While attending the MTV Movie Awards last night, Neal McDonough confirmed that he will be portraying the hard-knuckled Howling Commando turned S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Timothy Aloysius Cadwallader Dugan; known to comic fans simply as Dum Dum Dugan:
"I'm so excited — I'm playing Dum Dum Dugan," the actor revealed to MTV News.
"It's going to be a blast with Chris [Evans], Sam Jackson, Tommy Lee Jones and everyone else. It's going to be fantastic. We're going to tear it up!"
McDonough is already growing Dugan's trademark mustache and plans to wear the character's signature bowler hat. He also said that the Howling Commandos are a part of "Captain America," though the squad's name could change between now and shooting
... Oh, I'm going to see a lot of action. [I'm] the go-to guy, so I'm very happy with that."
Though Dugan will be a part of Nick Fury's WWII military squad the Howling Commandos, the team may go through a few changes during the comics-to-screen translation; maybe even a name change:
"I'm not sure at this point. It may change — I'm reading a few things that it might change. But at this point, it still is. All I know is that I'm going to kick some butt and it's going to be a blast."
McDonough had nothing but great things to say about the film's star, Chris Evans; and is very much looking forward to working along side him on screen:
"[Chris is] one of the coolest, funnest cats and a fellow Boston boy — I'm sure we're going to get into a lot of trouble when we're [shooting in England]! He's so dedicated to his craft and he works so hard not just on the physical being but he works hard as an actor. If you haven't seen him in 'The Losers,' he just kills it in it."
For those of you who don't know, here's a bit of Dugan's backstory, courtesy of the Marvel mainframe: 'Dugan was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He was introduced in Howling Commandos issue 1. During World War II, while working as a circus strongman, Dugan helped Nick Fury and Sam "Happy" Sawyer escape the Nazis during a mission recounted in issue 34. Dugan later joins the British Army, and when Sawyer is charged with creating Fury's First Attack Squad, also known as the Howling Commandos, Sawyer invites Dugan to become second in command. His exceptional strength saves the day in several of his adventures in the Sgt. Fury comic books. Later on in life he is placed in charge of internal security on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.'
Not only is the handlebar mustache he is currently growing out for his new role, he will also be sporting Dugan's trademark Bowler hat in the film. McDonough seems very excited to have landed the part, he says he's been a fan of Marvel Studio since it's first independent venture:
"When the first 'Iron Man' came out, it blew everyone's minds and the second one was just incredible. The people at Marvel are so smart. They know exactly what they have. Jon Favreau, what he's done — the people they bring in. It's terrific. I'm blessed to be part of the family now."
Before the question arises, yes, he is signed on for multiple films:
"You sign up for future movies ahead of time, but you just keep praying. I'm so fortunate to be part of something like this. If there are more to come, great. If not, I've got a great job and I've got the greatest wife at home — that's what makes me happy."
McDonough joins an already talented cast for
Captain America, including Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Toby Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Haley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper and the recently confirmed Stanley Tucci.
Check out the video below for the rest of the interview, courtesy of MTV News: