David Harbour discusses ‘Frankenstein’ inspirations and James Gunn’s DC future.
David Harbour has been a fan favorite since his debut as Jim Hopper in the first season of ‘Stranger Things’ in 2016. In 2021, he entered the world of superheroes by playing Marvel’s Red Guardian in ‘Black Widow.’ Harbour is stepping into the DC universe, lending his voice to Frankenstein in the animated ‘Creature Commandos.’ The actor has previously brought familiar characters to life, but by voicing Frankenstein, he taps into the spirit of one of literature’s most iconic figures.
With many interpretations of ‘Frankenstein’ over the years, Harbour shared with ComicBook what inspired his take on the character: “Branagh’s Frankenstein years ago with [Robert] De Niro as the monster, he had this thing where he’s reading books and he wanted to be this companion. He was built to be this sophisticated, erudite companion, and he’s just a monster, and I really liked that idea … I feel like there’s this inadequate component where he does feel like he’s brilliant and he’s going to charm you, and then out of that, comes this insane rage and this insane passion, because he’s built with someone else’s spleen and someone else’s liver.”
When asked whether previous incarnations of the character influenced or deterred him, Harbour explained: “There is the Boris Karloff, the old, original Frankenstein’s Monster idea, which I think that … [my version’s] not a stiff. There’s something a little more fluid about him, he’s a little more of an action hero. But I did like the De Niro take, I thought that movie was such an interesting idea of what they were trying to do. Again, it’s these, I don’t think it was that successful, I think it was a bit of a miss, but I love Kenneth Branagh, I love what he’s trying to do, and I always like that kind of take, I’d never really seen the monster as being intended to be a sophisticated companion.
‘Creature Commandos’ follows a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans. When all else fails, they’re your last—and worst—option.
With James Gunn aiming to create a consistent model similar to the MCU, in which performers transition seamlessly across multiple mediums and stories intertwine, Harbour confirmed there hasn’t been substantial talk about Frankenstein’s future.
On whether those conversations have taken place, the actor noted, “No. We talked about what it might look like and we had casual conversations, but no, nothing more.”
However, if Harbour were to bring his character to life in a live-action project, he expressed his thoughts on prosthetics versus CGI: “I like the idea of a combination. I mean, James seems to do very well with the reality of CG stuff. Like, what he did in Guardians [of the Galaxy Vol. 3] with those animals, I just thought that little girl weasel-y, otter thing was so sweet, like the most emotional character in the whole thing, so I think he has the ability to do it. I think there is some fun to be had in enhanced practical effects. I do like a guy in a puppet suit. Even from our first season of ‘Stranger Things,’ the Demogorgon was a guy in a suit, and I just love that. There’s something really fun and electric about live-action. I know I’ve done a bunch of it and it was hard but there’s something, like a little kid, about getting dressed up like a monster and being on set that, to me, feels more satisfying than the blue dots and the mo-cap thing. I feel like you’re in it more, too.”
‘Creature Commandos’ started streaming on Max on December 5th.
