David Kim is a key character in the AMC+ animated drama Pantheon, voiced by Daniel Dae Kim. After passing away from a terminal illness, his consciousness is digitally preserved and uploaded by the tech company Logorhythms. David is also the father of Maddie Kim.
Biography
In his life as a human, David was a kind-hearted man, deeply dedicated to his role as a husband and father. His unexpected transition into a UI state left him disoriented at first, as a complete upload had never been planned or fully realized. However, his love for his family remained embedded within the memory patterns that Logorhythms extracted to exploit his programming expertise. Driven by this connection, David began searching for his loved ones, eventually making contact with his daughter, Maddie. Initially, their communication was limited to emojis until his language capabilities were gradually restored.
David’s family became the core of his identity and purpose, grounding him in his humanity. This connection fueled his resolve to protect the world, pushing him to confront more hostile UIs in an effort to prevent them from causing global destruction.
Character Traits
Appearance
David is a man in his mid-forties of Korean descent, with black hair, dark eyes, and glasses. After his consciousness was uploaded, he appeared wearing a red sweater over a white button-down shirt, khakis, and black shoes.
Personality
David is portrayed as a compassionate and brave individual, deeply devoted to his family.
Relationships
Maddie Kim
David shares a close bond with his daughter, Maddie, particularly over their shared passion for technology. When David realized what he had become after seeing a photo of Maddie while confined, he made contact with her. Discovering that she was being bullied, David swiftly turned her tormentors against each other in a single day. Following his release from Logorhythms, David and Maddie often played Reign of Winter together. His love for Maddie gave him the strength to fight back when Laurie confronted him about her flaw, and even when David learned he had the same flaw, he stayed to watch his daughter grow. When Chanda threatened to launch a nuclear warhead at Sacramento, David fought relentlessly to protect his family.
Ellen Kim
David deeply loved his wife, Ellen, and chose to upload his consciousness after learning of his terminal illness so he could stay with his family. However, after his release from Logorhythms, David was frustrated by Ellen’s initial refusal to speak with him. When he ended her relationship with Gabe, Ellen finally opened up to him. They had a heartfelt discussion about their feelings and ultimately decided to remain friends.
Peter Waxman
David and Peter Waxman were close friends since their college days. It was Waxman who persuaded David to join Logorhythms, and after learning of David's illness, he convinced him to become a subject in the company’s UI experiments. However, after being freed from Logorhythms, David chose not to reconnect with Waxman.
Laurie Lowell
Initially, Laurie believed David had designed her to die after a certain period and freed him to demand a cure. Once David revealed he wasn't responsible for the flaw, the two teamed up to find a potential solution. Though reluctant, they even worked with Chanda when necessary. When Chanda lashed out at Laurie, David protected her. After Laurie’s second death, David held onto her message about UIs, acknowledging the validity of her goals.
Vinod Chanda
David initially viewed Chanda as a potential ally but grew increasingly wary of his instability. Despite this, he was willing to collaborate with Chanda when needed. However, when Chanda threatened to detonate a nuclear warhead _targeting Sacramento, David fought fiercely to stop him, realizing Chanda posed a much greater danger than he had originally thought.
Gallery
