Dave Stutler

"I brought a little SCIENCE with me!"

- Dave Stutler combining science and his Prime Merlinean powers to destroy Morgana le Fay.

David "Dave" Stulter is a young modern day wizard and the main protagonist of the 2010 Disney fantasy movie The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

He was portrayed by Jay Baruchel who also played Hiccup.

Childhood
Young Dave (in 4th grade) woke up in his bedroom with a "Buzz Light Year" alarm clock and a young Tank the dog in his arms. A female voice (presumably his mother) reminds him of the field trip he was going to attend later that day and "Don't forget to wear clean underwear". On the bus, Dave tried to impress his classmate Becky Barnes by lining up a doodle of King Kong with the Empire State Building through the school bus window as he had a crush on her. Once they were off of the bus, Dave passed Becky a yellow note asking if she would be his friend or girlfriend. After she checked it it blew away. Dave chased after it, eager to see what Becky checked. It ended up in the Arcana Cabana occult shop.

While looking around in the shop, Dave nearly knocked over (and thus being sucked into) The Grimlock, only to be stopped by Balthazar Blake, who explained the consequences to young Dave: "The second emperor of the Han dynasty locked his least-favourite wife in this urn for 10 years to the day. They say you open it up, the same thing will happen to you". Balthazar soon realised that the note blowing into the store was just a "Coincidence", so he presents Dave with Merlin's Ring and said, "This is very special and if it likes you, you can keep it". Dave tried to make an excuse to leave, which Balthazar referred to as, "You're a bad liar, Dave. That's good". When Balthazar shut the doors with magic, Dave had no choice but to take the ring, and suddenly it magically came to life and coiled itself around Dave's finger. Balthazar then realised that Dave was the Prime Merlinean whom he had been searching for a very long time before. When Balthazar went to retrieve Dave's Encantus from the basement, specifically telling him, "Do not move, do not touch anything.", Dave soon accidentally knocked some books off a shelf with his ringed finger, then eventually pulling The Grimhold out from a sealed wall. As he held it, the power from his ring accidentally opened the top layer of it, releasing Maxim Horvath from The Grimhold (from a swarm of roaches-like bugs). After failing to obtain the year from Dave, Horvath proceeded to kill Dave, stating "You are wasting my time". Luckily Balthazar returned just in time and used the Levitation Spell to hang Horvath high up on the ceiling, while asking Dave, "What happened to "Don't touch anything"?". When Balthazar and Horvath battled it out, Horvath knocked The Grimlock over, resulting in water spilling over Dave's pants. He tried to escape with The Grimhold, but Horvath set the place on fire and went after Dave. Soon Balthazar jumped through the flames shouting, "Leave Dave! Leave now!" while holding Horvath back who was still dragging onto Dave. Eventually both are sucked into The Grimlock together with Dave's assignment from his school bag. Dave exits the shop and throws The Grimhold onto the street, only to find his teacher and classmates seeking him, warning him not to leave them without permission again. No one believed him when he mentioned the crazy happenings inside the store (as his teacher saw nothing but The Grimlock standing inside), and his wet pants only made his classmates' ridicule get worst. Becky could only look at him with a pitiful eye, which officially blew his first shot at getting her.

Ten Years Later
Ten years to the day, Dave woke up in his current room with two alarms (clock and watch) and an older Tank the dog in his arms (Good morning, beautiful.). His roommate Bennet Zurrow wished him happy birthday and asked why he was up early, which Dave revealed to be a Physics presentation to be given to an English-major class. Bennet then mentioned that "Bio nerds are getting drunk tonight. And we invited cheerleaders from Princeton". When Dave refused to join having to "finish my Tesla Coil project if I want to graduate", Bennet proceeded to give Dave a lecture on the grey wolf as an example to why he needed to socialise: "The grey wolf is a pack animal. He must find a mate. He must hunt and grunt. He must participate. You're going to get booted out of the pack! Alone. Eaten by a hungry bear". Merlin's Ring was visible after Dave took a pair of socks out from his dresser, showing that he had kept the ring all along (or some may say that it never left him). Later it is revealed that Dave was a Physics student studying at New York University (NYU).

Meeting Becky Again
Dave was setting up his lecture when winds blew his papers away, which ended up in front of Becky Barnes, his 4th grade crush. After a while they recognised each other and Dave blamed his strange acts to hallucinations. After the class, Dave helped fix the antenna in the radio station Becky was working in which saved her show and left which Bennet did not appreciate. Dave then turned on his Tesla Coils and tuned into Becky's show, soon realising that his Tesla Coils were making their own music all along when they played together with a song on the show.

Balthazar And Horvath Meeting Dave Again (Respectively) After 10 Years
After 10 years, The Grimlock was eventually owned by a wealthy Russian Couple, and one night both Horvath and Balthazar were finally released from it. Now it was a race to find Dave. Balthazar went to the top of the Chrysler Building and animated his Steal Eagle, while Horvath soon found Dave's current address. When Dave got home and opened his fridge, he was surprised to find his report on Napoleon Bonaparte from 4th grade attached to the top door with a purple "NYU" magnet, then Horvath made him jump by talking about it. When asked about The Grimhold, Dave told the truth that he threw it in the street, but Horvath didn't believe him, and even drew a knife towards himself with magic, saying, "I'll cut the truth out of you". Dave escaped and tragically bumped into the door on the way, then Horvath animated the four grey wolves on Dave's calender to life (the same wolves Bennet referred to earlier) and orders them to "Get him". Dave escaped to the subway station above the bridge and finally entered after swiping his card twice. Horvath and the wolves entered via the station exit and they sniffed around for Dave, who was hiding beside the tracks beneath the platform. When he was finally spotted, Horvath ordered the wolves to kill Dave, only to be turned into puppies just as they reached Dave. It was done by Balthazar, who flew in on the Eagle just in time. Dave soon escapes with Balthazar on the Eagle in shock while Horvath was hit with the Ectoplasm Trap (thus stranded on the tracks) and the puppies were converted back into images by Balthazar right before an incoming train (Balthazar flicked a newspaper onto the driver's window to block-out the magic), which Horvath dodged just in time.

The Eagle landed on top of The Chrysler Building and Balthazar said, "Take it easy, Dave. Deep breathes.", while he "tasted sour in his mouth" and didn't believe in what he was seeing. The Eagle soon returned to normal as a Chrysler Eagle metal statue and Dave began to criticise Balthazar for ruining his life for the past 10 years, where "in certain parts of the tri-state area, they still refer to having a nervous breakdown as "pulling a David Stutler".", which Balthazar replied, "I've been stuck in an urn for the last ten years". He then told Dave about The Grimhold: "It is a prison for the most dangerous Morganians in history, each one locked up in a layer of the doll. Hovath wants to free his fellow Morganians and destroy the world. This must not happen". Dave agreed but states that he just wants to be normal. Balthazar disagrees and he brought in Dave's dresser from mid-air (You should duck) then took out the ring. When Dave said "I was going to sell that on eBay.", Balthazar noted, "You're still a bad liar Dave. I like that about you, it's a good sign. You have the gift". In the end Dave agreed to help Balthazar retrieve The Grimhold as he was "the last person Horvath saw with The Grimhold" which puts him on his list, and he could avoid being turned "into a pig who just loves physics", also on the condition that he could walk away after The Grimhold was retrieved which Balthazar suggested as a compromise. Balthazar then located The Grimhold downtown with the Biometric Pressure Spell.

Dave In the Car
Balthazar and Dave retrieved Balthazar's car which he restored with the Car Spell after it was impounded for 10 years. In the car, Balthazar asked Dave to put on the ring then said, "You've heard how people use only 10% of their brains? Sorcerers can manipulate matter because they're born with the capability to use the entire power of their brains." which also explained why molecular physics was so easy to Dave, and that Sorcery was both science and magic. Soon Dave learnt how to make fire by, "Step One, clear your mind. Step Two, see the molecules. Step three, make them shake." when Balthazar set a nearby parking ticket on fire. Although Dave didn't get it, he was asked to trust the ring and most importantly keep it subtle as civilians mustn't know magic existed, which would be complicated.

Chinatown
Horvath returned to the former site of the Arcana Cabana and used Psychic Vision to locate The Grimhold in Chinatown. Balthazar and Dave soon arrived where Chinese New Year is being celebrated, and Dave watched on the ground while Balthazar went to retrieve The Grimhold. He soon discovered that the Chinese woman in the shop was actually Horvath in Disguise, and he had released Sun Lok from The Grimhold, who was soon blasted downstairs. Dave was asked to run, and Sun Lok animated the paper dragon into a real dragon, causing panic everywhere. Balthazar sent a wave of confetti across the street to reduce the panic while the dragon chased Dave throughout the buildings. Soon, Balthazar trapped Horvath and separated his cane, retrieving The Grimhold, then jumped down to help Dave. While escaping in panic, Dave called for Balthazar but Sun Lok shown himself through the confetti instead. Dave attempted to fire at Sun Lok's armour with his ring but nothing happened, which Sun Lok returned with a with a "I bet you can't do it" look. Balthazar soon appeared and told Dave, "You skipped the first step! Clear your mind!", which he replied, "Clear my mind? Are you insane?" Soon, the dragon climbed onto the wall of the buildings, sending a section of the emergency staircase to crash down towards the street, only to be transformed into another bunch of confetti just in time by Balthazar using transubstantial transfiguration. When Dave was finally able to focus and clear his mind, he fired his first fire shot which set the dragon on Sun Lok's armour on fire. The real Dragon lost control and Balthazar fired at Sun Lok, causing it to crash onto Sun Lok, killing him and revealing the original paper dragon carriers and its remains. Dave was impressed with his new abilities while Horvath then realised that Dave could have possibly been the Prime Merlinean as he was wearing the ring. Afterwards Dave and Balthazar disguised as two policeman to tell arriving officers about the incident, "You know what? Bottle rocket meets paper dragon in this Asian festival. Lit it up like a birthday cake".

Dave In Training
Back in the car, Balthazar asked for the ring back from Dave, but to his surprise Dave wanted to learn more having successfully fired his first shot. They head to Dave's lab which was "Somewhere under Horvath's radar.", where The Grimhold was hidden and Balthazar finally gave Dave his Encantus which grew from pocket edition to its actual size, and it contained sorcery's recent history such as bits about Dave. Soon Balthazar carved the Merlin Circle onto the ground, and after Dave agreed with the rule of no return and stepped inside, "I am Balthazar Blake, sorcerer of the 777th degree, and you are my apprentice". Then Balthazar gives Dave a pair of pointy shoes to wear, which were said to focus more energy as the rubber soles of Dave's current shoes blocked the current. Dave referred to them as "Old Man Shoes" which Balthazar was in fact also wearing, so he was forced to say, "I love them. A lot". Soon Dave learnt how to create a Plasma Bolt which would be his only weapon of choice if he was up against thee wall, but fails to create an actual one despite his many attempts. Next he learnt how to throw Fire Balls, then defend against it with a Vacuum Sphere. One of Dave's Tesla Coils began to fire on its own, causing Dave to be zapped and fall over.

The Subway Station Incident
When having dinner with Balthazar outside the Radio Station, Dave saw Becky walk out after her show and decided to "stalk her, but not in a bad way", which Balthazar commented negatively on. Dave commented on Becky's show while they entered a subway station, and soon Becky was mugged by a thief on the platform. Dave ran after the thief, putting his magic to the test for the first time. He used his ring to lift a trash can behind the thief then set it on fire. Suddenly, Dave used his ring to hit the man on the head with the trash can. He returned Becky's belongings to her, claiming that he defeated the guy using "Thunder/Lightening" via cardio boxing he was doing lately, and she notices something about him which was different. Before Becky boarded her train Dave planned an actual study session with her at his lab. Balthazar soon appeared, saying, "Love is a distraction. Sorcery requires complete focus. Let's go, Thunder and Lightening. There's more to learn".

First Date With Becky
"Now focus on control. Set me down slow and steady". Before Dave could finish lowering Balthazar, Becky knocked on the door and Dave asked him to hide, even though he asked Dave to stay and train. When the three met, Dave called Balthazar his "Uncle" and eventually he left the two alone. After studying, Dave showed Becky his Tesla Coils making their own music, then played the segment he recorded with the song on Becky's radio show earlier. Later Dave walked Becky to her yoga class in NYU while talking more about music, and they fixed a meeting in the lab at 8 pm that evening. Then Dave goes to the Bathroom.

Confronting Drake Stone And Horvath In the Bathroom
Drake Stone soon entered the bathroom after Dave and called him the "Prime Merlinean", which Dave does not understand. He proceeded to make fun of Dave and when Dave didn't recognise him (asking if he was in Depeche Mode) he used the Levitation Spell on Dave, then he continued his routine, asking Dave to put on his ring and hit him with his most powerful spell, which failed. Before Drake could finish, Horvath entered the bathroom and interrupted, calling Drake an idiot and asked him to watch the door. Horvath confronted Dave, revealing that it had always been a "She" who was locked inside The Grimhold, referring to Veronica Gorloisen and stating that, "you've put your faith in the wrong man." as Balthazar hadn't told Dave about her yet. Referring back to Dave's current relationship with Becky, Horvath asked him what would happen if Dave lost her, then saying, "You'd be no better than the rest of us", referring to himself losing Veronica from Balthazar, his best friend back then. When asked again where The Grimhold was, Dave's simply lie of "I don't know." was returned with Horvath's, "Oh Dave, you really are the most dreadful liar". Balthazar suddenly enters with Drake levitated in the air, saying, "That's what I keep telling him. Want your guy back?" then threw him against the row of lockers. Balthazar set up the Hungarian Mirror Trap on the bathroom mirror and tried to send Horvath inside, but Horvath fought back. Drake attempted to fire an Air Blast to send Balthazar into the mirror, but thanks to Dave's warning Balthazar turned away and the blast sent Horvath into the mirror instead. Balthazar then flicked Drake into one of the stalls (no. 3), asking "What are you doing here, Dave?"

Morgana And the Prime Merlinean
Back in Dave's lab, Dave questioned Balthazar about the Prime Merlinean and who was actually locked inside The Grimhold. Instead of Veronica, Balthazar told Dave about Morgana le Fay and The Rising. Soon Dave learnt that Balthazar was one of Merlin's apprentices (Horvath as well, but Balthazar did not say it out) and he said to him, "Some part of you, no matter how small, must share the same blood (as Merlin).", then told him, "Merlin said, "The only one who will be able to destroy Morgana once and for all is the Prime Merlinean."". Dave felt that he wasn't up for saving the world, but Balthazar insisted that he must become the Prime Merlinean to set him free, also reminding Dave that when he stepped inside the Merlin Circle there was no going back, he took an oath and he had been searching 1,000 years for him. Afterwards, Drake and Horvath visited the NYU Administration Reception and retrieved Dave's file using hypnotism on the receptionist, discovering the location of his lab.

How To Become the Prime Merlinean and the Fusion Spell
Back in the lab, Dave learnt that, "The Prime Merlinean will become so powerful within he no longer needs his ring to cast magic. When you can do that, you're ready to take on Morgana". Tank the dog appeared, and Balthazar showed Dave a schematic for a Fusion Spell, saying, "I've only ever seen one sorcerer successfully pull off human fusion." which referred to Veronica drawing Morgana's soul into her own body all those years ago. Balthazar also explained that Tank was there for practice, which Dave replied, "Are you telling me you're trying to possess Tank?", and he agreed that it wasn't the best idea either.

Cleaning The Lab In Failure And Botched Second Date With Becky
Dave noticed the time (7:45 pm) and requested to stop and clean as he was "standing in a puddle of pop" when Becky was on her way. Balthazar refused but Dave convinced him to, saying that "I've been waiting for 10 years to see this girl again. Do you have any idea what that's like?" Dave started cleaning, but with 10 minutes left, a sticky pile of spilt pop and leftover pizza on the floor plus Tank urinating he was doomed. Soon he saw his Encantus and decided to use the help of magic (the Cleaning Spell). He animated a mop to life and moved it around, then two brooms, then another mop. Finally, Dave moved dirty dishes into the sink and animated the sponges and taps to clean them, and left. The background music at that point came from the sequence in Fantasia where Mickey Mouse also animated brooms to carry water buckets for him. Soon, more mops, brooms, buckets, sponges, spray bottles and even vacuum cleaners came to life and started cleaning everything in the lab, including all the electronic equipment and even Tank the dog! Dave took a shower, changed his clothes and brushed his tongue then returned to the lab, only to find that things had lost control and the lab was flooded. After failing to stop the mess, he was sprayed in the face and he ran into the water to try and take control. Turning off the taps didn't help, and soon the wall sockets began to produce electric currents while Dave was hit by a mop. He tried to chop it into half but failed. This cleaning sequence was in fact The Sorcerer's Apprentice's homage to Fantasia, where Mickey Mouse also lost control of the brooms and buckets and was drowning in water. When Dave was chopping the mop, his shadow on the wall actually resembles the shape of the Sorcerer in Fantasia (Director Jon Turteltaub revealed an image related to this in the "Behind The Scenes" show). Suddenly Becky knocked on the door and Dave was forced to ask her to leave since he was "having issues". He then buried his hand in his hands, which was imitated by two mops. Dave's Encantus was seen floating in the water and the water contacting his Tesla Coils began to produce more electric sparks and currents. The metal cage fell over and electrified the water while Dave hung onto a Tesla Coil he climbed onto. It snapped and just before Dave fell into the water and got killed, Balthazar returned and ended the chaos with a "Disperse!" command. The water flowed away, everything stopped moving, the Tesla Coil rose back up and Dave was dropped onto the floor with Balthazar's flick. He then criticised Dave severely, saying, "You have abused the sacred art, and you have abused the Merlin Circle. Magic isn't a game. No shortcuts. Falling in that water and getting electrocuted, that's how a sorcerer loses his power!" Dave showed that he didn't care by saying, "What difference does it make if it's obvious that I can't even control a few mops?" Balthazar tried to convince Dave to believe in himself, but he refused to, even saying, "I'm convinced you exist purely to make my life a living hell.", which Balthazar replied, "You don't know about a living Hell.", which might have been referring to his partner Veronica being locked inside The Grimhold for all those years and still couldn't get out with Morgana's soul inside her. After failing to move a chair without his ring, Dave left Balthazar in frustration, changing his shoes and saying, "I'm just a physics nerd who looks really, really stupid in these shoes".

Reassurance
Dave left his lab and walked alone on the street. He saw Becky in a coffee shop with her friends, but chose to turn away as he knew he was left-out. Becky saw him through the window reflection and followed him. Dave went onto the rooftop of The Chrysler Building and was about to throw his ring away when Becky approached him. She revealed that she had a fear of heights, and Dave held her hand to lead her to an amazing view of New York from above. Becky then reminded Dave of his act of lining up a doodle of King Kong with the Empire State Building through the school bus window back in 4th grade, stating that, "It was cool." and "You saw the world in your own way". Dave said, "I was just trying to impress you", which Becky replied, "Well, it worked. Not bad for a 10-year-old kid." Eventually Dave was reassured and decided not to give up.

The Grimhold Being Stolen And The Car Chase
Back in the lab, Balthazar was picking up Dave's wet Encantus when Drake Stone disguised as Dave entered the lab, eventually trapping Balthazar on a wall of circular wires. Horvath entered after him and used the Fog Spell to find The Grimhold hidden by the Invisibility Spell. Balthazar soon broke free and fought back. When Horvath threw three daggers at Balthazar the real Dave entered just in time and levitated them, saving Balthazar's life. Horvath and Drake escaped in their car with The Grimhold while Dave, Balthazar, and Tank the dog chased after them in their car. Soon, Horvath hid his car in a street full of identical new York Cabs, and Dave used his ring to lock on The Grimhold, knocking it sideways and revealing Horvath's car. When Dave and Balthazar began to catch up, Horvath transformed his car into a high-speed car and sped away. Balthazar did the same and the two cars chased each other through the streets of New York. Soon, Horvath led Balthazar's car into a tunnel with incoming traffic and set off the Fog Spell to try and crash Balthazar's car, which failed. When a large mirror appeared on the side of the road, Horvath decided that it was "Time for a little revenge.", and he set the Hungarian Mirror Trap on it then sent Balthazar's car into the reverse world, which was in fact Horvath's payback for the NYU bathroom mirror earlier. Balthazar tried to drive his car through its reflection on nearby shop windows, but Horvath smashed them all, leaving one large piece of dangling glass. Eventually Balthazar made it just in time when driving through that piece of glass as it fell and he turned into a side street, only to find that Horvath had turned his car into a huge garbage truck and was about to crush Balthazar's car! He backed out quick and Dave had an idea which he executed despite Balthazar's opposition. The original idea was to turn Horvath's garbage truck into a beater but Balthazar and Dave's car got turned into a beater instead! Horvath and Drake took this chance and crushed the beater car then got away. Dave pulled Tank out of the car when Balthazar went after Horvath. He transformed a women passing by into the looks of Veronica, Balthazar's partner. Distracted, Balthazar let Horvath get away with The Grimhold.

Veronica
Dave caught up with Balthazar holding Tank and asked him about the third apprentice as he saw the woman. Back at Dave's lab Balthazar was finally forced to tell him about Veronica, "For centuries, Veronica, Horvath and I were the only thing standing between Morgana and man's destruction. Our friendship and our magic were what Veronica and I depended on." Then he said, "I fell for her. Like you (Dave), all Veronica wanted was to be normal. Normal things, normal life. I fell. And so did Horvath. That's why Horvath betrayed us." Dave mentioned Veronica trapped inside The Grimhold and Balthazar showed him the necklace he was planning to give Veronica the night she was locked inside. Soon Dave committed to get Veronica out and destroy Morgana, which Balthazar replied, "What's happened to you? You're still a bad liar". Then he revealed that, "I am glad she (Becky) likes you. No, I am not surprised. Only glad. There's nothing like it, is there?" Dave agreed and Balthazar ended with, "Put your old man shoes back on. We have some work to do."

Drake Stone Being Betrayed, Abigail Williams Released And Becky Being Kidnapped
Drake lined up all the satellites used for The Rising and returned to his penthouse building in Manhattan, where Horvath used the Parasite Spell on Drake and stole his ring, now imbued with Drake's magic and life energy. Then Horvath attached the ring to his Staff and used it to release his new ally from the Grimhold, the infamous American Witch Abigail Williams. She arrived at Becky's radio show in her disguise as somewhat of a Goth girl with tied, long hair and a leather jacket then asked for a song request. As Becky was just about to finish her show she refused and invited the girl to maybe do it next time. When Becky turned around she jumped seeing Abigail Williams' actual looks, stating, "I said I'd like to make a request". Becky was then kidnapped and taken to Horvath.

The Promise and Abigail Williams Being Betrayed
In the car, Dave promised Balthazar that he would do whatever it took to destroy Morgana when she was released. Balthazar then mentioned, "And for the record, you wear the old guy shoes very well.", which Dave replied, "My feet disagree with you, but thank you". The two have a knuckle bump then go retrieve The Grimhold again. In Drake's former penthouse, Horvath used the Parasite Spell again, this time on Abigail Williams, saying, "I need your power to free Morgana. I just don't need you". He then took her necklace and attached it to his staff, saying, "Well, that's two. One more to go.", which referred to Dave's ring.

Giving Up Merlin's Ring and The Grimhold to Horvath
Dave and Balthazar arrived at Drake's former penthouse having located The Grimhold there and Balthazar opened the door using levitation. Dave criticised the extravagant decorations inside while Balthazar said, "Let's just find The Grimhold and be done with it". Balthazar entered a room and saw The Rising marked on the map at Battery Park, which was where it would soon happen. Suddenly he began to sink inside the Persian Quickrug set by Horvath and struggled to get out. At the same time Dave entered another room and found The Grimhold resting before the fireplace. After hesitating he grabbed it and held onto the short post beneath it, thinking that something horrible might happen, which didn't. Dave saw for the first time the looks of Morgrana then turned The Grimhold around to see Veronica for the first time as well. As Dave walked out and whispered for Balthazar, Horvath appeared, threatening to kill Becky with his staff, saying, "That was easy. Come on Dave. You know the drill". Becky freaked out and Horvath requested Merlin's Ring and The Grimhold, remarking, "Balthazar? He's busy admiring the decor". Eventually Dave gave up and let Horvath take his ring which was attached onto his staff then The Grimhold, freeing Becky. Horvath left with evil grins and Balthazar soon appeared having finally gotten himself out of the Quickrug. He immediately realised Horvath's plan and when Dave apologised he said, "I would have done the same thing, Dave". Balthazar left for Battery Park alone and Becky soon witnessed in shock Balthazar falling off the building backwards and flying away on a Steel Eagle, causing Dave to finally reveal to Becky his true identity as a sorcerer.

Approval From Bennet
Dave called his roommate Bennet to meet him in the lab with "a real emergency in my hands". He and Becky drove away in Balthazar's car but soon Dave pulled over, wanting Becky to stay out as The Rising was really dangerous, but she wanted to come with him, so Dave let her, saying, "You're sexy". In Dave's lab, Bennet helped to find all the Tesla Coil remotes, then handed Dave a letter by Balthazar he found on the desk after he hung up earlier, which said "Dave, give this to Veronica, Balthazar", together with the necklace Balthazar intended to give to Veronica. Dave then knew that Balthazar was not planning on coming back from trying to stop The Rising (in case he died). After so long Dave finally got Bennet's approval when he said, "I don't know what you're into here, Dave, but whatever it is, you are definitely participating!" Dave thanked him and left with Becky in the car which now had a Tesla Coil attached to the front.

Sending Becky On An Important Task
On their way to Battery Park, Horvath released Morgna from The Grimhold and discovered that she was within Veronica. Soon The Rising began and Dave realized that it was being facilitated by the Satellite Dishes on the tops of the nearby buildings. So he asked Becky to climb onto one of the building tops to disrupt a Satellite. She agreed with a bit of fear and before they departed Dave asked Becky about the note he wrote to her in 4th grade which he never saw "in case I die tonight", which she replied, "Don't die and I'll tell you". Dave then continued to drive towards Battery park. On his way he was disrupted by an old lady exiting a taxi with the help of her husband (presumably): "All right, what... What is this? What am I looking at? No! And a walker. Of course she has a..."

Zapping Horvath
Before The Rising began, Balthazar already arrived at Battery Park. During The Rising he attempted to fight Horvath but failed, as Horvath's staff was stronger than Balthazar having attached three extra pieces of jewellery to it. Soon Horvath animated the Charging Bull statue nearby to attack Balthazar. Soon it broke free from the two cars parked by the road, but suddenly Balthazar heard his car. Dave drove into the rescue, zapping Horvath's staff with the Tesla Coil in front of the car and electrocuting him (Dave explained to Becky earlier that, "The rings on Horvath's cane. He put them there to gain more power, but they make him a better conductor."). Balthazar blasted Horvath away and the Bull was snatched away by Balthazar's Steal Eagle just before it reached him.

Becoming The Prime Merlinean
Eventually Becky conquered her fear of heights and kicked one of the Satellite Dishes sideways, ending The Rising just in time. Balthazar freed Veronica by absorbing Morgana's soul into his own body, the same thing Veronica did for him all those years ago. He then reminded Dave of his promise to destroy Morgana whatever it took, but both Dave and Veronica refused to lock Balthazar inside The Grimhold. At that point, Morgana broke free saying, "How Sweet", then "And now we end this", followed by a fire surge towards Dave, Balthazar and Veronica. At that moment, Dave's Prime Merlinean abilities awoke as he blocked Morgana's shot with a fire shield. Realising this, Morgana called the three "Fools!" and hit them with Plasma Bolts. A few were blocked out by magic shields, but eventually Veronica was hit. When Balthazar rushed forward to protect her Morgana knocked him unconscious, leaving only Dave to protect the world.

Final battle With Morgana
"Now it's my turn". Dave started the battle by firing Plasma Bolts at a power house in the park, just missing Morgana, which she replied, "Is that the best that you can do?" and he said, "I sure hope not". He continued to fire directly at Morgana, but each time her soul splits apart and the shots fail to harm her. "And now it's my turn". Morgana repeatedly fired Plasma Bolts at Dave which he blocked out every time with Magic Shields. At the same time, the power house door opened and snake-like wires began to slither out at high speed, climbing onto the six lamp posts surrounding the park and linking them up to the house. Eventually Morgana grew sick of the ongoing and repetitive fighting patterns and said, "You have Merlin's powers, but you don't have his strength or his skill. You are still weak". As all the wires were connected, Dave replied, "But I'm not alone. I brought a little science with me. Now!" On his command, an animated mop inside the power house flicked a switch, turning all six lamp posts into Tesla Coils, zapping Morgana with thick bolts of electricity, which also caused a power failure across half of Manhattan. Dave even conjured one out of his hands, then he stepped forward and fired a series of consecutive Plasma Bolts at Morgana, finally destroying her.

Restarting Balthazar's Heart
Dave turned around to tell Balthazar the good news, only to find Veronica pronouncing his death (or unconsciousness), also saying that, "He completed his quest". However Dave was not satisfied, saying, "That's not good enough. Veronica, would you please step back? If Morgana can stop his heart, maybe I can start it". He created a a magic circle of red flames surrounding Balthazar and proceeded to generate Plasma Bolts to try and charge-up Balthazar's heart again: "All right, here we go, bud. here we go. Listen. You... You with all your stupid rules! And all those old man shoes! And your constantly saving me with that look in your eyes. Come on! Come on! Come on. Come on". it seemed that he failed, but suddenly Balthazar awoke slowly, saying "I had a dream. You were insulting me, Dave. Repeatedly". He denied and handed Balthazar the necklace he planned to give Veronica, saying, "Welcome back, old man". At last Balthazar was reunited with Veronica and he also put the necklace on her.

Reunion With Becky
As Dave picked up Horvath's hat, Becky ran into the park and he embraced her. Becky acknowledged that she was still alive which Dave replied, "And, surprisingly, so am I". She proceeded to tell Dave about the note but Dave kissed her immediately after saying "I don't care". Soon Becky revealed that it was "Girlfriend, definitely girlfriend". In the end Dave took Becky to breakfast in France on Balthazar's Steal Eagle (Yeah, I got us a ride.), and he also revealed that "I really have no idea how to land this thing".

Personality and Traits
In spite of his courageous and brave personality, Dave's actual personality was more akin to nerdy, clumsy and an insecure college student who lacked confidence and poise (though these traits became lessened as the movie progressed). He was also a bad liar, something that Balthazar liked.

It was possible that these personalities were due to Dave's struggles with his trauma since his pants were accidentally wet during the fight between Balthazar and Horvath in the Arcanc Cabana, which caused his classmates to ridicule him. This was also something he berated on Balthazar when they reunited on the Chrysler Building: "Do you know that in certain parts of the tri-state area, they still refer to having a nervous breakdown as "pulling a David Stutler"? Did you know that?"

Trivia

 * Jay Baruchel stated that “Dave is his own worst enemy, the architect of his own misery. He spends his life trying to live down that moment in the Arcana Cabana when he first encountered Balthazar and Horvath. He gravitates towards physics, which is the discipline he gives his life to. When he meets up with Balthazar again, the sorcerer tells Dave that it was no coincidence that he drifted towards physics because although illusion and magic are different, magic and science are the same thing.” This statement mainly referred to the destiny and trauma which Dave struggled with over the course of the movie.
 * Dave was based on the Apprentice from "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice" poem by Goethe, as both were well known for being an Apprentice of a powerful Sorcerer and their attempts to cheat with magic which led themselves into disasters.
 * As the movie was inspired by the Harry Potter series, Dave was equivalent with Harry Potter as both were young sorcerers who were destined to defeat a powerful dark spell-caster (Morgana le Fay for Dave and Lord Voldemort for Harry) and discovering their potentials with magic which were revealed to be immense. But these are the only things which they mainly shared in common, as unlike Harry Potter, Dave’s proficiency with magic without any catalysts were far better than Harry who could only depend on his wand to perform most of his magical skills. Also, Dave’s parents were likely to still be alive unlike Harry’s parents who both died at hands of Lord Voldemort. In addition, Dave at first cursed his potentials with magic out of his trauma with accidental humiliation as seen in the beginning of the movie, unlike Harry who was fascinated with it even when he doubted whether it was true or not.
 * Dave also resembled Arthur Pendragon in The Sword in The Stone, Sorcerer Mickey from the Fantasia segment called "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice", Luke Skywalker from "Star Wars" and Hercules from the Disney film and series "Hercules", as all of them were Apprentices with a powerful Master. However, Dave was more similar to Sorcerer Mickey and also The Apprentice as The Sorcerer's Apprentice was an homage to Fantasia. In both films the Apprentice animates brooms and buckets and/or similar items such as cleaning tools to perform tasks for them, eventually creating a disaster, where Dave's disaster was much worse than Mickey's, as seen in the following two examples.
 * Dave attempted to chop a mop into half but he failed, compared to Mickey chopping a broom in half who succeeded but instead created an extra broom. This was either due to Dave's clumsiness or that the animated mops in The Sorcerer's Apprentice were much stronger than the brooms in Fantasia.
 * What happened to Dave during his disaster was much worse than what happened to Mickey in his own. Mickey only appeared to be drowning, while Dave created a flood of electrocuted water, which nearly killed him when he almost fell into the water while hanging off his Tesla Coil which snapped.
 * Dave's clumsy side appeared to be based on Milo Thatch's protagonist of Disney's "Atlantis: The Lost Empire".