Simitz

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Evil-doer
Full Name	Simitz
Alias	None
Origin	The Great
Occupation	Minor noble
Powers / Skills	Unknown
Goals	Avoid being murdered by Peter III (failed)
Crimes	Sexual abuse
Type of Villain	Perverted Coward

Simitz is one of the overarching antagonists of the 2020-23 Hulu series The Great. He is a Russian noble who sexually abused Peter III of Russia when Peter was growing up.

Although he only appears in one episode, Simitz's influence is felt throughout the series as it is implied that his abuse of Peter traumatised him and contributed to his unstable mental state, making Simitz a large part of the reason why Peter is the way he is.

He was portrayed by Mark Tandy, who also portrayed Superintendent Sugden in Agatha Christie's Poirot.

Biography

Background

A minor noble at the Russian imperial court, Simitz was a close friend of the emperor, Peter the Great. In order to make the emperor laugh, Simitz would wait in his apartments whenever his son, the future Peter III, came to see him, often accompanied by his friend Grigor Dymov. Simitz would trip Peter and Grigor, climb on top of them and sexually assault them while banging their heads against the floor. The emperor found this hilarious and would laugh as his son was abused.

When Peter became emperor, he swore that he would kill Simitz in revenge for what Simitz did to him. Simitz fled the royal court and went to live in Vladivostok to escape him.

The Great

Believing that Peter has been killed by his wife, Catherine the Great, Simitz returns to St Petersburg to attend the Nakaz. Peter and Grigor learn that he has returned and plan to kill him, but Catherine tells Peter not to as it would undermine her rule. Peter tries to resist the urge to kill by dunking his head in an ice bath whenever he thinks of Simitz.

After learning what he did to her husband, Catherine has Simitz brought to her. Simitz admits that his past actions were wrong and claims remorse for his crimes, saying that he wants to help Catherine change Russia for the better to redeem himself. Catherine forces him to meet with Peter, who immediately kicks Simitz in the stomach and prepares to kill him as he begs for mercy. Simitz apologises and claims that he only did it because he was afraid of the emperor's wrath if he failed to make him laugh. This combined with a speech from Catherine is enough to persuade Peter to spare him, though he and Catherine both angrily demand that Simitz leave and not come back.

However, as Simitz departs he encounters Grigor and taunts him by mimicking the panting sounds he made whilst raping him, proving that he lied about regretting his actions earlier. Grigor and his wife Georgina are both horrified by this. The next day, Georgina lures Simitz out into the forest, where Grigor and Peter are waiting to ambush him. Simitz protests that if he disappears then Catherine will know what happened to him, making Peter hesitate. Grigor thus shoots Simitz instead, so that Peter won't have to lie to Catherine. Peter appreciates this but decides he must do the deed himself, and he slashes Simitz's throat.

To both men's surprise, Georgina picks up a nearby rock and crushes Simitz's skull as he bleeds out on the ground, as Simitz abused her as well as her husband. Catherine later confronts Peter over his disappearance, but although Peter admits Simitz is dead, he avoids confessing his part in the murder.

Trivia

• In addition to his three known victims, it is implied that Simitz may have assaulted Catherine's friend Marial, who at one point asks Grigor to kill him for unstated reasons.