If you're gonna battle the horrors of the Upside-Down, better do it in style. Actor David Harbour revealed on Monday that the original prop sword used by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1982's Conan the Barbarian and 1984's Conan the Destroyer appeared in the Stranger Things season 4 finale.
Episodes 8 and 9 of of the '80s-set sci-fi horror show's fourth season hit Netflix on Friday, so we'll put further details below a SPOILER warning for people who haven't watched them yet.
The finale sees Hawkins police chief Jim Hopper (Harbour), who spends much of season 4 in a horrible Soviet Union prison, picking up an ornate sword to take on one of the terrifying Demogorgons. In an epic moment, he slices off its arm, then its head.
The actor revealed the Conan connection in an Instagram post.
"Nerd alert. The prop at the end of episode 9 is the Atlantean sword from the CONAN films. A lovely fan found a still of when it was established in ep 7 and used by an unlucky inmate who met an untimely death near the cells at the side of our gladiatorial pit," he wrote.
"The real excitement behind this however, is that the sword the incredible ST props department (reveal yourselves guys so I can credit you) gave me is THE ACTUAL SWORD used in the filming of both CONAN films. It was heavy as hell, and such a tremendous honor to wield. @schwarzenegger - ready to accept your notes on my technique."
Stranger Things season 4 is set in 1986, so it's possible in this universe that one of the movie props made its way to the Soviet prison after the movies were made.
My message to my fellow Americans and friends around the world following this week's attack on the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/blOy35LWJ5
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) January 10, 2021
Schwarzenegger famously kept a copy of the sword in his office during his time as governor of California (he served from 2003 to 2011). The 74-year-old actor and politician apparently still has the movie weapon, having used it to illustrate his metaphor comparing American democracy to the heating and cooling of the tempered steel in the days after the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
