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Bruce Campbell is shocked his Doctor Strange 2 cameo made the cut

Bruce Campbell's cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was a fun surprise for Sam Raimi fans — but the actor wasn't sure it would stay

https://www.thedigitalfix.com/marvel-cinematic-universe/doctor-strange-2-easter-eggs

One time, Doctor Strange hexed me to punch myself in the face, so I did… It was awesome. Bruce Campbell’s Doctor Strange 2 cameo was a fun surprise for MCU and Sam Raimi fans alike — but the thriller movie star has said that with all of the Phase 4 movie’s reshoots, he was uncertain if his appearance would even make the cut.

It’s long been tradition for Bruce Campbell to pop up with a cameo in Sam Raimi’s movies — who can forget his cameos in various Spider-Man movies like the infuriating usher in Spider-Man 2? His latest scene in Raimi’s Doctor Strange 2, the first MCU movie to be considered a horror movie,  saw him play smug Earth-838 pizza vendor Poppa Pizza.

But the Evil Dead star told The Hollywood Reporter that he was in disbelief that his cameo actually ended up in staying in the fantasy movie. “I can’t believe I made it into the movie!” he said. “I used to joke that Benedict Cumberbatch wasn’t sure he was going to be in the movie because they were constantly reworking the storyline and Sam had to shoot additional stuff that wasn’t in the original script, so it’s a shell game.”

Eagle-eyed Evil Dead fans noticed a nod to Evil Dead 2’s posessed hand in the cameo, with Doctor Strange casting a spell possessing Poppa’s hand to punch himself in the face after he ticks him off. In the interview, Campbell not only confirms that was the intended reference, but that an Evil Dead 2 Easter egg was always part of the plan.

“I think it was always in the basic scene,” he 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.”

If you want to see Bruce Campbell give himself a right hook or two, Doctor Strange 2 is available to view in theatres now. And if you want to decipher more fun trivia from the adventure movie, check out our guide to Doctor Strange 2 Easter eggs.