Why Malcolm Beck From Yellowstone Looks So Familiar
The Dutton family on Yellowstone would probably just like to spend their days raising cattle and sipping beers while watching the sun set over the beautiful Montana mountains. Instead, they have to contend with a range of antagonists over the seasons who all want to get their hands on their precious land, with one of the most memorable villains over the last few years being Malcolm Beck, as played by Neal McDonough.
He did a lot of despicable things to try to get John Dutton (Kevin Costner) to give him his land, even going so far as to kidnap John's grandson, Tate (Brecken Merrill), who had absolutely nothing to do with their conflict. Fortunately, Tate was safely returned to his family, and Malcolm hasn't been seen since the end of season 2. However, a lot of fans seem to think he could make a dastardly return in season 4 if it turns out he's the one behind the season 3 finale attack on the Duttons. Whether Malcolm has a future on Yellowstone or not, McDonough did an excellent job of capturing his villainous nature, and he has quite the resume in case you thought you've seen him in something before.
Neal McDonough fought alongside Captain America in his first adventure
Neal McDonough has been a fixture in science-fiction and fantasy projects for several decades now, and some of his earlier work involves roles in Star Trek: First Contact, The X-Files, and Minority Report. However, most modern audiences would probably recognize him first and foremost from his role as Dum Dum Dugan a.k.a. a member of the Howling Commandos who would follow Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) to the end of the Earth to take out Hydra in Captain America: The First Avenger.
He doesn't get much in the way of dialogue, but he's instantly recognizable with the character's trademark mustache and bowler hat. McDonough was just happy to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as he explained in an interview to MTV prior to filming Captain America: "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." He ended up staying within that family for quite a while as he would go on to reprise the role on episodes of Agent Carter and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He'll also be coming back to voice the character for an episode of What If...? on Disney+, but like so many actors before him, it wouldn't be long until he switched allegiances from Marvel to DC.
From a hero in the MCU to a villain in the Arrowverse...
Audiences familiar with Neal McDonough as Cap's pal may have been taken by surprise when he showed off a very different side by taking the role of Damien Darhk on The CW's Arrowverse. He made his first physical appearance on people's television screens on season 4 of Arrow where he frequently finds himself at odds with Oliver Queen/Green Arrow (Stephen Amell). While they have various skirmishes, Oliver's the one who ends up victorious in the end, but as anyone familiar with comic book properties knows all too well, you can't keep a good character down for long.
A different version of Damien from 1987 joins forces with Dark Archer (John Barrowman) and Reverse-Flash (Matt Letscher), and together, they form the Legion of Doom and cause all sorts of problems in the timeline. The new group soon draws the attention of the roving band of heroes on Legends of Tomorrow. We'd like to think Damien Darhk is gone for good after his soul was erased with the Hellfire sword, but you just never know what may end up happening with a dark magic user like him.
He gave Sonic a run for his money
Neal McDonough has a habit of popping up where you least expect him, and in recent years, he's showed up in the likes of Suits, Van Helsing, and The 100. He even appeared in theaters — not long before many of them had to shut down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic — in Sonic the Hedgehog as Major Bennington. He's the Army guy who goes to investigate one of Sonic's disturbances until Professor Robotnik (Jim Carrey) shows up and humiliates him in front of his men.
Of course, at this point, the movie is known just as much for the fan backlash sparked from Sonic's original design as the story itself, but one person who was fine with keeping the hedgehog's look as is was McDonough. He went on the record as saying, "What I saw in the trailer, the first trailer, I thought it was fine" (via ComicBook). However, he would go on to call the new look "amazing," and it certainly sounds like he'll be up for returning in a sequel if they needed him.
Needless to say, we don't think McDonough is going to be hard-pressed for work any time soon. He has a slew of projects in the works, so keep your eye out for his next role.