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Everything to Know About Dr. Van Markus, the "Sweet" Intern on NBC’s Brilliant Minds
The sneaky-bright understudy is part of the intern gang learning unconventional life lessons from Zachary Quinto’s Dr. Oliver Wolf.
Mixing humor and heart with an offbeat medical story inspired by real-life medical misfit Dr. Oliver Sacks, Brilliant Minds stars Zachary Quinto (Heroes, American Horror Story, the Star Trek movie franchise) as a modern-day version of the kind of, well, brilliant neurologist. And joining him is a wonderful cast of equally confident, competent characters, one of whom is Dr. Van Markus, played by Alex MacNicoll.
Quinto plays genius neurology ace Oliver Wolf (Fun fact: “Wolf” was the real Dr. Sacks’ actual middle name). He’s sort of a quirky loner — the kind of guy who shuns smartphones, swims in the Hudson River, and lifts weights in the dingy garage space where he parks his well-used motorcycle. But he finds it tough to hold down a steady job thanks in part to his own mistrust of the stodgy medical establishment, and partly to the fact that he’s just too downright unconventional and risk-inclined for most hospitals to mess with.
Dr. Wolf might wish he could work alone, but at the hectic Bronx General Hospital where he’s the new head of neurology, he has to make time for a quartet of supportive interns. One of those is a seemingly shy young guy named Dr. Van Markus. And there’s definitely more to Dr. Markus’ story than first meets the eye — as viewers will no doubt discover as the show’s debut season unfolds.
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What to know about Dr. Van Markus on NBC’s Brilliant Minds
In Brilliant Minds' debut episode, we first meet Dr. Van Markus alongside the show’s other three interns (the plucky Dr. Ericka Kinney, played by Ashleigh LaThrop; ex-athlete Dr. Jacob Nash, played by Spence Moore II; and Gen-Z cool chick Dr. Dana Dang, played by Aury Krebs).
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Right from the start, one of his fellow interns cautions Quinto’s Dr. Wolf about Van’s quiet quirks: He’s “very sweet — and kind of odd.” If so, then he’s a perfect understudy to absorb Dr. Wolf’s against-the-grain approach to treating patients. After just one look, you can tell Dr. Markus is definitely the conscientious sort: When Dr. Wolf begins breaking through to a hard-to-reach neuropatient who’s in danger of losing her kids to state custody, the look on Van’s face says he’s fully bought in on his medical mentor’s unconventional methods — even if means going against standard hospital protocol.
Dr. Van Markus' Mirror-Touch Synesthesia
Throughout the season, we've slowly been learning more about what makes Dr. Van tick, and it wasn't until Dr. Wolf put a name to Van's habit of flinching when a patient is in pain that we understood how significant it was. Van is diagnosed with Mirror-Touch Synesthesia, which, put simply, means he can physically feel other people's emotions and bodily sensations. It affects him greatly, and while Dr. Wolf and his fellow interns seem more than supportive of Van continuing to practice medicine, Mirror-Touch does come with its downsides. Only time (and more episodes) will tell if Van can master his deeply empathetic "superpower."
Read our interview with Alex MacNicoll, in which he talks about portraying Van's Mirror-Touch Synesthesia and whether the diagnosis is a help or hindrance to Van's journey.
Actor Alex MacNicoll plays Dr. Markus, and chances are, you’ve probably seen him somewhere before on the small screen. After making a comedy splash on Modern Family, MacNicoll’s TV roles would take him to shows including The Fosters, Criminal Minds, Bones, Rizzoli & Isles, A-X-L, Vice (as a young, teenaged Dick Cheney), and Unpregnant, among others. MacNicoll also had memorable parts in the young-adult mystery series The Society (as Luke Holbrook), HBO’s assassin comedy Barry (as Kyle), and 13 Reasons Why (as Peter Standall).
Watch Dr. Van Markus’ story unfold further (with an assist from Dr. Wolf, of course!) on Brilliant Minds, airing Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.
Originally published Sep 23, 2024.
