McDonough Confirms His Role as Dum Dum Dugan in CAPTAIN AMERICA

Last week it was reported that Neal McDonough was in talks to join the cast of Marvel's Captain America: The First Avenger. During an interview with MTV he confirmed that he will in fact be joining the film as Dum Dum Dugan. He also reveals in the interview that the character may get a new name before shooting begins.

I'm so excited — I'm playing Dum Dum Dugan... [The name] may change. I'm reading a few things that it might change. But at this point, it still is [the Howling Commandos]... All I know is that I'm going to kick some butt and it's going to be a blast.

I wish they wouldn't change the name! Dum Dum Dugan is already a great name! Maybe there are legal reasons? I don't know, but I hope it doesn't change. The Howling commandos is a unit that will fight along side Captain America in the film, and Neal McDonough will make a great addition to the cast, he seems like such a cool actor and he's perfect for the character.

In the late 1930’s the young Timothy Cadwallader "Dum Dum" Dugan worked as a strongman with a traveling circus. It was during this time that Dugan encountered the adventurer Dominic Fortune.

In early 1941 Dugan was traveling with the circus through Europe. In the Netherlands Dugan first met Nick Fury, the man who would become his closest friend, who was then a performer in a stunt flying act and parachute instructor. Fury was assisting the American military officer Samuel Sawyer on a secret mission to rescue a British agent before he was captured by the German forces that had invaded the Netherlands. Dugan agreed to help Fury and Sawyer, and together they succeeded in getting the scientist to England safely.

Inspired by this mission, Dugan decided to leave the circus and enlist in the British armed forces to help fight the forces of Nazi Germany. (At this point the United States had not yet entered World War II; Sawyer himself was working with the British at this time.)

After the Japanese attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Japan, in December 1941, the United States officially entered World War II. Dugan and Sawyer were both transferred to the United States Army's Rangers (soldiers fighting on commando missions). Sawyer's company of Rangers, including Dugan, battled German forces throughout Europe and in North Africa.

After Sawyer was forced to retire from combat duty due to injury, he and G-2 (army intelligence) together organized the First Strike Force, the special squad of rangers that came to be known as the Howling Commandos. Sawyer, who had become a colonel, arranged for both Fury, who had become a sergeant in the United States Army, and Dugan, who was now a corporal, to be assigned to this team. The Howling Commandos became legendary for their long string of remarkable victories over the Axis forces during the war. Dugan acted as Fury's second in command, and led the Howling Commandos on those occasions that Fury was unavailable.

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