David Harbour Reveals The Iconic Movie Weapon He Wielded In The Stranger Things 4 Finale
Contains spoilers for "Stranger Things" Season 4
Even with the heartbreak that came with the final two episodes of "Stranger Things" Season 4, it's fair to argue that the bittersweet victory against Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) was undeniably metal, thanks to the great minds of The Duffer Brothers. Not content with Eddie (Joseph Quinn) tearing up a guitar solo or Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer) teaming up across dimensions against the monster formerly known as One, we also got Jim Hopper (David Harbour) taking on a very angry Demogorgon with a sword — because why the heck not?
Cut together perfectly with El's last stand against the overlord of the Upside Down, Hopp took swing after killer swing against the flower-headed horror and lived to tell the tale. Seeing the former chief go medieval on his foe was incredible, but the specific blade he was brandishing makes it even more awesome. As revealed by David Harbour himself, Hopper's weapon of choice (teased in the final trailer for "Stranger Things" Season 4 Vol. 2) wasn't any old blade found in an abandoned Russian military compound. It turns out that the weapon was last seen in the hands of action icon Arnold Schwarzenegger, and by Crom was he lethal with it.
Hopper used the original sword from Conan the Barbarian
Spilling the beans by way of an Instagram post, David Harbour revealed that the last time Hopper's brutal blade saw some action was in the hands of Arnold Schwarzenegger when he played Conan the Barbarian in the two iconic movies "Conan the Barbarian" and "Conan the Destroyer," released in 1982 and 1984. After a fan spotted similarities in the crossguard design (the part separating the blade from the handle) between Hopper's sword and Arnie's Atlantean weapon, the "Stranger Things" star broke the news that it was no replica, but the genuine blade seen slicing off limbs in Schwarzenegger's '80s outings.
"The sword the incredible 'Stranger Things' props department (reveal yourselves guys so I can credit you) gave me is the actual sword used in the filming of both 'Conan' films," Harbour announced. Now, while he may have made it look easy when going up against the inter-dimensional beastie, it turned out to be a shaky blend of acting mixed with novice swordsmanship, and there was only one bit of feedback Harbour wanted to hear. "It was heavy as hell, and such a tremendous honor to wield," said Harbour. "@schwarzenegger – ready to accept your notes on my technique."
The former Cimmerian has yet to reply at the time of writing, but we can only hope it gets his seal of approval and not, say, a battle to the death. Hopper's been through enough, people.