David Dastmalchian's Return in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Explained

By Jamie Jirak

David Dastmalchian has appeared in many different comic book movies throughout his career. One of the actor's first roles was playing Joker's thug in The Dark Knight before going on to appear as Kurt Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp. In 2021, Dastmalchian returned to the world of DC as Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad and now he's back working with Marvel in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. However, this time Dastmalchian isn't playing Scott Lang's (Paul Rudd) buddy. Instead, he voices Veb, a sentient, pinkish blob whose "ooze" helps the humans understand people in the Quantum Realm. Veb is a member of Jentorra's (Katy O'Brian) Quantum Realm freedom fighters opposing the rule of Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). He's also really amazed by holes. 

Playing the quantum creature is "the most joy I've ever had getting to bring a character to life," Dastmalchian told Marvel.com at the Quantumania red carpet premiere. "They were so collaborative, the whole team — [producer] Stephen Broussard to [writer] Jeff Loveness and [director] Peyton Reed. They were just like, 'Where do you see this character's powers going? What do you see him being able to do?'"

"I am a character — a creature, a being — who exists in the Quantum Realm," Dastmalchian explained. "He's surrounded by his friends, but they're under a lot of oppression from a very nasty individual who we know is going to cause a lot of problems for a lot of people. And I get to be part of the resistance. I hope things work out for Veb." He added, "He may be small, but he might be mighty."

What Has David Dastmalchian Said About Working With Marvel and DC?

Dastmalchian had a chat with Vulture around the time The Suicide Squad was released and talked about his history with comic book movies. When asked how the films were different, the actor revealed he thinks of them more as "simpatico" experiences.

"Because I'm on the inside of those experiences, it's only when I step back and see the projects in their totality that I can recognize the differences. As someone who's on set, there's much more in common than there is different. What they have in common is getting to be around people who are at the height of their game, for lack of a better term. People working both in front of and behind the camera who are stars of what they do. How wonderful that experience continues to be. It makes me go, Wow, it's no wonder this person is a star. They're just so incredibly good at what they do. And the passion and the childlike kind of imaginative commitment that every one of the creators behind these has had, I find very similar. Now obviously styles differ from person to person, but I find much more simpatico than different," Dastmalchian explained.

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"The craft techniques have evolved significantly," he added. "The Dark Knight was shot on film and it was a massive production. My first day on set, it felt like close to a thousand background actors, no joke. All of the police in uniform, all of the crowd standing by, all of the participants in the parade sequence, which was everyone from Gary Oldman to Maggie Gyllenhaal, to every other actor in the film basically. I was watching Chicago's financial district basically being completely shut down so this massive movie could be made there. It was huge."

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is now playing in theaters. 

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