Ivan in the film
Portrait of Ivan the Terrible
Ivan the Terrible is a supporting antagonist in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. He was one of the right hand men of Kahmunrah, as a support for his project of conquest of the World. He is a tall, brown bearded man wearing a gray hat and fur-coated robe and carrying a yellow staff, and speaking with a Russian accent.
Historical
Ivan the Terrible (born August 25, 1530) was the Tzar of the Russian Empire. Growing up as the Grand Prince of Moscow, Ivan had a troubled childhood. Both his parents died before he reached the age of ten. When Ivan finally becomes czar at age 16, he ruled with an iron fist.
After turning to the bible, he saw himself as the archangel michael. Based on his interpretation, it was his job to seek vengeance on all of god's enemies. During his reign, Ivan started to built an empire that he dedicated to his god. Russia would go on to conquer the Khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia, The nation was transformed into a multiethnic empire that more than doubled in size, covering one and a half million square miles.
Ivan helped to modernize the Russian Army. He created the Streltsy, guardsman armed with firersms, as well as the Oprichniki, troops that mass cured thousands, suppressed the population, and destroyed many Russian towns. One notable instance of this was the Sack of Novgorod.
Ivan was a mentally unstable psychopath throughout his life. As a child he tortured animals and assaulted strangers. He personally tortured his prisoners and political enemies, even experimented with new methods of torture. He had fused vertebrae, which would have given him constant back pains that he would try to treat with mercury. His skeleton shows signs of mercury poisoning, which would have given him brain damage. Ivan had a unstable personality due to his bipolar state. Ivan grew even more paranoid after his wife's death, a time some historians call Ivan's bad years.
Ivan died on March 28, 1584 from a stroke while playing chess.
Appearances
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
With Napoleon Bonaparte, Al Capone and their henchmen (gangsters, Streltsi, and hussards), Ivan joined Kahmunrah. They don’t really see where the point is, but they understand they will be given a part of the world in exchange of their help.
Trivia
- He is played by the English-American screenwriter, composer, musician, director, actor, and comedian Christopher Guest.
- He prefers to be known as "Ivan The Awesome"