Phases 4 and 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have introduced us to an avalanche of new characters from the Marvel Comics mythos. From She-Hulk to M.O.D.O.K, anything is possible as the MCU continues to expand in a post-Endgame world. Eagle-eyed fans may have noticed another obscure Marvel character, Demolition Man popping up in the studio’s recent release, Captain America: Brave New World. However he looks quite different, actually he looks very different, borderline unrecognizable.
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD BELOW
Dennis Dunphy? Is That You!?
With a name tag on his vest that says “DUNPHY” and the credits listing him as Commander Dennis Dunphy, the MCU has introduced its version of Demolition Man, played by William Mark McCullough. Seen throughout the film as one of the few people within the US government that Sam Wilson can trust, Dennis Dunphy helps Cap out on multiple occasions after Samuel Stern’s frames Isaiah for attempting to assassinate President Ross.
Dunphy’s time in the MCU is cut incredibly short when he is killed a little over half-way through the film. After Cap asks Dunphy to investigate the pills he found in Sterns’ lab, he is killed by Sterns who miraculously appears as Dunphy attempts to contact Sam and that is the last we see of the character.
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Who is Demolition Man?
First appearing all the way back in Thing #28 in June of 1985 as Dennis Dunphy, and then later on in December of 1986 as Demolition Man, or D-Man, in Captain America #328. Dunphy was created by writer Mike Carlin and artist Ron Wilson, but fully became D-Man when Mark Gruenwald made him a new partner to Captain America.
Dennis Dunphy was originally known as “Demolition Dunphy” who was given superhuman abilities such as strength, stamina, and durability from the Power Broker. Dunphy had dreams of becoming a professional athlete but lacked the physical capabilities for it. With these newfound abilities from the Power Broker, he joined the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation and gets involved with other Marvel characters such as The Thing, Justice, Ikaris, Screaming Mimi, The Beyonder, Sharon Ventura, and US Agent.
Dunphy was ordered to attack and capture The Thing and Ms.Marvel by the Puppet Master and Power Broker. When Dunphy defies these orders he is cut off from the pills he was provided with by the Power Broker and begins to have severe withdraws.
Dunphy would become Demolition Man and team up with Captain America in his investigation of the Power Broker, suiting up in a makeshift costume modelled after Daredevil and Wolverine’s looks. D-Man would go on to save Captain America from Karl Malus but eventually gets himself captured by the Power Broker, continuing his experiments on Dunphy and increasing his abilities that would damage his heart leading to him stepping back from the superhero world for a bit.
From there, D-Man would pop up here and there like informally joining the Avengers, helping Cap alongside Falcon, Nomad, and Vagabond when he was stripped of the mantle, getting involved in Civil War, and joining Wonder Man’s Revengers. D-Man also dealt with other issues such as Schizophrenia.
A Future for D-Man After ‘Captain America: Brave New World’?
With how the character was handled in Brave New World, it seems the writers just needed a name for a character that would act as an ally to Cap throughout the film. It seems even less likely that they’d even have any real plans for the character with how much of a backlog they’ve built up in these past two phases.
Demolition Man unfortunately dealt the short end of the stick when it comes to adaptations, reduced to just a commander in the US Military with no real shard of accurate characterization. Some could compare the situation to how the DC Extended Universe handled characters like Jimmy Olsen or KG Beast. Reduced to nothing more than a soldier with a familiar name slapped on him.
Captain America: Brave New World is now in theaters. Check out the trailer below:
