Yesterday was April Fool’s Day, a time that always sees fake movie trailers, joke casting announcements, and pranks that sometimes go too far. Actor Bruce Campbell decided to play a little prank of his own by “leaking” a page from the script for the upcoming Marvel Studios filmDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.The page appears to show the titular Doctor Strange encountering a “Disheveled Man” with a chainsaw for a hand.
Campbell posted the image yesterday on his Twitter account with the caption, “Oops. This slipped.” In the scene depicted in the script,Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch)travels through the multiverse and ends up encountering someone who’s credited as a DISHEVELED MAN. Campbell has highlighted these lines, implying that he’s playing the role. The Disheveled Man is also described as having a chainsaw for a hand, which can only mean one thing… Ash Williams is joining the MCU! Not really. The post is obviously a joke, but that sure would be a hell of a cameo, and it really isn’t outside the realm of possibilities nowadays.
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Horror fans will recognize the name Ash Williams as the character played by Campbell in theEvil Deadfranchise, first appearing in the 1981 filmThe Evil Dead.He went on to reprise the role in the sequelsEvil Dead 2andArmy of Darkness.Campbell even played the role in the short-lived TV adaptationAsh vs the Evil Dead,which ran for three seasons on Starz. On top of that, theEvil Deadfranchise has inspired video games, comics, and a 2013 reboot.
Ashley Joanna Williams, or just Ash, is the sole survivor of the original film. After he and his friends venture to a cabin in the woods, they accidentally wake ademon referred to as The Evil Dead, which possesses and kills them. In the second film, Ash cuts off his own hand after it becomes possessed and replaces it with a fitted chainsaw. Ash is often seen fighting “deadites,” evil creatures possessed by the Evil Dead, wielding a chainsaw for a hand and a shotgun in the other. The character is widely considered to be one of the greatest horror movie protagonists of all time and is the role Campbell is most recognized for.
Campbell has a mystery role in the upcomingDoctor Strangesequel, but his casting came as no surprise for fans of theEvil Deadfranchise. Sam Raimi, who directed all three originalEvil Deadmovies, is also directingDoctor Strange 2. He and Campbell have been longtime collaborators and friends, and the actor is known for making cameos in almost all of the director’s films,including all three Toby McGuireSpider-Manmovies.
While it seems unlikely that Ash will appear in the MCU, it’s not entirely impossible. The character has traveled through space and time before, such as inArmy of Darkness,when he went back in time to Medieval Europe and showed off his “boomstick.” With Even Peters appearing asQuicksilver (kind of) inWandaVision, it seems like anything is possible.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessis scheduled to be released on July 16, 2025.
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