Who is Villanelle in Killing Eve?

The assassin who wants her victims to know it's her · The Twelve

Villanelle (The assassin who wants her victims to know it's her) is a character in Killing Eve, part of The Twelve. Villanelle kills for an organisation called The Twelve with couture invoices and signature flourishes — a hairpin in Tuscany, a perfume named after herself, performances staged so the audience of one knows exactly who visited. Born Oksana Astankova, prison-recruited, fluent in languages and mimicry and bored by nearly everything, she experiences feelings primarily as fashion choices. Then a frizzy-haired MI5 woman with terrible instincts for self-preservation starts chasing her — and Villanelle, for the first time in her life, is interested.

When does Villanelle first appear?

Villanelle first appears in Season 1, Episode 1 (“Nice Face”) of Killing Eve (2018–2022, BBC America).

Who is Villanelle connected to?

Relationships already established when Villanelle first appears — nothing from later episodes.

• Eve Polastri — The hunt
• Konstantin Vasiliev — Handler, father figure, hostage

Which group does Villanelle belong to?

By the time Villanelle appears, The Twelve also includes Konstantin Vasiliev.

Who else is introduced in this episode?

• Eve Polastri — The desk officer obsessed with how women kill
• Konstantin Vasiliev — The handler with the laugh and the exit plans
• Niko Polastri — The husband with the moustache and the bad odds
• Bill Pargrave — The boss worth following to Berlin

Watching right now? Open Villanelle in the interactive map, set the episode you've reached, and see every relationship and bio update you already know — spoiler-free.