Theory: Falcon & Winter Soldier's Secret Character Is From Captain America 1

Dum Dum Dugan could be a secret character in the upcoming Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In Captain America: The First Avenger, Dugan was portrayed by Neal McDonough, who later reprised the role in Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter.

In Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) gained a capable group of allies when he attacked a HYDRA base and freed its prisoners from captivity. The soldiers who joined Steve in combat were his old friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Jacques Dernier (Bruno Ricci), James Montgomery Falsworth (JJ Field), Jim Morita (Kenneth Choi), Gabe Jones (Derek Luke), and Dum Dum Dugan, who shared a good amount of action and screen-time in the movie. These characters served as Captain America’s Howling Commandos, an adaptation of Nick Fury’s elite unit of soldiers from the Silver Age of Marvel Comics.

Dugan, who’s been absent from the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Agent Carter season 1 in 2015, could make a return on the small screen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as a secret MCU character. Marvel has a tendency to include unexpected heroes and villains in cameo or supporting roles in its movies, and its Disney+ shows will surely be no different. In fact, it’s already been confirmed that Marvel is planning on bringing back characters from the “earliest Marvel movies”. This description could apply to the Phase 1 film, Captain America: The First Avenger. If so, one of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s surprising inclusions could be none other than Dum Dum Dugan. Here’s why he may be in the show, and how his role in the MCU could end up mirroring his place in the comics.

Dum Dum Dugan’s Role In Marvel Comics Explained

In both the movies and the comics, Timothy “Dum Dum” Dugan can easily be recognized by his trademark bowler hat and red handlebar mustache. Similar to Neal McDonough’s version of the character in Captain America: The First Avenger, Dugan was a member of the Howling Commandos during World War II in Marvel Comics. The big difference here is that his commanding officer was Nick Fury. The two fought together for years, and developed a strong bond. When Marvel reimagined Fury in the modern era as the director of SHIELD, Dugan was brought along with him as a high-ranking SHIELD agent. Dugan was shown to be Fury’s right-hand man and his most reliable confidante. Dugan also shared numerous interactions with Captain America, who he knew from the war. During the 1960s and 1970s, Dugan acted as a recurring character in Captain America and Nick Fury’s comics.

Dum Dum Dugan has remained a fixture of SHIELD and one of Nick Fury’s most capable allies. For a time, he even replaced Fury as the director of SHIELD. He’s also been shown to act independently of Fury, as he’s been seen leading his own teams on certain occasions. In the 1970s, Dum Dum Dugan was tasked with leading the Godzilla Squad, whose primary objective was to defeat the King of the Monsters. In 2012, Dugan co-led a team of superheroes with Howard the Duck to fight an army of Nazi zombies. As for how Dugan has been able to live for so long without being superhuman, his unnatural longevity in the Marvel Universe can be explained by the Infinity Formula, the same serum that extended the life of Nick Fury.

What Dum Dum Dugan Could Have Done After First Avenger

Dum Dum Dugan (Neal McDonough) looks somber in Captain America the First Avenger

Agent Carter has shown that Dum Dum Dugan continued working with the Howling Commandos after the war ended, but since he was never seen again in the MCU after the 1940s, it’s unclear what became of him. In a deleted scene from The Avengers, Steve discovered that Morita, Falsworth, and Dernier all passed away, but Dugan’s fate was never mentioned in any official material. It could be that Dugan is still alive in the MCU somewhere.

What did Dum Dum Dugan do whenever the Howling Commandos split up for good? It could be, that just like the character from the comics, Dugan continued to put his skills to use by joining up with SHIELD. If his association with the organization lasted for decades, he could have had an eventful career as a SHIELD agent, and possible even a leadership role. It’s impossible for him to have had the same relationship with Nick Fury that he did in the comics since the latter is from a different era, but they still could have worked together at SHIELD at some point in their lives.

Dum Dum Dugan Could Return in Falcon and the Winter Soldier

If Dum Dum Dugan really is still alive, he could make a return to the MCU in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Marvel could significantly age Neal McDonough for the role, or the series could avoid this by introducing a version of the Infinity Formula from Marvel Comics. Given everything that was going on in the Captain America movies, Marvel really didn’t have many chances to revisit a relatively minor character like Dugan in a meaningful way, but a six-episode TV show on Disney+ would certainly have a lot more room for that to work.

Dugan could have a key part to play if he does return in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Regardless of how the show approaches the situation with his age, he could provide a much-needed link to Bucky’s past. The only character in the show with a prior relationship with Bucky confirmed to be in the show is Falcon (Anthony Mackie), but their history is very limited. Bucky’s story in the series could benefit from the addition of a character who truly knows him and the person he was before becoming the Winter Soldier. With Steve no longer in the picture, the character best-suited for fulfilling this purpose is Dum Dum Dugan.

If he were to meet Bucky, they could spend some time reflecting on the past and some of their past adventures with Captain America. Marvel could also use this opportunity to fill in viewers on what Dugan has been up to in the decades that have passed since The First Avenger. Another possibility is that Dugan could be connected to the story of Isaiah Bradley, a character heavily rumored to appear in the show. In the comics, Bradley is a super soldier and a previous version of Captain America. Since both were in World War II, Dugan and Bradley could know each other. It may be that Dugan has a secret but important presence in the MCU’s history that audiences know nothing about. Depending on how The Falcon and the Winter Soldier uses him, the door could be left open for him to appear as an old associate of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) when he too gets his own series on Disney+.

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