The ‘Death by Lightning’ Cast Breakdown
Rank: Fuck You, Dude (aka The Bad Doctor)
- Signature Attributes:
- Completely unearned confidence
- Casually racist
- Notably sparse facial hair
- First Impression: “This man is going to kill the president.”
- Lasting Impressions: This man killed the president.
Dr. Purvis is a disaster who sticks around just long enough to dig his own grave—and then climb inside it. From the moment he pushes aside the capable Dr. Charles Purvis, it’s clear this guy is bad news: haughty, bossy, and full of himself, while also failing at his job.
The real giveaway is his lack of facial hair. In contrast to the diverse hair growth seen in Death by Lightning, his few dead whiskers under the chin signal he’s not the right person to revive the fallen leader.
“Death by Lightning has a greater diversity of hair growth than a Chia Pet shop, so when this antiquated dumb-dumb walks in with a few dead whiskers under his chin, that’s the signal he’s not the man to breathe life back into our fallen leader.”
Credit goes to Željko Ivanek—an Emmy winner for Damages and a veteran actor with over 100 credits—for expertly balancing the Bad Doctor’s authoritative presence with his many, many screw-ups, making Ivanek's performance almost raise the character’s rank.
Author's Summary
Željko Ivanek’s portrayal of the disastrously arrogant Dr. Purvis highlights a deeply flawed character whose presence signals trouble for the president in Death by Lightning.