David is the central antagonist of the novel of Allegiant and overraching antagonist of Divergent film series. He is a responsible of the Bureau of Genetic Welfare. In the film adaptation, he is played by Jeff Daniels who also played Jasper "Buddy" Noone in Blood Work and voiced Zartog in Space Chimps and its sequel.
Overview
Pre-Allegiant
David tried to repair the damage from the genes. He had the soldiers rescued Natalie Prior from the fringe. At some point he aided Jeanine Matthews's plans.
Novel
After Tris disables the Memory Serum, she is shot to death in the neck by David meanwhile. However he loses his memory in the process.
Film adaptation
David introduces himself and Bureau of Genetic Welfare to Tobias "Four" Eaton, Christina, Peter Hayes and Tris and Caleb Prior. However, after Four find out what is really this group and while he tries to explain Tris about that, Two of three guards aims at them but David orders them to lower their weapons. Four explains Tris that the soldiers of Bureau of Genetic Welfare are stealing children from their families, David reasons him they're giving the children a better life, Four questions they does it by taking the life of their parents and another one of three soldiers answers there was an unfortunate accident. David declares that unfortunate accident doesn't mean they are wrong to act. He questions both to Four and Tris who shall choose between a healthy child and a sick old man if they can only save one, Four replies he would deny from choosing and David replies that both a child and an old man thus dies. Despite Four's warning, Tris ignores him and joins David. Later, while Tris realized David's plan to unleash memory-erasing gas in Chicago, she decides to steal David's ship to go to Chicago along with Christina and Caleb. While Tris seek serum, David have the doors closed as he has control of the city. He exclaims her to stop fighting as it is pointless and it is over. However Tris, thanks to the aid of the drones passing just before the doors are closed, manage to disable the serum as she states he's right that it is over, much to David's anger. He is last seen as an hologram witnessing Loyalists.
Personality
David was a respectful CEO of the Bureau of Genetic Welfare. He was in love with Natalie. He was polite towards Four, Christina, Peter, Caleb and Tris. But later David's true color was revealed as he was responsible for kidnapping many children from their parents, erasing their memory with a serum and forcefully integrating them into the bureau, helped Jeanine, as well as he unleashed Memory Serum in Chicago.
Trivia
- David can be considered as a Bigger Bad of Divergent series since he aided the leader of the Erudite, Jeanine with their plans, and he was responsible for the creation of camo wall to separate the groups.
- David shared some similarities to Jonathan Irons from Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.