Bruce Campbell responds with a cryptic answer when asked if he has a cameo role in Sam Raimi's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Bruce Campbell gives a cryptic response when asked if he will appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Scott Derrickson, the director of the first Doctor Strange, was originally hired to helm the sequel, but after exiting due to creative differences, Marvel hired Sam Raimi. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was once thought to be the MCU's first horror movie, making Raimi seem like a good choice given his previous involvement in the superhero and horror genres.
Raimi started making a name for himself in the early '80s when he created the Evil Dead franchise. Being a long-time friend of Raimi, Campbell starred as Ash in the first three Evil Dead films and then returned for Ash vs. Evil Dead. Aside from the horror genre, Raimi is most known for the 2000s Spider-Man trilogy starring Tobey Maguire. Campbell didn't have a lead role in any of the Spider-Man films, but he did have small cameo roles in each film as the Ring Announcer in Spider-Man, the "Snooty Usher" in Spider-Man 2, and a Maître d' in Spider-Man 3. Many are hoping the fun cameo tradition will continue in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but Campbell won't give fans a straight answer.
While attending a double-feature of Evil Dead II and Bubba Ho-Tep at Middletown's Fair Oaks Drive-in Theatre (via Comicbook), Campbell gave a cryptic answer regarding his involvement in the Doctor Strange sequel. When asked if he had a cameo, Campbell stated, "I can only give you a strange answer. I can answer that, but only with a strange answer. Am I in Doctor Strange 2? The strange answer is... linoleum." Campbell gave a clearer response in an interview with EW, joking that Raimi's movies are only good if he has a part in them. Check out his full response below:
I would say that's a pretty good rumor. I think that won't get me sued. That's a pretty good rumor, yeah.
Look, I think it's a standing rule that Sam Raimi, his movies are not good if I'm not in them. If Sam wants a good movie he'll put me in it. But you never know [with] these epic movies what's going to stay or go in the course of telling these huge stories, so I don't know. That's why I keep it cryptic because (a) I don't want to get sued but (b) I don't want to say, "Yeah, hey, tune in!" and then they go, "Where were you, idiot?" But I always enjoy working with my old friend, Mr. Director.
Speculation on a cameo from Campbell started almost as soon as Raimi was announced as the director, and this isn't the first time Campbell has teased his involvement. Back in February, Campbell made a tweet with an image of the London skyline saying, "Boy, it was a blast, working in a certain city, with a certain director on a certain movie with a certain actor - it sure was!" This came at the same time Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was filming in London. Campbell also shared a fake Doctor Strange 2 script page on April Fools' Day that saw Stephen Strange meet Ash.
Campbell will likely only have a cameo if he is involved, so Marvel probably won't confirm his casting before the movie releases next year. That being said, the odds of Campbell having a cameo are high. The MCU movies are filled with easter eggs from Marvel lore and are known for throwing in celebrity cameos like Matt Damon in Thor: Ragnarok and even Elon Musk all the way back in Iron Man 2. Combine that with Campbell's comments and his long-standing relationship with Raimi, and it seems likely Campbell will appear at some point in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
