Dwight McCarthy
Encyclopedia
Dwight McCarthy is a main protagonist
in Frank Miller
's Sin City
universe
. He appears in A Dame to Kill For
, The Big Fat Kill
, Family Values, The Babe Wore Red and That Yellow Bastard
. In the 2005 film adaptation
, he was portrayed by Clive Owen
.
In terms of clothing, in the first half of A Dame to Kill For he wears just a shirt and pants. Afterwards, he takes to wearing a black shirt and a trench coat. He wears red Converse sneakers
both before and after his transformation; shown in color on the cover of The Big Fat Kill #1 and in the movie adaptation.
from two Tong
gangsters.
In the time span of That Yellow Bastard, Ava Lord
leaves Dwight and marries another man. In That Yellow Bastard, it is on the night John Hartigan
enters Kadie's that a drunk Dwight, after whining about Ava leaving him a month ago, goes home with Shellie and sleeps with her.
Prior to his first chronological appearance in A Dame to Kill For, Dwight worked for a time as a talented photographer for a Basin City newspaper. However, he was prone to reckless and violent behavior, further aggravated by alcoholism, which cost him his job. After getting sober and curbing his aggressive tendencies, he found work as a seedy private investigator, often taking pictures of adulterous men.
d by Manute and Damien. Dwight tries to fight him off, but gets thrown out of his apartment's window. On the street, Dwight sees Ava's frightened face as Manute's car drives past and Dwight finally snaps, reverting back to his previously dangerous and violent behavior. Fearing for Ava's safety, he goes to Kadie's and recruits help from Marv
, the neighborhood bruiser. Shellie lectures Dwight at having not seen nor heard from him in six months. Upon arriving at Damien's estate, Marv causes a commotion and distracts the security while Dwight looks for Damien. Marv fights Manute and takes out his right eye.
Dwight kills Damien in a struggle, and learns that Ava tricked him into doing so; she shoots him in the face and he falls out yet another window. Marv hears the gunshots, picks up Dwight's body and leaves the estate. In their getaway car, Dwight, barely alive, tells Marv to take him to Old Town. When an old flame, Gail, hears Dwight's voice and sees what has happened to his face, she begins to rehabilitate Dwight. After he has healed, Gail, Dwight, Miho and Shellie develop a plan to get revenge on Ava Lord. Gail and the others tell Shellie that Dwight is still alive, and brief her on what she should tell the cops. Ava, having inherited her late husband's fortune, joins forces with mob boss Wallenquist
. Dwight, Miho, and Gail get into Ava Lord’s estate. They encounter Manute, who, despite being shot six times by Dwight and crucified
by Miho, manages to stay alive. Dwight, after listening to Ava's last, desperate lie, finally kills her.
Dwight, sporting an improved face, is at Shellie's place when Jack Rafferty
(otherwise known as Jackie-Boy) and his friends arrive to harass Shellie. Dwight 'talks' with Jackie-Boy in the bathroom — he threatens him with a razor and plunges his head into the toilet that Jackie-Boy has just urinated in — and scares him off. They leave Shellie's apartment, but Dwight follows them for fear that they might hurt another woman that night. Dwight follows them straight to Old Town, where Miho slaughters Jackie-Boy and his friends for threatening one of the Old Town girls. Dwight then discovers that Jack was a police officer. Dwight, in an attempt to prevent a war between the Old Town girls and the police, tries to dispose of Jackie-Boy’s body in the tar pits. However, some Irish
mercenaries
that Wallenquist has sent shoot him. Dwight survives only because Jackie Boy's badge blocked a bullet. He kills the assassins, but is attacked by more of them. He lands in the tar pits while the others cut off Jackie Boy's head. Dwight sinks into the tar and prays to God
not to let him die. Miraculously, he sees Miho swimming towards him. He pleas with her silently to save herself. However, Miho pulls him with her foot attached to a chain at the back of a car and she drags him just in time from the pits. Dallas, who was driving the car, announces that Gail has been kidnapped. Though the other mercenaries have left with Jackie-Boy's head, Miho has left one member of the gang alive, and Dwight tortures him for information. The Old Town girl that Jackie-Boy had his eyes on, Becky, sells them out to Wallenquist in an attempt to make money and get out of the prostitution game — this is how the Irish assassins knew where to ambush Dwight. We learn that Manute has captured Gail, when suddenly Miho fires an arrow with a deal attached: Jackie-Boy's head for Gail's life. The trade takes place in a narrow alley, and Dwight takes advantage of this to ambush Manute and his entourage. The Old Town girls, firing from the rooftops, leave no enemy alive.
Dwight is kidnapped by them and driven toward the Projects, but Dwight is more interested in their car, which he claims he will take possession of once they're all dead; none of them believe him. Unknown to the hitmen is that Miho has been following Dwight for protection. On the way, Vito tells his side of the story as to how he killed every living thing he saw, including a stray dog. Dwight is satisfied with this and orders Miho to make her appearance. She kills Spinelli, one of the goons, and they park in a hilltop rest area, overlooking the Projects. There, Miho toys with one of the hitmen as Dwight tells Vito to kill the other hitman, Vito's own brother Luca.
After Miho and Dwight are through, they head straight to Sacred Oaks to confront Don Magliozzi, driven by Vito. Miho cuts through the guards and Dwight makes his appearance. He tells the Don he is going to die along with Vito for the accidental death of Carmen, one of the Old Town girls. Dwight tells them Vito shouldn't have shot at the stray dog, since the angles were in a straight line to where Carmen was calling for a ride when Vito shot her. Carmen's lesbian lover, Daisy, arrives as Dwight walks away from the Don and his associates. Daisy guns them down as Dwight remarks there's going to be a mob war because of this, but that neither he nor the girls of Old Town will have cause to worry about it. Finally, he takes possession of Vito's car and drives off into the night.
, Dwight is clearly seen driving his car next to Wallace and Delia.
or grow his hair, all the while trying to not 'let the monster out.'
After being duped and betrayed by Ava Lord in A Dame to Kill For, he develops a new, nihilistic
outlook on life. After killing Damien Lord, he constantly refers to himself as a dead man, hinting that he no longer lives the life he had prior to Ava's reappearance. The new Dwight, possibly the 'monster' he had tried to restrain, is far more confident in his self worth and more at ease with allowing himself to indulge in pleasures and whims. There are times when this new Dwight is shown as being insane or at least not all there, most likely a result of Ava's influence and betrayal, it is most notable during the conversation between himself and the recently deceased Jackie Boy. Dwight also appears completely aware of his problems.
At all times Dwight is a model of chivalry, treating all women, especially the prostitutes of Old Town
, with the utmost respect and offering them his protection. His passion for romance runs deep and a woman in need of help is the trigger for his involvement in all the stories he stars in. Miller, on the special 2-Disc Sin City
DVD has stated he is the story's "everyman": Rather than a Anti-hero like Marv or a Folk hero like John Hartigan, Dwight is simply someone who tries to do the right thing and find his place in the world. He also, in explaining the character to actor Clive Owen
, described Dwight as a modern iteration of Philip Marlowe
.
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
in Frank Miller
Frank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
's Sin City
Sin City
Sin City is the title for a series of neo-noir comics by Frank Miller. The first story originally appeared in "Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special" , and continued in Dark Horse Presents #51–62 from May 1991 to June 1992, under the title of Sin City, serialized in thirteen parts. Several...
universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
. He appears in A Dame to Kill For
A Dame to Kill For
A Dame to Kill For is a comic book limited series first published by Dark Horse Comics in 1993. It is the second story in Frank Miller's Sin City series, and the first to be published in miniseries format. It was written and drawn entirely by Frank Miller...
, The Big Fat Kill
The Big Fat Kill
The Big Fat Kill is a five-issue comic book limited series published by Dark Horse Comics in November 1994–March 1995.-Plot:The story opens in Shellie's apartment, where a drunken former fling is furiously rapping on her door, demanding to be let in. Shellie is obviously scared, but is...
, Family Values, The Babe Wore Red and That Yellow Bastard
That Yellow Bastard
That Yellow Bastard is a six-issue comic book limited series, and the sixth in the Sin City series. It was published by Dark Horse Comics in February–July 1996, It follows the usual black and white noir style artistry of previous Sin City novels, with the exception of yellow on Roark Junior...
. In the 2005 film adaptation
Sin City (film)
Sin City, also known as Frank Miller's Sin City, is a 2005 crime thriller film written, produced and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez...
, he was portrayed by Clive Owen
Clive Owen
Clive Owen is an English actor, who has worked on television, stage and film. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for portraying the lead in the ITV series Chancer from 1990 to 1991...
.
Appearance
In Dwight's first appearance in A Dame To Kill For, his head is shaved and he is nearing middle age. During the events of A Dame to Kill For, the Old Town girls perform Facial reconstruction on him at Gail's behest. They change his facial appearance dramatically, and he allows his hair to grow again as well. By his next appearances in The Big Fat Kill and Family Values, he sports a more natural look.In terms of clothing, in the first half of A Dame to Kill For he wears just a shirt and pants. Afterwards, he takes to wearing a black shirt and a trench coat. He wears red Converse sneakers
Chuck Taylor All-Stars
Chuck Taylor All Stars, or Converse All Stars, also referred to as "Chuck Taylors", "Converses", "All Stars", "Chucks" or "Cons", are canvas and rubber shoes produced by Converse. They were first produced in 1917 as the "All Star," Converse's attempt to capture the basketball shoe market...
both before and after his transformation; shown in color on the cover of The Big Fat Kill #1 and in the movie adaptation.
Character history
Three years before A Dame to Kill For, Dwight rescues MihoMiho (Sin City)
is a character in Frank Miller's Sin City graphic novel series. In the film adaptation of Sin City, she is portrayed by Devon Aoki.-Character:...
from two Tong
Tong (organization)
The word tong means "hall" or "gathering place". In North America a tong is a type of organization found among Chinese living in the United States and Canada. These organizations are described as secret societies or sworn brotherhoods and are often tied to criminal activity...
gangsters.
In the time span of That Yellow Bastard, Ava Lord
Ava Lord
Ava Lord is a fictional character in Frank Miller's Sin City universe, the title character in the graphic novel A Dame to Kill For. An ex-lover of Dwight McCarthy, she manipulates men with her good looks and an innocent facade for her own personal gain or amusement...
leaves Dwight and marries another man. In That Yellow Bastard, it is on the night John Hartigan
John Hartigan
Detective John Hartigan is a major protagonist in the Sin City series of graphic novels, written by Frank Miller. He is the central character in That Yellow Bastard, and has a small cameo in Just Another Saturday Night...
enters Kadie's that a drunk Dwight, after whining about Ava leaving him a month ago, goes home with Shellie and sleeps with her.
Prior to his first chronological appearance in A Dame to Kill For, Dwight worked for a time as a talented photographer for a Basin City newspaper. However, he was prone to reckless and violent behavior, further aggravated by alcoholism, which cost him his job. After getting sober and curbing his aggressive tendencies, he found work as a seedy private investigator, often taking pictures of adulterous men.
A Dame to Kill For
As the story begins, Dwight is struggling with maintaining a clean and safe lifestyle, as he is constantly enticed to revert back to his previous, reckless ways. Ava Lord contacts Dwight and asks to meet at a seedy bar. Though it has been about four years since they last saw each other, Dwight is still embittered by her leaving him. Manute interrupts their meeting just as Ava mentions she might die soon. The next night, Dwight goes to Damien Lord's estate to check on her; however, Manute attacks and beats Dwight brutally. By the time Dwight makes it back to his apartment, Ava is there, where they sleep together after a nasty argument. Just as Manute shows up, Ava tells him she's being tortureTorture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d by Manute and Damien. Dwight tries to fight him off, but gets thrown out of his apartment's window. On the street, Dwight sees Ava's frightened face as Manute's car drives past and Dwight finally snaps, reverting back to his previously dangerous and violent behavior. Fearing for Ava's safety, he goes to Kadie's and recruits help from Marv
Marv
Marv is a fictional character in the graphic novel series Sin City, created by Frank Miller. In the 2005 film adaptation, he is played by Mickey Rourke. He first appears in The Hard Goodbye and follows with appearances in A Dame to Kill For, Just Another Saturday Night, and Silent Night...
, the neighborhood bruiser. Shellie lectures Dwight at having not seen nor heard from him in six months. Upon arriving at Damien's estate, Marv causes a commotion and distracts the security while Dwight looks for Damien. Marv fights Manute and takes out his right eye.
Dwight kills Damien in a struggle, and learns that Ava tricked him into doing so; she shoots him in the face and he falls out yet another window. Marv hears the gunshots, picks up Dwight's body and leaves the estate. In their getaway car, Dwight, barely alive, tells Marv to take him to Old Town. When an old flame, Gail, hears Dwight's voice and sees what has happened to his face, she begins to rehabilitate Dwight. After he has healed, Gail, Dwight, Miho and Shellie develop a plan to get revenge on Ava Lord. Gail and the others tell Shellie that Dwight is still alive, and brief her on what she should tell the cops. Ava, having inherited her late husband's fortune, joins forces with mob boss Wallenquist
Wallenquist Organization
The Wallenquist Organization is a criminal organization in the fictional universe of Frank Miller's Sin City. It is led by Herr Wallenquist, a German-American mobster shrouded in mystery...
. Dwight, Miho, and Gail get into Ava Lord’s estate. They encounter Manute, who, despite being shot six times by Dwight and crucified
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
by Miho, manages to stay alive. Dwight, after listening to Ava's last, desperate lie, finally kills her.
The Big Fat Kill
Jack Rafferty
Jack Rafferty is a fictional character in Frank Miller's Sin City, and a main antagonist of The Big Fat Kill. He is mainly referred to by his nickname Jackie Boy...
(otherwise known as Jackie-Boy) and his friends arrive to harass Shellie. Dwight 'talks' with Jackie-Boy in the bathroom — he threatens him with a razor and plunges his head into the toilet that Jackie-Boy has just urinated in — and scares him off. They leave Shellie's apartment, but Dwight follows them for fear that they might hurt another woman that night. Dwight follows them straight to Old Town, where Miho slaughters Jackie-Boy and his friends for threatening one of the Old Town girls. Dwight then discovers that Jack was a police officer. Dwight, in an attempt to prevent a war between the Old Town girls and the police, tries to dispose of Jackie-Boy’s body in the tar pits. However, some Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
mercenaries
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
that Wallenquist has sent shoot him. Dwight survives only because Jackie Boy's badge blocked a bullet. He kills the assassins, but is attacked by more of them. He lands in the tar pits while the others cut off Jackie Boy's head. Dwight sinks into the tar and prays to God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
not to let him die. Miraculously, he sees Miho swimming towards him. He pleas with her silently to save herself. However, Miho pulls him with her foot attached to a chain at the back of a car and she drags him just in time from the pits. Dallas, who was driving the car, announces that Gail has been kidnapped. Though the other mercenaries have left with Jackie-Boy's head, Miho has left one member of the gang alive, and Dwight tortures him for information. The Old Town girl that Jackie-Boy had his eyes on, Becky, sells them out to Wallenquist in an attempt to make money and get out of the prostitution game — this is how the Irish assassins knew where to ambush Dwight. We learn that Manute has captured Gail, when suddenly Miho fires an arrow with a deal attached: Jackie-Boy's head for Gail's life. The trade takes place in a narrow alley, and Dwight takes advantage of this to ambush Manute and his entourage. The Old Town girls, firing from the rooftops, leave no enemy alive.
Family Values
Dwight is on a mission from Gail to dig up information about a recent mob hit at a small diner. He goes into a bar near where the hit happened and tries to charm one of the local drinkers there named Peggy. Dwight also spots Fat Man and Little Boy, which makes his job easier later on. As Dwight keeps charming Peggy, she realizes he's not interested in any company that night and only looking for information behind the recent hit. It's revealed that Bruno, the target, was killed by Vito, one of Don Magliozzi's nephews and also one of his hitmen. This was done in retaliation on Don Magliozzi's part as Bruno had killed his beloved niece years ago. Going against his family's treaty with Mob Boss Wallenquist, Magliozzi orders Vito to kill Bruno, who is on Wallenquist's payroll, immediately. Afterwards, everyone's nervous about what Wallenquist will do and if there will be a mob war. With that information, Dwight leaves the bar and is confronted by Vito and some other hitmen who came when Fat Man and Little Boy alerted them someone was digging around for information.Dwight is kidnapped by them and driven toward the Projects, but Dwight is more interested in their car, which he claims he will take possession of once they're all dead; none of them believe him. Unknown to the hitmen is that Miho has been following Dwight for protection. On the way, Vito tells his side of the story as to how he killed every living thing he saw, including a stray dog. Dwight is satisfied with this and orders Miho to make her appearance. She kills Spinelli, one of the goons, and they park in a hilltop rest area, overlooking the Projects. There, Miho toys with one of the hitmen as Dwight tells Vito to kill the other hitman, Vito's own brother Luca.
After Miho and Dwight are through, they head straight to Sacred Oaks to confront Don Magliozzi, driven by Vito. Miho cuts through the guards and Dwight makes his appearance. He tells the Don he is going to die along with Vito for the accidental death of Carmen, one of the Old Town girls. Dwight tells them Vito shouldn't have shot at the stray dog, since the angles were in a straight line to where Carmen was calling for a ride when Vito shot her. Carmen's lesbian lover, Daisy, arrives as Dwight walks away from the Don and his associates. Daisy guns them down as Dwight remarks there's going to be a mob war because of this, but that neither he nor the girls of Old Town will have cause to worry about it. Finally, he takes possession of Vito's car and drives off into the night.
Hell and Back
On page 165 of Hell and BackHell and Back
Hell and Back is the second studio album by rapper Drag-On. It was released on February 10, 2004 for Virgin Records and featured production from the likes of Swizz Beatz and Rockwilder...
, Dwight is clearly seen driving his car next to Wallace and Delia.
Personality
Dwight is first introduced as a man who lives in total abstinence in order to keep out of trouble. Having a history of bad tempers, wild drinking and wild love affairs (as well as a mysterious, but seemingly significant, incident involving his father, briefly mentioned in A Dame to Kill For) he lives completely denying himself even a taste of what he refers to as "the fire". During this time he appears to be a tortured soul who is afraid even to rev the engine of his MustangFord Mustang
The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
or grow his hair, all the while trying to not 'let the monster out.'
After being duped and betrayed by Ava Lord in A Dame to Kill For, he develops a new, nihilistic
Nihilism
Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine suggesting the negation of one or more putatively meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value...
outlook on life. After killing Damien Lord, he constantly refers to himself as a dead man, hinting that he no longer lives the life he had prior to Ava's reappearance. The new Dwight, possibly the 'monster' he had tried to restrain, is far more confident in his self worth and more at ease with allowing himself to indulge in pleasures and whims. There are times when this new Dwight is shown as being insane or at least not all there, most likely a result of Ava's influence and betrayal, it is most notable during the conversation between himself and the recently deceased Jackie Boy. Dwight also appears completely aware of his problems.
At all times Dwight is a model of chivalry, treating all women, especially the prostitutes of Old Town
The Girls of Old Town
The Girls of Old Town are a group of self-governing prostitutes in the fictional universe of Frank Miller's Sin City.During the days of the Gold Rush, when the town of Basin City had just been settled, the Roark family "imported" a large number of women from across the globe into the open and...
, with the utmost respect and offering them his protection. His passion for romance runs deep and a woman in need of help is the trigger for his involvement in all the stories he stars in. Miller, on the special 2-Disc Sin City
Sin City (film)
Sin City, also known as Frank Miller's Sin City, is a 2005 crime thriller film written, produced and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez...
DVD has stated he is the story's "everyman": Rather than a Anti-hero like Marv or a Folk hero like John Hartigan, Dwight is simply someone who tries to do the right thing and find his place in the world. He also, in explaining the character to actor Clive Owen
Clive Owen
Clive Owen is an English actor, who has worked on television, stage and film. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for portraying the lead in the ITV series Chancer from 1990 to 1991...
, described Dwight as a modern iteration of Philip Marlowe
Philip Marlowe
Philip Marlowe is a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler in a series of novels including The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye. Marlowe first appeared under that name in The Big Sleep published in 1939...
.
Traits
- Fondness for classic cars and long flowing coats, similar to MarvMarvMarv is a fictional character in the graphic novel series Sin City, created by Frank Miller. In the 2005 film adaptation, he is played by Mickey Rourke. He first appears in The Hard Goodbye and follows with appearances in A Dame to Kill For, Just Another Saturday Night, and Silent Night...
. In the movie he drives a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado . Currently drives a classic 1953 Cadillac EldoradoCadillac EldoradoThe 1953 Eldorado was a special-bodied, low-production convertible . It was the production version of the 1952 El Dorado "Golden Anniversary" concept car, and borrowed bumper bullets from the 1951 GM Le Sabre show car...
, which he acquired from Vito in Family Values. - Is associated with the Old Town girls.
- Enjoys watching and playing basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. - Exercises frequently, and has a very muscular physique
- Often hangs out at Kadie's Club.
- Has olympic level strength, speed, stamina, and durability; he is able to survive several gunshots and jump out of multi-story windows and land unharmed.
- Is quick with his feet, allowing him to deliver crushing kicks to his enemies.
- Dislikes using punches in fights as he hates to 'skin his knuckles'.
- The only male protagonist in the film to survive until the end.
- Wears a pair of red Chuck Taylor All-StarsChuck Taylor All-StarsChuck Taylor All Stars, or Converse All Stars, also referred to as "Chuck Taylors", "Converses", "All Stars", "Chucks" or "Cons", are canvas and rubber shoes produced by Converse. They were first produced in 1917 as the "All Star," Converse's attempt to capture the basketball shoe market...
. - Easily taken in by beautiful women.
- A skilled photographer.
- Stands somewhere between 6'1 and 6'3, in comparison to Gail, who is said more than once to be 6 feet tall.
- Shares the same view of modern cars as Marv, referring to one as an "electric shaver."
- Dwight is left-handed.
- Dwight also habitually refers to Miho in his internal monologues as "Deadly Little Miho".
- Dwight carries a stainless Springfield ArmorySpringfield ArmoryThe Springfield Armory, located in the City of Springfield, Massachusetts - from 1777 until its closing in 1968 - was the primary center for the manufacture of U.S. military firearms. After its controversial closing during the Vietnam War, the Springfield Armory was declared Western Massachusetts'...
M1911A1 pistol as his sidearm.