Warning: contains minor spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Fans cheered when Bruce Campbell made his MCU debut this year, but his first experience with Doctor Strange‘s world actually appeared in the comics. Bruce Campbell has become a well-loved actor among film fans everywhere. His iconic lines from the classic Evil Dead films have catapulted him to fame due to his likable performances and cheesy one-liners. Some of his best-known roles though are his cameos in all three Sam Raimi Spider-Man films, where he made his official Marvel debut.
When Raimi was announced as the director for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, fans began speculating if Campbell would make an appearance. It’s tradition for the actor to make at least a small appearance in Raimi’s films, so the thought of him making a debut in the MCU excited fans. Sure enough, Bruce Campbell did when he had a hilarious cameo as Pizza Poppa in an alternate universe. He even got to show off his sentient hand acting skills from Evil Dead 2 again when Strange forced him to hit himself. It was a great meeting between the iconic actor and Doctor Strange…but surprisingly, Campbell has come into contact with the magic used by Strange before.
Marvel Zombies vs. the Army of Darkness was a limited-run Marvel series created by John Layman, Fabiano Neves, Fernando Blanco, and Sean Philips in 2007. The series follows Bruce Campbell’s Evil Dead character, Ash Williams, as he finds himself in the Marvel Zombies universe trying to prevent an invasion of what he thinks are Deadites. When that fails though and the Avengers become infected, he begins working with Scarlet Witch to reverse the effects and put an end to the zombie plague. As discovered by Twitter user Moon Knight-core in the height of Multiverse of Madness‘ popularity, there is a point where the two venture to the Sanctum Sanctorum to see if Ash can find the Necronomicon. He even uses one of his signature one-liners when describing the missing hero, calling him “Professor Creepy or whoever” before being corrected by Scarlet Witch. Even though Strange isn’t there, Campbell’s Ash has encountered Strange’s magical realm before.
What’s even more fascinating though is that of all the people that show him around the Sanctum Sanctorum, it’s the Scarlet Witch. Knowing how Wanda becomes the main villain for Multiverse of Madness, the fact that she is such a heavy presence in this story is pretty amusing. In a way, it’s like Bruce Campell was always meant to interact with the Marvel Universe, especially with those close to Strange since he managed to end up with the one person in the comics that would also become important in the movies.
Of course, this only means that two different versions of Campbell have come into contact with Strange and his world. They’re not the same person unless Ash decided to jump to Earth-838 and start selling pizza balls as Pizza Poppa. Still, it’s fascinating to know that somewhere in the multiverse, Bruce Campbell met the world of Doctor Strange before he literally met him face-to-face in the MCU.
