Konstantin Kovar

"World's a complex place. Who's to say who's the villain and who's the hero? [...] Good, evil, hero, monster... My friend, truth is a matter of perspective."

- Kovar to Oliver Kovar is the main antagonist of the flashback storyline in the fifth season of Arrow. He is portrayed by Dolph Lundgren.

Foreshadowed
Shortly before her death on Lian Yu, Taiana mentions to Oliver how her village is controled by Kovar. She begs Oliver to free the village from Kovar, which he promises.

On his search for Kovar, Oliver kills one of Kovar's disciples in Krasnoyarsk. In return, Kovar sends the criminal organization Bratva to eliminate Oliver. However, as one of Bratva's captains, Anatoli Knyazev, is an old friend of Oliver and owes him a favor, Oliver is instead able to join Bratva to be able to get closer to Kovar.

Days later, Kovar sends some of his men to attack the Bratva headquarter to remind them to stay away from his organization. Instead, the Bratva reveal to Oliver that they will go after Kovar's newest operation, a casino Kovar wants to build. As Kovar needs investors, one of the high-ranking Bratva members reveals to Oliver that they want him to get inside the casino, posing as an investor. He tells Oliver that Oliver is to blow up the casino. However, while attempting to do so Oliver is knocked out by Kovar's men.

Capturing Oliver
When he wakes up, Oliver finds himself tied to a chair, confronted by Kovar. Kovar reveals himself to be unimpressed by the threat of the Bratva. After breaking the neck of Oliver's companion, Kovar introduces himself.

Over a week, Oliver is tortured and interrogated by Kovar's men. However, eventually, Queen is brought to a table full of food where he is to dine with Kovar. During the dinner, Kovar admits that he is quite intrigued by Oliver, the shipwrecked playboy who is presumed dead. Kovar also tells Oliver that he suspects that Oliver is sent by the Bratva, calling Oliver a 'unique' enemy of his. He also admires that Oliver has thus far not broken under torture and only repeatedly cried the name of Taiana. Kovar then has an elderly maid enter the room, a woman he seems quite close to. After thanking the woman, he leads her out again, afterwards revealing to Oliver that this woman was the mother of Taiana and Vlad. Kovar claims that the woman came to him after her two children disappeared and that Kovar immediately offered her work so that she could manage to live on her own until her children returned. Kovar also hands Oliver a file about a man Oliver killed for the Bratva, as the Bratva claimed that this would help him get to Kovar. However, Kovar reveals that this man was no associate of his but a man whose business Bratva wanted to take over. Kovar attempt to convince Oliver that good and evil is always a matter of perspective but while he talks, Oliver jumps up and rams a knife into Kovar's hand, swiflty ending the man's lecture. Although Kovar's men immediately draw their guns, Oliver is able to take Kovar hostage.

Forced by Oliver, Kovar orders his men to drop their guns. However, as Oliver is about to escape through the building with him, more men with guns appear and Oliver is forced to release Kovar. Kovar is amused by the entire situation and tells Oliver that he should have found out by now that it is far more likely that the Bratva is only using him than it is that Bratva is letting an American into their operation. Kovar then disarms Oliver while claiming that Oliver is too weak to even know the difference. When Oliver challenges Kovar, provoking him by claiming that maybe Kovar is the weak one, Kovar accepts and the two brutally start beating up each other. Kovar emerges victorious but the battle is ended when a high-ranking Bratva member and some of his associates enter the room. Before he leaves Oliver to talk to the criminal, Kovar tells Oliver that Oliver now has proof about the Bratva's involvement with Kovar.

Trivia

 * In DC comics Kovar was the father of Leonid Kovar, a Russian superhero known as Red Star.
 * Thus far, Kovar has always held a glass of alcohol whenever he appeared.