Personality

Dwight seems to have lived a life of crime prior to his first appearance in A Dame To Kill For. When we first see him, he seems like a man devoid of any pleasures, in total abstinence for fear of letting the demons that have plagued his life out. He considers even the simplest of details, such as letting his hair grow or revving his engine, as "letting the monster out". Agamemnon, his infrequent employer, calls him "Clean Liver" a reference to his lifestyle and his alcohol abstinence.

When Ava Lord shows up in his life again, she seduces him and tricks him into doing what she wants. She tells of her abusive husband Damien Lord and his manservant Manute. She reveals her master plan and almost kills him, Marv takes him to Old Town for an emergency operation. In the process, he becomes a whole new person, both in appearance and in his outlook on life. He becomes much more confident with himself, having, in theory become the monster he was so fearful of. Many times in the series he and other characters refer to his dead eyes. The eyes of a killer. He utilizes his new face to get to Ava for a final confrontation. He gets as far as Manute who reveals to him that he recognized his dead eyes, when they met. Dwight helped by the girls of Old Town battles it out with Ava's guards and Manute, Miho finally pins Manute down and Dwight confronts Ava. He can't bear to be under her control anymore and kills her.

This Dwight lets himself go, reviving a relationship with Old Town leader Gail, possibly from before his encounter with Ava. He also has seemed to become insane in a unique way, as, even though he examines insane behavior, he is completely aware of it. In a conversation with the deceased body of Jackie Boy, he realizes he has become insane and that "(he's) just imagining all this".

Unlike other Sin City heroes, he doesn't have a force to drive him like Marv's passion for Goldie or Hartigan's complete unselfishness towards Nancy. Dwight is just trying to do what's right and helps his friends, but most importantly, find his place in the world. Dwight McCarthy is played by Clive Owen in the major motion picture adaptation of Sin City, directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller.

Dwight's Changing Self

Dwight at the beginning of A Dame To Kill For  conforms to his minimalist lifestyle, wearing an ordinary shirt and pants. He drives an old Mustang. He keeps his head shaved. He rents a small room and keeps it bare. After his surgery, his personality changes and he starts to wear trenchcoats, his red Converse All Stars and a black shirt. He lets his hair grow out too. He also drives a more flashy car, a vintage Caddilac. He describes himself as having killer's eyes. He still can't forgive himself for the murder of Damien Lord. At times this "new" Dwight can seem to be relishing in his new personality, enjoying the slaying of the mobsters in The Big Fat Kill.

Sin City Movie

Dwight McCarthy is played by Clive Owen in the major motion picture adaptation of Sin City, directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller. He appears in the version of The Big Fat Kill. He is rumoured to be reprising his role for Sin City 2, which chronicles A Dame To Kill For.