Marvel Star Chases Down Assailant After Rock Attack

The attacker chose the wrong person that day.

Michael Stuhlbarg has played all kinds of roles throughout his career, from Marvel movies like Doctor Strange to the hit HBO series Boardwalk Empire. But on March 31, the Dopesick star found himself in some real-life drama. 

According to police reports obtained by Page Six, Stuhlbarg was allegedly assaulted while jogging near Central Park in New York City. Twenty-seven-year-old homeless man Xavier Israel reportedly threw a rock at Stuhlbarg and left him with a small bruise on the back of his neck. 

Stuhlbarg wasn't going to take the attack lying down. He chased after the assailant and ran all the way to the nearby Russian consulate where police officers arrested the man. Stuhlbarg declined medical attention and Israel was taken into custody and charged with assault. 

WABC reported that the man has three prior arrests on his record dating back to January 2022; two of the charges were for misdemeanor assault and one for theft. It remains unclear what, if anything, led to the alleged altercation. 

Stuhlbarg, meanwhile, is in New York City preparing to star in the acclaimed play Patriots, which begins its limited Broadway run on April 1. Stuhlberg was spotted by The New York Post the morning after the incident, just hours before he takes the stage at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre for the opening show. The play, which first premiered in London in 2022, features Stuhlbarg in the role of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky at the end of the Cold War. 

If only Stuhlbarg could have used his Doctor Strange powers to stop the rock from hitting him.