In Crimson Dynamo #1 (July 30, 2003), Russian collegiate Gennady Gavrilov became the eighth Crimson Dynamo after he found the helmet of a “Beta unit” designed by Anton Vanko based on but improved over the original, with its very own recharging satellite in orbit. Believing the helmet to be a sophisticated gaming system, Gavrilov caused the dormant armor to awaken and make its way towards the helmet, inadvertently leaving a trail of destruction. He would eventually, if briefly, wear the entire armor in a standoff with the Russian military. He kept the armor afterward.

Gennady Gavrilov was created by John Jackson Miller and Steve Ellis and first appeared in Crimson Dynamo #1.