Captain America: Brave New World is light on cameos but there is a deep-cut nod to the comic books that brings one of the lamest, weirdest Avengers into the MCU.
In the movie, Sam Wilson turns to Commander Dennis Dunphy, an old friend and member of the United States Armed Forces, for help figuring out what's in the pills Samuel Sterns has been giving President Ross.
It's widely believed that Amadeus Cho was once going to provide those answers, but Dunphy turns to an unnamed associate for the answers Sam needs. However, before he can warn Cap, The Leader murders him.
Does that name, Dennis Dunphy, ring any bells? It should! In the comics, Dunphy is better known as Demolition Man or D-Man, a character who first suited up in 1987's Captain America #328 after being created by Mike Carlin and Ron Wilson a couple of years earlier.
On the page, after receiving super strength from the Power Broker, D-Man teams up with Captain America (Steve Rogers) in a costume inspired by Daredevil and Wolverine. His augmentations damage his heart and he eventually goes into cardiac arrest (in Captain America: Brave New World, he dies of a heart attack thanks to Sterns' machinations).
While D-Man has become more of a comedic character in recent years, he wasn't intended to be one upon his introduction and has been used as a supporting player - even teaming up with Sam - in various comic book runs. He never fully clicked with fans, though, hence the label of "lamest Avenger."
The Walking Dead and Cobra Kai actor William Mark McCullough plays the MCU's Dunphy but this is a one-and-done appearance and, no, he never suits up. Marvel Studios has given many minor characters familiar names over the years, so this is a fun nod to the source material given D-Man's history with Cap.
And let's face it, will anyone be disappointed that D-Man never gets the chance to assemble alongside The Avengers?
Here's a full list of our Captain America: Brave New World spoiler articles in case you've missed any of them:
In Captain America: Brave New World, after meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, played by Harrison Ford in his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Sam Wilson finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
The movie stars Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Xosha Roquemore, Carl Lumbly, with Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford. The movie is directed by Julius Onah and produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore. Louis D’Esposito and Charles Newirth serve as executive producers.
"Flawed but functional, Captain America: Brave New World's many problems are largely forgotten any time Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford electrify the screen," we said in our review. "And when Red Hulk shows up, the movie reaches new heights of awesome."
Captain America: Brave New World opens in U.S. theaters on February 14, 2025.