Marvel Rejected David Harbour’s Request To Speak Russian In Black Widow

David Harbour believes it would make more sense for his Black Widow character to speak Russian. However, Marvel didn’t quite agree with that.

Despite David Harbour’s best efforts, Marvel rejected the actor’s request to speak only in Russian for Black Widow. Harbour is best known for his role on Netflix’s Stranger Things, but he will soon make the jump to another beloved genre property with Black Widow. The Emmy-nominated actor will play Alexei Shostakov, a Russian hero known as Red Guardian who once acted as a father to young Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson). When Nat returns to her roots with an eye on taking down the Red Room, she’s reunited with Alexei and the rest of their spy family, making for quite the homecoming.

Black Widow is Natasha’s long-awaited solo movie, a project fans have been clamoring for for years. Set in between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, the movie promises to pull back the curtain on Natasha’s past in a major way. From what happened in Budapest to her family before the Avengers, Black Widow will provide the answers audiences have been waiting for. Though it was once planned for release in 2020, Black Widow will finally debut in theaters and on Disney+ next month.

Related: Theory: MCU’s Black Widow Replacement Is Actually The RED Widow

This means the Black Widow promotional tour is kicking into high gear. Harbour appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live Tuesday night to discuss the highly-anticipated Marvel movie, and he shared one trait he tried to include in the movie. When Kimmel brought up Harbour’s Russian accent, the actor was quick to say, “It makes no sense.” After some playful back and forth with Kimmel, Harbour explained his reasoning, saying, “So he’s Russian. In Russia. He’d be speaking Russian. So the entire movie should be me speaking Russian with subtitles.”

Harbour then acknowledged that perhaps subtitles isn’t “the best look for a Marvel movie.” He added, “It was not well-received by the producers when I brought that up,” drawing laughs from the audience. His point that Alexei should really be speaking in Russian is a fair one, and it’s a debate that has come up with various movies over the years. For example, if Beauty and the Beast is set in France, why does no one speak French? Alexei at least has the accent in Black Widow, even if he isn’t quite speaking the way he would in real life.

It’s interesting to imagine what Black Widow would look like if Harbour had gotten his way and spoke entirely in Russian. At the very least, it would give the movie a new layer of authenticity when it comes to Black Widow’s Russian background, which is something the MCU hasn’t really touched upon yet. Alas, Marvel nixed Harbour’s idea, so both he and fans will have to settle for just the accent. It might be safe to say that Black Widow will still manage to resonate with audiences, even if it would’ve been cool to prominently feature another language.

More: Who Is Red Guardian? David Harbour’s Black Widow Movie Character Explained

Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live

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