Dylan Rhodes

Dylan Rhodes (b. Dylan Shrike) is a main character in Now You See Me. He is portrayed by Mark Ruffalo.

Biography
Dylan's father was the magician Lionel Shrike. Shrike was incredibly famous until Thaddeus Bradley revealed how his tricks were done. In 1984, as an attempt to regain his fame, Dylan's father tried to escape from a safe, made by a small company called Elkhorn, while underwater. In a cheap and defective safe at the bottom of the river, Shrike was imprisoned inside and (in all likelihood) drowned. After the incident Dylan and his mother filed for Insurances but were denied by Tressler Insurance and Republican credit of Paris. Dylan, who was twelve at the time, blamed Thaddeus, Elkhorn, Republican credit and Arthur Tressler and sought revenge for both his fathers death and his mothers suffering...

Now You See Me
30 years later having become an FBI agent, Dylan is assigned the case of the Four Horsemen and has to be partnered with French Interpol agent Alma Dray. He puts forth the image of an agent who would rather not work on the case and a nonbeliever in magic, although he is later revealed as the fifth Horseman. Dylan interrogates the Horsemen, but is unable to find a good reason to arrest them. He is forced to let them go.

Dylan follows the Horsemen closely, watching every one of their performances with his partner.

Dylan and Alma attend the Horsemen's second show. Because Dylan shouts "freeze!" as the Horsemen escape, he is tackled by twelve people who were hypnotized earlier in the show. After escaping, he chases after Horseman J. Daniel Atlas but is tricked into chasing himself.

In the Horsemen's third show, Dylan manages to find the Horsemen, but, because of Alma, he fails to shoot them before they flee.

After Thaddeus' arrest, Dylan visits him in the holding cell, asking for an explanation. Dylan tells Thaddeus that he had angered the Eye and accuses him of wanting to join the Eye but being unable to, therefore trying to ruin others. Dylan asks who the culprit behind it was, but Thaddeus retorts that he did not know who was behind it all, other than that their motivation was so strong that they were willing to risk everything. He even states that the mastermind was able to stay ahead of everyone, even the FBI. It is then, that Thaddeus realizes that the mastermind is actually someone inside the FBI and turns to Dylan, only to find him gone and outside the cell. Dylan reveals that he is not only the mastermind behind the Horsemen's shows, but also in fact the fifth Horseman. He taunts Thaddeus when he asks him who he really was and why he had done this, and then left, leaving Thaddeus bewildered, continuously asking "Why?"

He reveals himself in front of the Horsemen as they turn on the carousel and welcomes them into The Eye. 👁

Now You See Me 2
Dylan continues to act within the FBI, portraying himself as a bumbling fool in order to mislead his colleagues. He is working with Agent Natalie Austin. After a year passes, Henley Reeves chooses to leave the Horsemen because she is tired of waiting. Dylan introduces Jack, Daniel, and Merritt to the newest addition to the Horsemen: Lula May. Dylan tells them that they're finally returning to the spotlight, and for their first show in a year, they are going to expose a cyber business corporation CEO, Owen Case, as his latest software would expose everyone's personal data and would be sold to the highest bidder in the black market.

However, the show does not go as planned, as the FBI arrives when they learn of the Horsemen's return, despite Dylan's attempts to mislead them. Even worse, someone hacks into the show and exposes both Jack, who was presumed dead to the eyes of the populace in order to act from behind the scenes, and Dylan himself. The group manages to escape, unknown to Dylan, and they are captured by the original creator of the software program that they were going to expose.

While waiting for them at the rendezvous point, Dylan receives a call from Thaddeus Bradley, who appears to have information behind their disappearance. He reluctantly agrees to meet with Thaddeus, who tells him that if he wants to get the Horsemen back, he will need his help. Dylan agrees, and takes him outside the prison for a 24-hour leave using a fake ID.

Thaddeus tells Dylan that the Horsemen were sighted in Macau, China, much to Dylan's confusion. He later learns that they were in a magic shop, which he investigates in order to find where they had gone. To Dylan's surprise, the shop is in possession of the prototype safe that his father used, including his name and logo on the inside. The shop owners give him a watch, which they say is a gift from his father. Dylan then expresses frustration and anger when he finds that Thaddeus mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind a message in a sarcophagus. Dylan later manages to track down Daniel in the market place, but is then puzzled when Daniel explains that he arranged for a trade with the Eye in exchange for the software program and will get their lives back. Daniel states that the Horsemen no longer need Dylan, who then leaves, seemingly out of anger.

Walter Mabry appears, revealing that he had been behind Daniel's talk with the Eye. He threatens to kill Daniel if he doesn't give it up, but Dylan intervenes, creating an illusive change by giving Daniel the program, and tricks Walter before resisting his guard detail. He is eventually captured, and brought to Arthur Tressler, who reveals that Walter is his illegitimate son, and that his vendetta against Dylan was only made evident when he learned who he was. Dylan expresses rage with him, as he had practically left his mother helpless, but Arthur showed no care about her at all, recognizing Lionel's wife as a mere variable. Dylan is then thrown inside a safe, sentenced to the same fate as his father by being dropped into a river, left to drown. Using the lock pick inside the wristwatch he was given Dylan managed to escape his enclosure under the water. He is later rescued by the Horsemen. They reunite at the magic shop to discuss their plans.

When they learn that the software is, in fact, fake. They later, with the help of the shop owners, who reveal that they are also members of the Eye, use this fake software as an advantage to force Walter out of hiding and expose him.

The Horsemen immediately put their plans into action, performing separate shows that lead up to a grand finale at midnight, at Big Ben. Dylan, however, is forced to make a change of plans when Chase McKinney learns of their scheme. The group tries to rendezvous, but they are captured by Walter's security detail. They are brought to the private jet, where they hand over the program. Chase says that they should throw the Horsemen out. This is, in fact, an elaborate ploy that was planned when Jack managed to hypnotize Chase, and the shop owner did a switch with the driver. They even managed to fool Arthur and Walter into believing that they were flying out of London, when in fact it was staged. There, Dylan and the Horsemen expose Walter and the purpose behind his software program, with Dylan introduced to the crowd using his father's surname. As they make their escape, Dylan is confronted by Natalie Austin, and she asks him why he had done this. Dylan tells her that he hadn't changed; he was still doing his job. He hands her the data behind Walter's entire operation. He then escapes.

Dylan later arrives at a secret library where he learns, much to his shock, that Thaddeus is a member of the Eye and was Shrike's best friend. The two played the roles of the idealist (Shrike) and the realist (Thaddeus). Thaddeus also states that he had goaded Lionel to perform his revival performance, which they had routined beforehand. But, much to his lament, they had not planned on the safe being faulty. Dylan asks why he never revealed the truth to him back when he framed Thaddeus. Thaddeus claims that he felt guilty, but he later states that he is proud of him and the Horsemen and that they have completed their training. He then leaves the room, announcing his retirement, and directs them to a secret chamber accessible through a massive spiral staircase behind a curtain. Rhodes and the Horsemen join, descend the stairs, and the film ends.

Abilities

 * Skilled Detective: Dylan's training with the FBI has given him a marked proficiency in spotting clues, formulating motives and tracking down leads, an asset in ordinary criminal cases but a handicap when dealing with the Horsemen due to their illusion and misdirection tactics.
 * Expert Marksman: As an FBI Special Agent, Dylan is highly trained in the use of multiple types of firearms, demonstrating considerable accuracy on a number of occasions.
 * Expert Combatant: Dylan is highly trained in close-quarters unarmed combat and has demonstrated enough skill to fight multiple opponents at once with little difficulty.
 * Skilled Interrogator: Dylan has received vigorous training from the FBI in interviewing and breaking down suspects accused of crimes and does so well despite his short temper.
 * Master Magician: Just like his father Lionel, Dylan is (despite outward appearances) highly skilled in magic trades, props and practices, having almost thirty years experience. He is far ahead of the Horsemen in skill level and can apply his magic skills to any situation but is still cautious about using his skills openly.
 * Master Illusionist: Dylan possesses extraordinary sleight-of-hand, misdirection and sense-trickery abilities, enabling him to perform a wide range of magic tricks and routines that are designed to divert and control attention. He is equally skilled in the practice of card tricks.
 * Escape Mastery: His most favored branch of magic, Dylan is highly skilled escaping traps or confinement measures including safes, handcuffs, prison cells, caskets, and water tanks.
 * Master Mentalist: Dylan is a highly accomplished mentalist, able to ascertain intimate details about complete strangers and friends alike very quickly and has well-honed hypnosis skills that are so advanced, he himself is completely immune to the practice.
 * Gifted Intellect/Master Tactician: Over the course of three decades and is capable of fooling everyone around him into thinking he wants to catch the Horsemen when in reality, he is their leader.