Ranskahov found that the man in the mask had taken a young police officer hostage; he then pulled apart the officer's gun and threw it away, much to Ranskahov's annoyance. The vigilante then began questioning Ranskahov again but Ranskahov chose to ask him about his morality; why he was unwilling to kill, but was willing to let him die.
When the man asked about Wilson Fisk, Ranskahov told him that they were not so different and would likely suffer the same fate. The man reminded Ranskahov that Fisk had taken down his operation and had enough police in his pocket to ensure that Ranskahov was killed before he could leak information. Ranskahov agreed and told the man about his first encounter with Fisk and how their operation first came about. He told him that he would tell him the name of Fisk's money man. When the man leant in to hear it, Ranskahov attacked him, causing them to fall through the floorboards.[11]
Self Sacrifice
- "This is not how I die, this is not how it happens."
- ―Vladimir Ranskahov[src]
The pair survived the fall; Ranskahov claimed that although it was not smart, it was fun. Ranskahov then lost consciousness again, this time stopping his heart. He was saved by the man in black who performed CPR. They were then interrupted by Wilson Fisk, speaking on the radio, asking for the man in the mask. Fisk and the man engaged in a long and angry discussion about each other until Fisk offered the man a choice, to either kill Ranskahov and escape, or be portrayed as a terrorist to the world's media.
Ranskahov grabbed a nearby pole to defend himself as he believed that the man would not refuse such a chance, but the man disarmed him before he could use it. In the end, the man turned down Fisk's offer, falling victim to Fisk's threats of exposure. Seeing that he was really trying to help him, Ranskahov helped the man escape into a sewer. Once in the sewer, they were attacked by a team of Emergency Services Unit (ESU) officers; while the man tried to break down a nearby door, Ranskahov picked up one of the officer's guns and aimed it at him.
The man tried to convince him to join him but Ranskahov told him he planned to stay and fight to his death, knowing that he would never be able to give testimony against Fisk without being assassinated. He told the man that the only way to stop Fisk would be to kill him. Ranskahov then told the man Leland Owlsley was who he needed to track down. The man then escaped and Ranskahov engaged with the ESU team, singing an old Russian song until he was shot and killed in the ensuing firefight.[11]
Personality
To be added
Abilities
To be added
Equipment
Weapons
- M4A1 Carbine: An assault rifle used by the Emergency Service Unit of the New York City Police Department. Fatally injured, Ranskahov tried to escape from the Abandoned Building with the man in the mask through a series of tunnels, but knowing that he was going to die soon, he chose to stay behind and confront the men that Wilson Fisk sent him, armed with a M4A1 Carbine taken from one of them. He engaged in a brief shootout while humming a Russian war song, "We will be raised from the ashes", and was ultimately killed.
Other Equipment
- Bulletproof Vest: Ranskahov wore a Bulletproof Vest in preparation for a war against Wilson Fisk to avenge the death of his brother. The vest allowed him to survive an explosion that destroyed the Russian Hideout where his men were preparing for killing Fisk, and also allowed him to survive a shot by Officer Corbin longer that he would have without the vest.
Relationships
Family
- Anatoly Ranskahov † - Brother
Allies
- Russian Mafia
- Daredevil - Enemy turned Situational Ally
- James Wesley †
- Leland Owlsley †
- Nobu Yoshioka †
- Turk Barrett
- Oleg † - Cellmate
- Alexei † - Cellmate
Enemies
- Wilson Fisk - Former Associate
- Madame Gao - Former Associate
- Kitchen Cab
- Prohaszka † - Business Rival
- New York City Police Department
Appearances
Appearances for Vladimir Ranskahov |
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In chronological order:
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Behind the Scenes
- Josiah Nolan was a stunt double for Nikolai Nikolaeff in the role of Vladimir Ranskahov.
References
- ↑ Translates to: "I will honor you my brother... with the blood of war."
- ↑ Translates to: "We were in that hellhole for three years, from princes in Moscow to shitting in a bucket."
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Daredevil: 1.04: In the Blood
- ↑ Daredevil: 1.01: Into the Ring
- ↑ Daredevil: 1.02: Cut Man
- ↑ Translates to: "Tell the men to pull back and get ready. Guns, rifles, grenades. All of it."
- ↑ Translates to: "All?"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Daredevil: 1.05: World on Fire
- ↑ Translates to: "The men are ready at the other locations?"
- ↑ Translates to: "They're waiting for the call."
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Daredevil: 1.06: Condemned