David Harbour discusses ‘Thunderbolts’ and his return as Red Guardian: ‘Marvel’s changing it up’

Everyone’s favorite stepdad David Harbour is more than Chief Jim Hopper and he wants you to know it. He’s also played Santa Claus in Violent Night, Hellboy in Hellboy and of course he’s Red Guardian, aka Russia’s Captain America. He recently discussed the return of the character in Thunderbolts, promising something completely new.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight at Cinemacon, Harbour revealed just what the return of the Red Guardian would look like. For the uninitiated, Harbour made his debut as the Red Guardian in Black Widow. The character — whose real name is Alexei Alanovich Shostakov and whose nicknames include “Daddy” and “Dipshit” — is the first Soviet-Russian super soldier.

In the comics, he is Black Widow’s husband, but in the MCU he’s a father figure. In the upcoming Thunderbolts, he’ll reprise the role with Harrison Ford playing Secretary Thaddeus Ross; Julia Louis-Dreyfus portraying Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine; Hannah Jon-Kamen as Ghost; Wyatt Russell as the role of U.S. Agent; Olga Kerleynko as Taskmaster; and of course Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova/Black Widow.

We’ll also get Sebastian Stan back as The Winter Soldier. As for the script, Harbour calls it “real good. Marvel’s changing it up,” he said. He added that Marvel is always surprising people but that “this team in particular” is its own thing in the universe and that’s “really interesting.”

The movie, he said, is unlike anything he’s ever seen from Marvel before. He also praised the director:

“The director is this young guy Jake [Schreier] who did this Beef show, a really smart guy, and the whole thing is just really exciting I can’t wait to get started.”

Thunderbolts hits theaters on July 26.