David Harbour Seemingly Debunks Rumor About the Character He's Playing in 'Black Widow'

Though the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 3 only just concluded with Spider-Man: Far From Home, fan attention is already turning to the next entries into the franchise--including Black Widow. This week, responding to fan speculation, lead actor David Harbour seemingly debunked a major rumor about his character, saying it would not be The Thing.

The revelation came during a Wired AutoComplete Interview that Harbour, alongside Winona Ryder, did to promote Stranger Things Season 3. When Harbour was “asked” (via a list of the most common Google searches associated with his name) whether or not he was playing The Thing, he explained to a confused Ryder, “There were all these speculations that that was who I was playing. I’m not allowed to say anything about this particular film I’m doing.”

“I just use the word ‘thing’ in my vocabulary a lot,” he added, after Ryder noted that Harbour is “playing lots of things.”

While Harbour was somewhat equivocal in this explanation, CBR reports that it resounds with a statement from Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, who said that it would be a “good while” before any Fantastic Four characters appear in the MCU.

There has been only scant information about Black Widow beyond the knowledge that it stars Harbour alongside Scarlett Johansson, and that it will be directed by Cate Shortland. Midsommar star Florence Pugh has also reportedly joined the cast in a disclosed role. Despite considerable buzz surrounding the film, along with the entirety of Phase 4, Marvel Studios has been tight-lipped about the project.

While we were never really sold on the theory that Harbour was playing The Thing, his tacit debunking has just stirred up our enthusiasm. Until the next rumor emerges, we’ll keep ourselves busy by contemplating other characters that he could be playing.