Bruce Campbell has confirmed that his characters in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are the same person – and it sounds like we haven't seen the last of him yet.
In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Campbell revealed a connection between his recent MCU outing as Pizza Poppa in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the various characters he portrayed in the Spider-Man movies. He also hinted that he will pop up for another potential cameo in the future.
"The cameos are like, in the Spider-Man movies -- if you know anything about the multiverse, you know now, retroactively, I'm in the multiverse now because of Doctor Strange," he said. "I'm not a pizza vendor, OK? That would be a massive mistake to think I'm just a pizza vendor, or an usher, or a ring announcer, or a maître d'. It's called the multiverse, my friend. So, yes, he is the same character, but we don't know who he really is. It has not been revealed yet. I just got off the phone with the guys at Marvel, and we're getting close to finding out."
Campbell famously portrayed a pro wrestling ring announcer in Spider-Man, a snooty usher in Spider-Man 2, and a Maître d' in Spider-Man 3 before stepping out onto the streets as a pizza purveyor in Doctor Strange 2. Some theories suggest his characters could be a version of Mysterio, but the actor didn't confirm or deny it.
"You're assuming that I know anything about Marvel lore, and I appreciate that," he said. "I watched Doctor Strange in a movie theater, and I was like, 'What the flying hell are they talking about?" And then there was a guy who was an assistant type guy, and I was talking to him about it, and I go, 'Man, there's a lot of words, a lot of dialogue,' and he goes, 'Oh, no, no. I needed all of that. I needed to know all of that. I'm so grateful for that movie.' And I'm like, 'OK pal.' So, yeah, I don't know."
It's hard to say if (and when) Campbell might make another MCU appearance, but it certainly sounds promising that there will be a return from him following recent discussions with Marvel. However, Deadpool 3 is currently the only MCU movie set for release in 2024 following a series of schedule shuffles, so it could be a while yet.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X @AdeleAnkers.
