Who Is Johnny Flynn’s Frankie? Meet the Harrigans’ Scariest New Enemy in ‘MobLand’

‘MobLand‘ has never been short on dangerous men, but its newest arrival may be the most unsettling of the bunch. Frankie is a London drug lord who emerges as a fresh threat to the Harrigans and to Harry. His introduction gives the crime drama another unpredictable figure to worry about.

So who is Frankie in ‘MobLand’ and who plays him? Johnny Flynn plays Frankie in the second season of the series. Here is everything we know about the character, the actor and what his arrival could mean for the Harrigan family.

Who Is Frankie in ‘MobLand’ and Why He Matters

Frankie gets the final introduction of the season premiere, after Kat McAllister decides to pursue a more calculated plan against the Harrigans. The setup comes through Colin Tattersall, who believes Kat needs a champion of her own if she truly wants to bring the family down.

Tattersall pitches Frankie as smart, ruthless, cunning and violent, and claims he could run London within five years with Kat backing him. That is a bold sales pitch, and it makes Frankie sound like the kind of villain who arrives with a body count already attached.

The reveal itself is wonderfully deflating, at least at first. Instead of some sinister hideout, Frankie is hosting a barbecue at his North London home when Tattersall turns up and recognizes the former copper. It is a classic gangster drama move, pairing everyday domestic comfort with genuine menace.

Frankie also seems to go by another name. Reports describe him as Frankie, also known as Beast, a dangerous adversary with a clear interest in the Harrigan operation. A nickname like that suggests his reputation in the underworld is anything but friendly.

Who Plays Frankie and Where You Know Him From

The man behind the barbecue is Johnny Flynn, and he brings a hefty résumé along with him. Flynn joined the show as a series regular, alongside Ophelia Lovibond. Paramount+ confirmed his casting early but kept the details of his character under wraps.

Television fans will recognize him from plenty of places. He played Dylan Witter in ‘Lovesick,’ a young Albert Einstein in ‘Genius,’ and Dickie Greenleaf in ‘Ripley.’ That range makes him a smart pick for a character described as both charming and lethal.

His film work is just as varied. He is best known for playing Mr. Knightley in ‘Emma,’ David Bowie in ‘Stardust,’ and a young Nicholas Winton in ‘One Life.’ He is also cast as Lucius Malfoy in HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ series.

Flynn is more than an actor too. He is the lead singer and songwriter for the folk rock band Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit, and has released six studio albums since the early 2000s. Few actors on television can pair a musician’s instincts with a crime boss’s swagger.

Johnny Flynn’s Frankie and the ‘Get Carter’ Influence

Flynn did not build this character from scratch. He drew inspiration from Michael Caine’s performance in ‘Get Carter’ and described Frankie as strange and mercurial. That is a fascinating reference point, since Caine’s turn is one of the coldest and most controlled in British crime cinema.

It also fits the tone the series has been chasing since day one. The show is led by a creative team of Guy Ritchie, Ronan Bennett and Jez Butterworth, who blend sharp crime drama with dark humor. A villain who feels equal parts unpredictable and charming slots neatly into that recipe.

Expect Frankie to keep audiences guessing about when he will smile and when he will strike. A mercurial gangster is always more frightening than a predictable one, because nobody in the room can relax around him. Flynn seems ready to lean into that discomfort.

What Frankie’s Arrival Means for the Harrigans

The timing could hardly be worse for the family. After the turbulent finale of the first season, the Harrigans are splintered, and the resulting civil war has become a huge opportunity for their enemies. A divided empire is exactly the kind of target a hungry newcomer like Frankie would circle.

While the Harrigans squabble over money, drugs, loyalty and succession, Kat is busy recruiting people around them. Frankie may be her sharpest weapon yet, and the family has not yet grasped how close he is to their doorstep. Harry appears to be the only one taking Kat’s threat seriously.

The road ahead promises plenty of tension. The season runs for ten episodes and streams weekly on Paramount+. That leaves ample room for Frankie to grow from a barbecue host with a dangerous reputation into a genuine threat to everything the Harrigans have built.

Between Kat’s ambitions, Tattersall’s scheming and Flynn’s unnerving performance, this is shaping up to be a war worth watching. So does Frankie have what it takes to outmaneuver Harry, or will the fixer finally meet someone who can out-scheme him in the streets of London?