| “ | You will not die. You will suffer. | „ |
| ~ Rabbit taunting Lucas Hood in prison. |
Igor Rabitov, also known as Mr. Rabbit or just Rabbit is the overarching antagonist in the Cinemax TV series Banshee.
He is a ruthless Ukrainian mob boss from New York City who's been hunting Lucas Hood and his daughter, Carrie Hopewell for the last 15 years.
He was portrayed by the late Ben Cross.
Biography[]
Past[]
Chronologically, his first appearance on screen was during a flashback sequence in the Season 2 finale Bullets and Tears, in which he executes a man who had stole from him. He's then seen on dinner table congratulating Hood and Carrie on a successful heist on an armory truck. He then presents them the idea to rob a jewelry store for ten million dollars, which gave Hood the idea to steal from him. However, Rabbit caught up to their plans and had his right-hand man Olek call an anonymous tip about a robbery. Hood was captured but Carrie managed to flee the scene and went hiding. Rabbit then hires Albino an inmate sent at the same prison as Lucas Hood to terrorize him.
Season 1[]
Rabbit made his first appearance on screen during the Pilot as he sits playing chess while his right-hand man comes back reporting him that one his men has been killed by Job. He then states that Olek will find them both, meaning Carrie and Hood.
He next appears as Carrie infiltrates his apartment and bringing him the diamonds from the jewelry heist fifteen years ago stating him he took none of them. Rabbit then asks if she would give Hood over to him, in which Carrie answers no to. However a few episodes later, Carrie sees herself in an impossible situation and sees that there's no way, other than to give Hood over and she decides to do so. Carrie gives Rabbit an address to the motel she holds Hood captive, but by the time Rabbit and his men show up there, Hood is already gone. However after returning to New York City, Rabbit happens to catch the news about a hostage situation at a High School in Banshee and sees Hood at the scene. At this point it became apparent to Rabbit that Hood was posing as a small town sheriff.
He then orders his right-hand man to go and find Carrie and bring her to Rabbit, and if Hood tries to intervene, he should kill him. After a day, not hearing a word from Olek about his operation in Banshee, Rabbit and the rest of his men assume he's dead and the get inside cars and drive to Banshee. Rabbit's first action at Banshee is to kidnap Carrie's eight year old son Max, in order to lure Hood and Carrie to come after him. However it becomes very soon apparent that Max has asthma and that he needs an Peak flow meter in order to breathe better.
Rabbit then pays a visit at Carrie's house in order to pick up the Peak flow meter for Max. Later Rabbit finds Hood at the Sheriff's Department, and confronts him telling him that this is the last time they see each other. After he leaves he orders his men to kill him. Lucas then quickly ducks to cover as Rabbit's gunmen begins furiously shooting at him. It seems that he's out of bullets and the men are closing in on Lucas. He finds himself only to be saved by Kai Proctor and Clay Burton.
After surviving the attack on him at the station, he deciedes to exchange himself for Max. Upon hearing this, Carrie decidees to go on an rescue mission along with Sugar Bates, Job, and all of Hood's deputies. This results in a massive gunfight with them and Rabbit's men which eventually leads to Carrie catching up with Rabbit, putting two bullets in him. Rabbit then crawls out of the scene, and is assumed to be dead.
Season 2[]
Rabbit then makes a surprise appearance during season 2 making it apparent that he indeed didn't die at the metalworks. However he appears to move with a wheelchair so his legs don't work anymore. When Carrie gets released from prison due to the possession of the firearms he used at the gunfight at the metalworks, Rabbit hires an assassin to go after Hood and Carrie. The assassin sees that Carrie and Hood are visited by FBI Special Agent Jim Racine who then reveals to know that Hood isn't really Hood, as he is about to question who Hood is, he is shot dead by the assassin. This results in a fight between Carrie, Lucas and the assassin, which eventually leads to the assassin's death.
Rabbit then appears several episodes later as Job an associate of Hood and Carrie infiltrates the church where Rabbit's brother Yulish works as a priest at. He finds Rabbit there but right as he's about to shoot him he feels another gun put to his head, by Yulish. Job is then severly beaten and tortured, but he manages to flee to scene in order to warn Carrie and Hood about Rabbit.
Carrie and Hood then arrives in New York City, at the church and after killing Yulish and all of his me, they find Rabbit peacefully sitting on a bench who then asks Carrie and Hood to sit down with him for a bit. Rabbit then tells that somewhere there is a bench just like this waiting for him and Hood tells him to go to hell. To that, Rabbit just answers "okay". and he shoots himself in the head at the bench.