In The Shift, after a tense encounter with a mysterious stranger with otherworldly powers, a man is banished to a tyrannical, parallel Earth where he fights to get back to the woman he loves.
That "mysterious stranger" is The Benefactor, played by screen icon Neal McDonough. The Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow alum is no stranger to playing terrifying villains, but he has a few heroes under his belt as well. Among them is the Marvel Cinematic Universe's fan-favourite Howling Commando, Dum Dum Dugan.
McDonough first played the cigar-chomping soldier in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger and has since reprised the role in everything from Agent Carter to What If...? Earlier this week, we spoke with Neal about his work in The Shift and asked if he thinks a return to the role is a possibility.
"Well, we did the film, Captain America, then we did Agent Carter and then some shorts, video games, and all kinds of stuff," he says in the video above. "I hope…it’s hard, because for Dum Dum, I gained probably 40lbs of weight. I always say, I’d wake up at 4am and eat an entire chocolate cake. I’d eat and lift and eat and lift all day and grow that massive moustache."
"To get that big again, yes, I would enjoy that challenge, for sure. I loved playing Dum Dum," McDonough added. "He was very near and dear and very close to who I am in real life. So, you never know. I’d love to see it come back."
It would be awesome to see the Howling Commandos back in action, particularly as there's still so much more that can be done on screen with the World War II team. The Multiverse opens the door to heaps of different opportunities, though, and we're expecting Neal to reprise the role in What If...? season 2 at the very least.
We'll bring you the fully transcribed interview with Neal soon; in the meantime, you can watch our conversation with him and The Shift filmmaker Brock Heasley above. Here's the trailer, and our chat with Sean Astin and Kristoffer Polaha:
In this modern-day retelling of Job, Kevin Garner (Kristoffer Polaha) embarks on a journey across worlds and dimensions to reunite with Molly (Elizabeth Tabish), his true love. The narrative unfolds as a dystopian drama and sci-fi thriller, where a mysterious adversary, The Benefactor (Neal McDonough), disrupts Kevin's reality. Faced with infinite worlds and impossible choices, Kevin must navigate through an alternate reality, resisting The Benefactor's tempting offer of wealth and power. As survival hangs in the balance, Kevin fights to return to the familiar world he cherishes and the woman he loves.
The Shift arrives in theaters on December 1, 2023.