The Suicide Squad Actor Has An Incredible Superhero Movie & TV Record

James Gunn's The Suicide Squad introduced Polka-Dot Man to the DCEU and, in the process, solidified David Dastmalchian's incredible record in superhero media. The Philadelphia-born actor has enjoyed a steady rise since emerging in 2005. Kicking off his career on stage, he enjoyed lead roles in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie and Sam Shepard's Buried Child, earning great acclaim in the process. In 2008, David Dastmalchian made the transition to film and TV, frequently collaborating with such as Denis Villeneuve.

2021 has already promised to be one of David Dastmalchian's biggest years yet. He will once again team with Denis Villeneuve, this time to bring Frank Herbert's science-fiction epic, Dune, to the big screen. There he will play Piter De Vries, a twisted and sadistic Mentat in service of Stellan Skarsgård's Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. On top of that, after a career largely dedicated to supporting roles and general "it's that guy" recognition, The Suicide Squad gifted him center stage like never before. Though the loose DCEU follow-up was designed as an ensemble piece, James Gunn went to great lengths to give each actor and character moments to shine like the lead. Among them, David Dastmalchian's Polka-Dot Man was highlighted as a standout by countless fans and several early The Suicide Squad reviews.

Though The Suicide Squad will go some way towards deservedly making David Dastmalchian more of a household name, it was far from his first foray into comic book adaptations. In fact, of any actor working today, David Dastmalchian has been the one to truly conquer the world of superhero media. Firstly, he's emerged as one of the few to appear in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DCEU. Furthermore, if recent news and other on-screen developments confirmed that everything is canon within the DCEU multiverse, David Dastmalchian is already its most prolific variant. Here's a breakdown of his extensive comic book movie and TV career, including which characters he played and where he can be seen.

The Suicide Squad & The Dark Knight

Featured The Suicide Squad Polka-Dot Man Powers

As mentioned, David Dastmalchian portrayed Abner Krill (a.k.a. Polka-Dot Man) in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad. The subject of a science experiment gone horribly wrong, Polka-Dot Man came packed with a sad backstory and a unique set of skills. After a stint in Belle Reve prison, he's recruited to Task Force X by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis). Alongside Bloodsport (Idris Elba) and the countless others, he was tasked with infiltrating the Jotunheim facility on Corto Maltese and destroying Project Starfish. The mission ultimately afforded David Dastmalchian an opportunity to infuse Polka-Dot Man with a ton of pathos and led to a battle between the Suicide Squad and Starro the Conqueror.

David Dastmalchian as Joker Henchman Thomas Schiff in The Dark Knight

Prior to the emergence of the DCEU, David Dastmalchian made his big-screen debut in another DC adaptation. Directed by Christopher Nolan, 2008's The Dark Knight famously saw Christian Bale's Batman go to war with Heath Ledger's Joker. Throughout his many complex schemes, The Joker utilized several henchmen. Among them was David Dastmalchian's Thomas Schiff, a paranoid schizophrenic with a penchant for uncontrollable laughter. After aiding The Joker in a failed assassination attempt, he conveyed that Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) was the next target and was psychologically tortured by Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). The role was admittedly a small one, but David Dastmalchian made every second count in order to leave a distinct impression on audiences for years to come.

The Flash (via The Arrowverse)

Prior to Ezra Miller's Crisis on Infinite Earths cameo, David Dastmalchian marked an early crossing of the streams between DC movies and TV. The actor appeared in the Arrowverse via The Flash season 3, episode 18, "Abra Kadabra." Hailing from the 64th century, the murderous "magician" clashed with Central City's speedster while trying to build a time machine. Both character and actor would return in The Flash season 7, episode 4, "Central City Strong." Initially seeking violent revenge, Abra Kadabra was ultimately talked around by Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and sacrificed his life to protect the city. As such, David Dastmalchian once again got to demonstrate his range and furthered his DC multiverse legacy.

Gotham

Elsewhere on DC TV, David Dastmalchian first appeared as Dwight Pollard in Gotham season 3, episode 12, "Mad City: Ghosts."A fervent admirer of his brand of madness, Dwight tried to resurrect the late Jerome Valeska (Cameron Monaghan). After the attempt seemed to fail in Gotham season 3, episode 13, "Mad City: Smile Like You Mean It," Dwight wore Jerome's face like a mask and led a cult of worshippers himself. He's later killed in an explosion after Jerome belatedly awoke and reclaimed his face. As such, it was once more a relatively short tenure. Regardless, it not only gave David Dastmalchian yet another doppelgänger within the DC multiverse but also meant he'd worked for two separate iterations of The Joker.

Batman: The Long Halloween

It has remained unclear whether live-action and animated corners will intersect as within the MCU multiverse (besides What If...?). Regardless, Batman: The Long Halloween added another notch on David Dastmalchian's record of comic book characters. Based on Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's iconic story, the two-part DC movie saw a series of holiday-themed murders investigated by Jensen Ackles' Bruce Wayne (a.k.a. Batman). David Dastmalchian lent his voice to the villainous Calendar Man, who served a Hannibal Lecter-like function and offered insight into the crimes. Were he not already Polka-Dot Man (and Calendar Man not embodied by Sean Gunn), it could be easy to see David Dastmalchian tackle the role perfectly in live-action.

Ant-Man & Ant-Man and the Wasp

Kurt sneaking around a building entrance in Ant Man and the Wasp

Across the aisle, David Dastmalchian made his MCU debut via 2015's Ant-Man. There, he played Kurt, a criminal associate of Luis (Michael Peña), and, subsequently, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd). He would prove instrumental in the heist at Pym Technologies and destroying the Yellowjacket research. The resident hacker later returned, helping to save the day by protecting the mobile lab and capturing Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins) in Ant-Man and the Wasp. The role served as a further demonstration of his comedic timing and making even minimal screen time count, all without precluding a bigger role (ala Gemma Chan) one day.

Marvel's What If...?

It was recently revealed that several MCU characters had been recast for Marvel's What If...? David Dastmalchian was, fortunately, not among them, with the actor confirmed to be voicing a version of Kurt. In what episode he'll return (and in what capacity) has remained understandably under wraps ahead of the show's release, however. Regardless, it moved his work with Marvel one step closer to matching his DC efforts across the years. Equally, alongside penning his own Count Crowley: Reluctant Midnight Monster Hunter comic book saga, David Dastmalchian's appearance in both Marvel's What If...? and The Suicide Squad cemented him as the currently undisputed king of comic book entertainment.

More: The Suicide Squad Might Set A Superhero Movie Record On Rotten Tomatoes