The MCU Actor You Likely Forgot Starred In World War Z
In 2013, Marc Forster sent us on an undead roller coaster with Brad Pitt in the front cart, making one hell of a big-screen ride. Based on the book of the same name, "World War Z" saw the planet overwhelmed by a lethal virus that turned us all into monsters with an appetite for human flesh and a track time to match Usain Bolt. Besides sticking us with an adrenaline shot that seemed to last the film's entire running time, "World War Z" also saw Pitt joined by a collection of top-level talent, one of whom would join the ever-expanding guest list of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In what might be one of the film's most effective sequences, former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane (Pitt), who has been tasked with uncovering the virus's origins, meets with a team of soldiers in South Korea. Among the ranks are the team's switched-on, no-nonsense leader, Captain Speke, played by a brilliantly charismatic actor who is utilized brilliantly in Forster's fast-paced horror. He later shifted his talent to stand off against Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in "Iron Man 3," as one of the most likable henchmen in the entire franchise and one who should've stuck around a lot longer than we got him for.
World War Z's James Badge Dale appeared in Iron Man 3
During Tony Stark's post-Battle of New York PTSD phase, "Iron Man 3," saw the billionaire bent on putting a suit of armor around the world go up against Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) and his Extremis goons. Leading the charge was Killian's right-hand man and former Lieutenant Colonel Eric Savin (James Badge Dale), who acted out some of the big bad's most heinous crimes and met his demise during Tony's rescue mission aboard Air Force One.
Falling in line with the kind of smug henchman mold that had littered writer and director Shane Black's work from the 1980s and 1990s ("Lethal Weapon," "The Long Kiss Goodnight"), Dale certainly left a mark in "Iron Man 3." It made his exit from the film just as fitting after he was shot through the chest by Tony's Unibeam, marking another bad guy who got far too little screen time than he deserved.