David Harbour Compares The MCU To Stranger Things

Hopper in Stranger Things 3

It's no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a behemoth presence in the film world. The studio brought serialized storytelling to the masses starting with 2008's Iron Man, and plenty of A-list talent have signed on to populate the interconnected film world. This includes Stranger Things standout David Harbour, who has a role in the mysterious Black Widow movie.

Netflix's Stranger Things is arguably the streaming service's most popular show, elevating David Harbour into an Emmy nominee and household name for his role as Hopper. As such, fans are eager to see him join the MCU. Harbour recently spoke to how both massively popular brands underlying similarities. As he put it:

It's a little bit of the same thing we do in Stranger Things, where it's like you have these really complicated characters, these really complicated relationships, and then whenever your characters or your stories get a little boring, a monster shows up. Or in the Marvel movies, you have a huge action fight sequence. But in that way, you're not sacrificing either thing, and I think that's extraordinary. It's this really hard thing to do, as I think people have discovered. It's a really hard thing to capture, audiences and the market is extremely difficult to break into certainly, as I think we saw with Hellboy in a certain sense.

You have to hand it to David Harbour, he makes a great assessment of both Stranger Things and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Because while both projects deal with high concept ideas, they ultimately succeed by being character-driven stories. And he believes it's this balance that makes the projects so successful-- and what failed in the recent Hellboy movie.

David Harbour does make a point, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe is more than action sequences and visual affects. The big screen stories resonate with audiences the best when the story is truly character driven. That's why movies like Captain America: Winter Soldier and the Guardians of the Galaxy movies remain the most popular entries. And Scarlett Johansson's signature character will finally get the spotlight she deserves when Black Widow arrives.

Related: The 7 Female Marvel Characters Who Need Solo Movies After Black Widow And Captain Marvel

Stranger Things is similarly character-driven. While the Netflix series has supernatural elements and horror influences, each season gives the colorful cast of characters stories that allow the denizens of Hawkins to change and grow. Stranger Things 3 is out now, and it seems like the stakes are going to get even higher.

During his same conversation with Comic Book, David Harbour went on to praise Marvel Studios, teasing the quality of the forthcoming Black Widow movie. He said:

The fact that these guys are so good at what they do, and so passionate about what they do, it feels tremendous. I'm very, very happy with the situation, working on it now. It's on a scale and on a passionate level unlike anything I've ever done.

This comment should hold some weight, considering just how passionate The Duffer Brothers are about their work on Stranger Things. If Black Widow has a group of even more hard work and passion, then it seems the original female Avenger will be getting the treatment she deserves when the solo movie finally arrives.

You can watch David Harbour in Stranger Things 3 now on Netflix, and CinemaBlend will keep you updated on the Black Widow movie as details become public. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.