About

Anatoly Dyatlov (Анатолий Дятлов) is a character in the 2019 HBO mini-series Chernobyl based on the actual deputy chief-engineer of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Following the premiere of the series, the character, portrayed by the British actor Paul Ritter, gained a significant anti-fandom online, with multiple memes referencing his dialogue and actions appearing on Reddit, 4chan and other online platforms.

Origin

On May 6th, 2019, the first episode "1:23:45" of HBO historical drama mini-series Chernobyl premiered in the United States.^[1] In the episode character Anatoly Dyatlov, based on the deputy chief-engineer of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Anatoly Stepanovich Dyatlov (Анатолий Степанович Дятлов), was introduced.

Spread

In the days following the premiere of the first episode, the character gained notable anti-fandom online due to his portrayal in the mini-series as very stubborn and unwilling to accept the reality of the catastrophic situation. Between May 6th and May 13th, 2019, a total of 256 mentions of the character were made in 4chan's /tv/ board.^[2] At that time, multiple humorous posts referencing the character were posted to the board (examples shown below).

In the following weeks, multiple memes referencing the character appeared on 4chan, /r/ChernobylTV subreddit^[3] and other online platforms. In many examples, Dyatlov's memorable quotes, such as "not great, not terrible" and "he's delusional" were parodied.

Notable Quotes

Three point six. Not great, not terrible.

Take him to the infirmary. Toptunov, take him! He's delusional. Ruptured condenser lines, the feedwater is mildly contaminated. He'll be fine. I've seen worse.

You didn't see graphite. You didn't. You didn't!!! Because it's not there!

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References