Spoilers for Bruce Campbell’s guest appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness below.
Bruce Campbell has been close friends with director Sam Raimi since he was cast to play Ash Williams evil Dead Series. Since then, Campbell has made several cameos for Raimi, including in the original Spider-Man trilogy and the new Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
in a (n interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Campbell was responding to the viral popularity his cameo as Pizza Poppa in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
They got back together during Multiverse of Madness when Campbell played the peevish New York street vendor known as Pizza Poppa — something Campbell himself didn’t think would come into the film.
“I can’t believe I made it into the movie! I always joked that Benedict Cumberbatch wasn’t sure if he would be in the movie because they were constantly revising the plot,” he said. “Sam and I are always in touch because of Evil Dead and a lot of other stuff, but we’re friends too. And I know when it’s on, and I can always pester my agent and say, ‘Hey, look what’s going on in there.'”
Win something new viral ‘Poppa’-ularity on TikTok and Twitter as the character was well received by fans. Campbell’s die-hards out there also recognize that the character pays homage to the Campbell-Raimi classic Evil Dead II, as his self-inflicted punches and slaps from the multiverse of madness are reminiscent of his approach to slapstick humor in that film.
“As long as the Pizza Poppa is paid for, everything is fine,” he said. “Yes, the memes are coming out. You want something to be remembered. Maybe I’ll stop being the Evil Dead guy and I’ll be the Pizza Poppa guy.”
Campbell’s other Raimi cameos include the first Spider-Man film, in which Campbell is responsible for naming the titular character during the film’s wrestling scene. In Spider-Man 2 he played a usher who stopped Peter Parker from seeing Mary Jane Watson’s play, and in Spider-Man 3 he played the maître d’ who helped Parker propose to Jane Watson at the restaurant.
Though Campbell said he doesn’t personally rank his cameos, he said the only criterion he ever needed was that the character in question matter.
“In the first Spider-Man, I named Spider-Man. In the second, I’m the only character to defeat Spider-Man by not letting him into the theater. And in Spider-Man 3 he asks the Maître d’ for help with his marriage proposal to Mary Jane. How many superheroes come to mortals for help? Like, zero. So I set a precedent. And if you put me in there, it will change the movie forever. Sam knows I’ve made his films iconic.”
But Raimi and Campbell’s collaboration in Spider-Man doesn’t end with cameos, as the actor shared that he was being considered for the role of Mysterio in the canceled Spider-Man 4, but that the deal to make the film previously failed a conversation could actually take place.
Be sure to check out IGN’s review Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Evil Dead: The Launch of the Game follower.
Diego Ramos Bechara is a freelance writer for IGN.
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