David Harbour wants to end fan theorizing before it can even start. The actor is a fan favorite for his role as Hopper on Netflix’s blockbuster television series “Stranger Things,” which has three seasons under its belt and has a fourth season on the way. Harbour is set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Red Guardian in the May tentpole “Black Widow.” Both “Stranger Things” and the MCU have obsessive viewers who use the internet to describe and investigate fan theories, but Harbour tells Entertainment Weekly anybody trying to theorize a connection between his two franchise properties should stop while they’re ahead.
“I know, it is a very surprising, annoying coincidence, and I apologize to the entire internet,” Harbour says about the Russian connection between Red Guardian (a superhero from Russia) and Hopper (who will begin Season 4 as a prisoner in Russia). “There is no rhyme or reason for it, I promise you. There’s no crossover event between ‘Stranger Things’ and the MCU. I mean, I do look very different in them. One of them, I’m 270 pounds and got a beard and thick, long hair, and the other one I’m like 200 pounds and have no hair.”
As for his MCU character, Harbour says, “I think I’m biased, but I think it’s the best character in all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I mean, he is a narcissist, so it’s very appropriate that I’m playing him and that I think that. But he’s just got so many layers. On one level, he’s your classic superhero badass character, but then when you meet him, he has this need to be liked, and he wants to be thought of as funny and a big shot — which he isn’t.”
“Black Widow” is guaranteed to bring Harbour blockbuster movie fame, which eluded him last year as the star of “Hellboy.” The Neil Marshall-directed comic book film rebooted the character after Guillermo del Toro’s two “Hellboy” films but earned dismal critical reviews and box office. “Stranger Things,” meanwhile, continues to be a big hit for Netflix. The third season ended with Hopper sacrificing his life, but a Season 4 teaser has confirmed the character will be back.
“I know, it is a very surprising, annoying coincidence, and I apologize to the entire internet,” Harbour says about the Russian connection between Red Guardian (a superhero from Russia) and Hopper (who will begin Season 4 as a prisoner in Russia). “There is no rhyme or reason for it, I promise you. There’s no crossover event between ‘Stranger Things’ and the MCU. I mean, I do look very different in them. One of them, I’m 270 pounds and got a beard and thick, long hair, and the other one I’m like 200 pounds and have no hair.”
As for his MCU character, Harbour says, “I think I’m biased, but I think it’s the best character in all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I mean, he is a narcissist, so it’s very appropriate that I’m playing him and that I think that. But he’s just got so many layers. On one level, he’s your classic superhero badass character, but then when you meet him, he has this need to be liked, and he wants to be thought of as funny and a big shot — which he isn’t.”
“Black Widow” is guaranteed to bring Harbour blockbuster movie fame, which eluded him last year as the star of “Hellboy.” The Neil Marshall-directed comic book film rebooted the character after Guillermo del Toro’s two “Hellboy” films but earned dismal critical reviews and box office. “Stranger Things,” meanwhile, continues to be a big hit for Netflix. The third season ended with Hopper sacrificing his life, but a Season 4 teaser has confirmed the character will be back.