"I've never been sick, I've never been injured...what do I do now?"- David Dunn
David Dunn is the main protagonist of the Eastrail 177 film trilogy, serving as the main protagonist of the 2000 film Unbreakable, a cameo character in Split, and the main protagonist of Glass.
He was once an ordinary man who wanted a normal life with his wife and son but that all changed after he was involved in a horrific train crash, resulting in him being the sole survivor. After persistent badgering from Elijah Price, he learns that he has superpowers. At first, he was very reluctant to accept that he had superhuman abilities. David eventually comes to terms with it and starts to use his abilities for good.
Years later, he took up the name of a superhero called The Overseer, and his actions were reported more frequently in the news before he was sent to Raven Hill Memorial after a brief standoff with Kevin Wendell Crumb, a man with DID and an evil personality called "The Beast".
Biography[]
Early Life[]
In his childhood, David nearly drowned in a swimming pool. This left him traumatized and he developed a fear of water. In college, David dated his future wife Audrey and was also a star athlete for his school's football team. Unfortunately. David and Audrey ended up in a near-fatal car accident. However, due to David's hidden abilities, he was left unharmed and saved up saving Audrey's life using superhuman strength to rip off a car door and pull her out of the wreckage. David blamed the accident for why he stopped playing football. In his adulthood, he found employment as a security guard and fathered a son with Audrey, who they named Joseph Dunn.
Unbreakable[]
After a job interview in New York City, David boarded the Eastrail 177 train to Philadelphia, where he engaged in a small conversation with a woman named Kelly. However, soon after, the train derailed and a horrific crash occurred, killing all passengers and crew aboard except David, who awoke later in a hospital and learned that he was the only survivor.
Events in Split[]
Shortly after the revelation of The Horde at the Philadelphia Zoo, David watched the news report on the Horde in a diner, with other patrons. One of the patrons noted that "The Horde" reminded her of speculation of a wheelchair-bound terrorist who was incarcerated fifteen years prior and asked what his name was, to which David replied "Mr. Glass" before taking a sip of his coffee.
Events in Glass[]
Three weeks after the Horde's manifestation, Dunn continued to work as a vigilante at night in fighting crime, with aid from Joseph. One day, he learned from Joseph that Crumb held a group of cheerleaders hostage in a warehouse. He arrived in the nick of time to save them but was confronted by the Horde personality, and they fought against the Beast until they both collapsed onto the streets. Before they could continue their clash, they were thwarted by Ellie Staple and the PPD and sent to a mental institution where Elijah Price is held.
For the next few days, Dunn, along with Price and Crumb, were examined by Staple, who was the head doctor of the institution. She believed that there was no such thing as superpowers and thus concluded that they had a mental illness. However, after Price and the Horde work together to unleash the Horde's personality to the world to reveal the existence of superpowers, Dunn breaks out of the institution and confronts the Horde in a fight.
Soon after, Staple arrived with armed troopers and explained that she spent the majority of her career preventing those with superhuman abilities from exposing themselves to the world and that she was part of a secret anti-superhuman society. The men capture David and kill him by drowning, while Kevin kills Price and is shot to death by the troops after Casey brings out Kevin's original identity thereafter.
Legacy[]
Unbeknownst to Staple, the security cameras were hacked by Price prior to his death, and the footage was sent to a private site, allowing Casey, Joseph, and Mrs. Price to expose the existence of those with superhuman abilities. Afterward, Staple was left shocked and furious that the public is now aware of superhuman abilities, which she fought to hide, and her plans and that of the secret society were ruined. At a train station, Joseph, Casey, and Mrs. Price grieve over the deaths of their respective loved ones and join hands as a family while the footage from Raven Hill goes live.
Personality[]
David Dunn was once an ordinary man and wanted to keep it that way. He, at first, was not interested in the idea of superheroes existing. He downright refused to believe he could have such incredible powers. Despite not wanting to be a superhero he takes on roles that involve protection. At a stadium, he worked as a security guard. When he begins to train his powers, he makes sure his son, Joseph, stands back so he doesn't get hurt.
He doesn't let emotions cloud his sense of wrong or right. When he finds out that Elijah Price (now calling himself Mr. Glass) orchestrated the train crash and other terrorist incidents, he alerts the authorities. Despite this, he was clearly traumatized by the idea of his mentor being the villain all along.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Invulnerability: David Dunn's main power is the ability to withstand incredible physical abuse leaving him with no markings at all. It was first revealed to him at the beginning of the film when he was able to be the sole survivor of a train crash without a single scratch on him.
- Superhuman Strength: Along with an unbreakable body, David also possesses super strength. He is shown to be able to bench press around 350 pounds. In a deleted scene he is shown to be able to press 490 pounds. The true limit of his strength is yet unknown.
- Enhanced Leap: The strength in David's legs may allow him to leap/jump further and higher than a average person.
- Enhanced Speed: The strength in David's legs may allow him to run faster than a average person due to his Career as a star college football player.
- Superhuman Stamina: Before the car crash, David was a star college football player. This was likely due to his superhuman stamina.
- Disease Immunity: David's powers also allow him immunity to all diseases. He notices this power when he realizes he's never been sick.
- Extrasensory Perception: By touching or focusing on someone, David is able to see if someone has done something wrong and what it is. He is also able to sense it.
Weaknesses[]
- Water: Elijah Price explains to David that all superheroes have a weakness, just like how Superman's weakness is Kryptonite. David's weakness is water after he almost drowned as a child. The traumatic event does not only bring him anxiety whenever he is submerged in water but he also never learned how to swim or properly float.
- Other Superhumans: While David Dunn is stronger than normal humans, it can be proven a challenge when fighting other superhumans. When going up against the Horde, they were shown to be equally matched in strength.
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Audrey Dunn † - Wife
- Joseph Dunn - Son
Enemies[]
- Elijah Price/Mr. Glass † - Former Mentor turned Enemy
- Kevin Wendell Crumb/The Horde † - RIval
- The Orange Man † - Victim
Trivia:[]
- David's weakness to water could be interpreted as his unbreakable body might weigh so much that he cannot float in water as a result.