LEE JOON
GI
FROM
HERO
TO
VILLAIN
THE DARKEST
ROLE
OF
HIS CAREER
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Lee Joon Gi is set to enter some of the
darkest territory of his career in Dochabi, the upcoming Netflix
historical-action thriller in which he takes on the role of the ruthless
antagonist Yi Do Gwan. Directed by Ahn Tae Jin and written by Hwang Sung Goo,
the film marks Lee Joon Gi’s highly anticipated return to the big screen and is
slated for a global Netflix release in 2027.    
Filming
for Dochabi has reportedly begun, with the film expected to form part of
Netflix’s 2027 global slate. While an exact premiere date has yet to be
announced, anticipation is already building around what may be one of the most
radical character transformations of Lee Joon Gi’s career.
  And
the most astonishing aspect of his casting is not simply that he is playing a
villain. It is which villain he is
playing - and what that does to the audience’s perception of him.
For
more than two decades, Lee Joon Gi has cultivated one of the most recognisable
archetypes in Korean screen history: the wounded warrior, the tragic outsider,
the lonely protector, the man who stands between the powerless and those who
abuse power.
Dochabi turns that mythology upside down.   
THE ULTIMATE SUBVERSION OF THE LEE JOON GI ARCHETYPE   
Yi Do
Gwan represents a remarkable departure from the characters with whom Lee Joon
Gi has become synonymous. From The King and the Clown and Iljimae
to Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Lawless Lawyer, Flower of Evil, Again My
Life and The Sword of Aramun, Lee has repeatedly embodied characters
whose apparent darkness conceals a fundamentally human or heroic core. They
may be dangerous. They may be morally conflicted. They may be damaged, isolated
or consumed by revenge. But
they ultimately possess something that makes audiences instinctively side with
them: a conscience, a code, or someone
worth protecting. Even when Lee plays characters who appear cold,
intimidating or morally ambiguous, audiences have traditionally been
conditioned to search beneath the surface and discover the wounded hero. Dochabi denies them that comfort. Yi Do
Gwan is not a misunderstood hero. He is not a tragic antihero waiting to be
redeemed. He is a man who chooses power
over humanity. That distinction makes the casting particularly potent.
FROM THE WOUNDED HERO TO THE MAN BEHIND THE MONSTER   
Yi Do
Gwan is portrayed as a ruthless border commander whose hunger for power drives
him to engineer a horrifying deception. He and his soldiers disguise themselves
behind masks and hunt innocent slash-and-burn farmers, manipulating the
resulting violence to make the victims appear to be invading barbarians. The
conspiracy allows Yi Do Gwan to manufacture an enemy, create fear and
strengthen his own military authority. His violence is therefore not random. It
is calculated. His cruelty is not impulsive. It is strategic.
And
that makes him considerably more frightening. A conventional villain can be
terrifying because he enjoys destruction.
Yi Do
Gwan is terrifying and evil for another reason: He can rationalize it. He understands exactly what he is doing. He
knows who will suffer. He understands the political consequences. And he
proceeds anyway because ambition has become more valuable to him than human
life.
A CAREER BUILT ON RANGE
Lee
Joon Gi’s filmography is defined by extraordinary genre versatility. He has
never been confined to a single screen identity. Instead, he has built a career
as a genre shapeshifter - moving seamlessly across action, romance, comedy,
horror, fantasy, historical drama, crime, psychological thriller, and even
international cinema.
KOREAN TELEVISION
ACTION / THRILLER
ROMANTIC COMEDY
COMEDY
HORROR / FANTASY
FANTASY-ACTION
HISTORICAL
MYTHOLOGICAL-ACTION-WAR-FANTASY
MELODRAMA / PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER
POLICE PROCEDURAL / CRIME / DETECTIVE
THRILLER
REALITY DRAMA / VARIETY
WEB SERIES 7 First Kisses Secret Queen Makers
KOREAN CINEMA
HISTORICAL DRAMA
HISTORICAL May 18
HISTORICAL-ACTION-THRILLER
INTERNATIONAL CINEMA
HOLLYWOOD ACTION-THRILLER
JAPAN DRAMA
SOUTH KOREA & JAPAN COMING-OF-AGE ROMANCE
CHINA ROMANCE
PAN-ASIAN TELEVISION JAPAN-CHINA-SOUTH KOREA ACTION / THRILLER
 That
breadth of range is precisely what makes his role in Dochabi such
a compelling next step. But Dochabi asks
something more of him than simply shifting genres again. It asks him to abandon
the moral compass that has anchored most of his iconic performances.
FROM HEROIC CHARISMA TO VILLAINOUS CHARISMA   
For
an actor who has so often portrayed heroic or emotionally sympathetic
protagonists, taking on a character like Yi Do Gwan represents a profound
artistic challenge.
Yi Do
Gwan is not a villain born of circumstance or appearance. He becomes a monster
through choice - through the conscious decision to sacrifice others for his own
ambition. He wears a mask not to hide, but to destroy.
Lee
Joon Gi’s greatest strength has never been just his physical beauty or action
ability. It is his capacity to convey vast emotional depth through the smallest
shifts in expression. That skill, honed over years, now takes on a darker
purpose.
In Dochabi:
A smile may no longer signal affection - it may signal manipulation. Silence
may no longer mean sorrow - it may mean calculation. A glance may no longer
reveal vulnerability - it may reveal intent.
WEAPONIZING TYPE 
Lee
Joon Gi has spent years perfecting the charisma of the heroic character. Dochabi gives
him the chance to explore its darker twin: villainous charisma.
And
crucially, the film does not merely ask him to play against type. It asks him
to weaponise his type.
His natural screen magnetism makes Yi Do Gwan even more dangerous - not because
he is loud or monstrous in appearance, but because he is composed, intelligent,
and authoritative. He controls a room before he ever draws a weapon. His charm
is now a tool for evil.
THE VILLAIN AS ENGINE 
Yi Do
Gwan’s menace is not just in what he does, but in what he enables. His abuse of
authority gives birth to Dochabi. In narrative terms, Yi Do Gwan is the engine
that sets the story in motion. The hero may carry the title, but the villain
creates the story. The villain drives the story.
That
distinction matters. And for Lee Joon Gi, it may be the most daring role of his
career.
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