The following contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Evil Dead actor Bruce Campbell discussed his cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the film's subtle reference to the iconic horror-comedy franchise.
In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the titular sorcerer and America Chavez have a short but hilarious exchange with Campbell's character, a street vendor named Pizza Poppa, which ends with Doctor Strange enchanting the man's hand to continually punch him in the face. Conceptually, this moment reflects the scene from Evil Dead II where Campbell's Ash fights his own Deadite-possessed hand and Campbell explained how it came together for Multiverse of Madness in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
"I think it was always in the basic scene," Campbell said. "We had to figure out what to do and how Doctor Strange would defeat him. The idea was he's just some obnoxious guy and Doctor Strange has to teach him a lesson -- which of course he does. On the day, we figured it out, workshopped it, blocked it and shot the damn thing."
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premiered in theaters on May 6 and is directed by Sam Raimi, creator of the Evil Dead film franchise, which stars Campbell as Ash Williams. Overall, there are four Evil Dead films in the franchise, starting with The Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (1987), Army of Darkness (1992) and Evil Dead (2013). Raimi has been open about discussing his excitement about contributing to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first foray into the horror genre.
"I was able to take those horror films that I made in my youth and [use] what I had learned from them building suspense sequences, titillating the audience," Raimi stated at a recent press conference. Along with 1987's Evil Dead II, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness pays homage to several other horror movies. This includes visual references to 2002'sThe Ring, 1985's Day of the Dead, 1980's The Shining and 1976's Carrie.
Even though the horror elements in the Doctor Strange sequel break the typical tone for an MCU title, the origins of Benedict Cumberbatch's titular character can actually be traced back to the horror genre. In fact, Doctor Strange was heavily inspired by the legendary actor Vincent Prince, who starred in many horror classics, including The Fly (1958) and The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971).
Evil Dead II is available on Prime Video, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently playing in theaters.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter