Every Bruce Campbell Cameo In Marvel Movies Explained
It's been three decades since Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" trilogy kicked off with "The Evil Dead" in 1981. The film starred Bruce Campbell as the heroic one-handed Ash Williams. He is the only character to appear in each film in the franchise, including a post-credit scene in the soft reboot in 2013. Not only did the "Evil Dead" films give us one of the most beloved movie franchise characters of all time, but they also gave us one of the most entertaining duos in the movie business in Campbell and Raimi.
Campbell made statements that he is finished playing Ash in the "Evil Dead" franchise (via Collider), saying, "Ash is gone. I've retired the character because I physically just can't do him anymore, so why bother? Why do I do it? It's time to hang up the chainsaw. But we still are filmmakers; we're still producers, we're still creative-type dudes, so we were like, 'How do we keep this going otherwise?'" That being said, fans of the duo have plenty of content between the two. In most of Raimi's films, Campbell makes cameo appearances. Specifically, Campbell has appeared in all four Raimi projects taking place in the Marvel Universe — here is where you've seen him before.
He gave Spider-Man his name in Spider-Man
2002 saw the rebirth of the superhero blockbuster with "Spider-Man," which saw director Sam Raimi bring together a group of actors who became iconic mainstays in comic book movie lore. Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker/Spider-Man became one of the most iconic performances by any actor portraying a superhero, setting the stage for the future of Marvel movies.
Bruce Campbell wouldn't pass up his opportunity to appear in a movie as fun as "Spider-Man," and he appeared near the beginning while Parker was figuring out his new persona as the webhead. After entering into a tournament to last three minutes with Bone Saw McGraw (Randy Savage), he is introduced by none other than Campbell himself. Like any true showman, he builds anticipation before asking Parker his name. When Parker responds with The Human Spider, Campbell responds with, "That sucks!" He then introduces him as The Amazing Spider-Man.
Campbell talked about his contribution in a tongue-in-cheek quip during an appearance at a convention (via ComicBookResource). He said, "if my character wasn't in that movie, this billion-dollar franchise would be called 'The Human Spider.'"
He stuck to his guns at the stage door in Spider-Man 2
The 2004 follow-up, "Spider-Man 2," saw Peter Parker struggling to juggle his time as Spider-Man and living everyday life. He often shows up late to dates with Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) and is missing class. He battles Doctor Octavius (Alfred Molina) and all the while sees his relationships fall apart.
For Bruce Campbell, he left his post at the underground arena, taking a job with a theater as an usher at the front of the house. When Peter Parker shows up late to a show where Mary Jane is headlining, Campbell helps him by pointing out that his shoelace was undone. Once he fixes the shoelace, he instructs him to fix his tie. Once Parker is presentable, he takes a step to enter before Campbell stops him, pointing at a sign that says no one will be seated after the doors close. It is a brief appearance where he goes from a helpful friend making him look his best to an immovable object, blocking his way.
Like all of his cameos, Campbell does so much with so little time. His memorable gesture of shushing Parker by zipping his lips is one of the most memorable moments in the movie.
He assisted in the failed proposal in Spider-Man 3
"Spider-Man 3" was the more maligned of the trilogy (per Rotten Tomatoes), as Topher Grace's run as Eddie Brock/Venom fell flat with audiences, and the dance scene with "Jerk Parker" became the thing of meme ages. The film was also overstuffed with villains, seeing Venom, Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), and Harry Osborn (James Franco) taking his father's mantle as New Goblin.
In the thick of the troubled film, Bruce Campbell appeared as a maître d' at a French restaurant. This time around, the interaction between the two is overwhelmingly wholesome as Parker tells him that he wants to propose to MJ. Campbell makes all of it sound like it is the most original and romantic gesture he has ever heard of. This appearance may be the best of the trilogy as he was able to bring all of the Campbell deadpan moments to life. Convincing Parker to speak French, blowing a dog whistle, grabbing a pen from a silver platter, and mispronouncing Parker in the most inappropriate way all scream Campbell.
He paid homage to Ash in Dr. Strange 2
Spoilers for Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ahead.
Of course, when die-hard Bruce Campbell fans discovered that his long-time friend, Sam Raimi, would be directing the next movie in the MCU's Phase Four, "Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," speculation began to swirl about when and where their beloved walking Easter egg would pop up. True to form, they weren't disappointed.
Campbell appeared as a bitter pizza ball vendor on Earth-838 once America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) crash lands there. His rudeness sparks the no-nonsense Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to curse the man to punch himself in the face over and over for three straight weeks. He is seen again in an after-credits scene snapping out of the spell, where he exclaims, "It's over!" when his hand finally stops pulverizing his face.
Not only is this a classic display of Campbell's ability to bring comedy in the shortest moments, and some meta-commentary on audiences waiting around for juicy post-credit scenes, but it also is a sweet throwback to the beginning of both their careers. His hand punching himself uncontrollably is strikingly similar to a fight he had with his own possessed hand in "Evil Dead 2." And of course, one can only wonder if him screaming "It's over!" was a sign that this is the last we'll see of these two working together (unlikely) or just a hilarious signal to the audience to get out of the theater.