David Harbour Talks About His Character Eric Frankenstein in the Upcoming DC TV Series CREATURE COMMANDOS

David Harbour kicked his career into high gear when he took the role of Hopper in the Netflix hit series Stranger Things, then he went on to star in the Marvel superhero movie Black Widow, which will see a 2025 follow-up called Thunderbolts, but before that happens, Harbour will jump over to the DC Universe, where he will voice the role of Eric Frankenstein in the series adaptation of Creature Commandos.

The show is being created by James Gunn, and Harbour is joined by the talented cast that includes Sean Gunn as Weasel and GI Robot, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic, Indira Varma as The Bride, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, Viola Davis returning as Amanda Waller, and Steve Agee reprising his role as John Economos from Peacemaker.

On the red carpet for a recent event, io9 got to chat with Harbour about the upcoming role, and he discussed how the version of Frankenstein he’s playing is different from his turn as the character on Netflix’s off-kilter comedic hidden gem, Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster, Frankenstein (2019). Harbour discussed how the two takes, though both comedic, stand apart, saying:

“Oh, yeah. No, he’s very different. I mean, it’s the mind of James Gunn so it is wacky and strange, but also full of a lot of depth and complexity,” he shared, describing why he’s drawn to Mary Shelley’s literary legend. “The most interesting thing to me about Frankenstein’s monster in general is that he was created to be this sort of erudite, intellectual, romantic, brilliant person, and he winds up being a monster. I mean, that complexity can make for some pretty ripe comedy and also pathos—that a guy who considers himself one thing,  is viewed by others as something very different. That’s the broadest, most mysterious way I can put it, because all I know is the scripts are really good. What we recorded is really great. I’ve seen the art, James is a genius. I think it’s going to be really fun and really exciting, and it opens up a whole new door to the DC Universe of how these characters will occupy the world. I like the concept of a live action and cartoon back and forth.”

When asked if he’s ready to don the full Frankenstein look for live action, Harbour laughed, responing: 

“I mean, I don’t know how they do it nowadays. It feels like Mark Ruffalo just puts some dots on his face for the Hulk. But I don’t know how they’ll do it.”

When it was suggested that Gunn might opt for classic monster prosthetics, the former Hellboy said he’d be into it.

“I’ve worn prosthetics in movies before, I’m definitely down for it. I just love telling great stories that people love. I’m just happy to get back to work.”

Creature Commandos will air on Max in 2024.