DAVID DASTMALCHIAN
MCU AND DCEU STAR ALWAYS SHINES
By Kirsten Howard
David Dastmalchian never has to pick a side between Marvel and DC.
44-year old character actor David Dastmalchian hits the big screen again this month in triumphant DC outing The Suicide Squad.
It’s a world away from where he was before his film career kicked off in earnest.
He’s previously revealed that he suffered from a heroin addiction for five years before getting clean and taking a role in Christopher Nolan’s Batman movie, The Dark Knight.
In Nolan’s revered 2008 DC blockbuster he played the Joker's deranged henchman Thomas Schiff.
He then had a breakout role in Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners, and the pair formed a close working relationship that continues to this day.
Dastmalchian featured in the director’s sci-fi epic Blade Runner 2049, and also has a part in his upcoming adaptation of Dune.
Blade Runner 2049
Meanwhile, Dastmalchian snagged a Marvel Cinematic Universe role as ex-con Kurt in the Ant-Man franchise.
But that didn’t mean leaving the world of DC behind.
The Flash
The actor also appeared in DC TV series like Gotham and The Flash, where he played Abra Kadabra.
The Flash
He also voiced Calendar Man in Batman: The Long Halloween parts 1 and 2.
Dastmalchian created his very own Dark Horse comic book series back in 2019 with Count Crowley: Reluctant Midnight Hunter.
This month, you can see the actor play yet another DC role in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad.
He stars as Polka-Dot Man, and critics are already singling him out as one of the highlights of the movie.
But Dastmalchian continues to straddle the worlds of the MCU and DCEU, as he also reprises his role as Kurt in Marvel’s animated series, What If…? this summer.
Dastmalchian seems to be going from strength to strength, and he’s fast becoming a character actor in demand!