As fun as it would have been to see Bruce Campbell play Mysterio, it doesn't seem that this rumored casting was ever meant to be. For years, there have been rumors that Campbell would have been director Sam Raimi's pick to play Mysterio in his unmade sequel Spider-Man 4. This seems to be based on storyboard images, said to be for the ill-fated film, that features illustrated images of Mysterio getting unmasked. The man under the mask just so happens to have a strong resemblance to Campbell, igniting speculation that this was because he'd been cast in the role.
It would even make sense from a storyline perspective for Campbell to have been the Raimi-Verse's Mysterio. The actor had previously played three different characters in the first three Spider-Man films, all of them having interactions with Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire). What if this had been Mysterio all along? The story potential is there, but is this something that Raimi had actually envisioned? And was Campbell officially cast in the role before the project fizzled out?
According to the Evil Dead star himself, there isn't any truth to the rumors that he'd been cast as Mysterio. Campbell addressed the rumors when asked about them directly in a new interview with Game Informer. Here's what he had to say when asked if he really had been cast in that role for Spider-Man 4.
"If somebody's dream came true. No, that's all fan sh*t... Look, this was all bullsh*t. Somebody saw a storyboard that kind of looked like me as he turned around. It's kind of like the Doctor Strange movie. Is he in it, is he not in it? Blah, blah, blah."
Bruce Campbell May or May Not Appear in Doctor Strange 2
As Bruce Campbell says, there has also been a lot of hearsay over who he might be playing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, or if he will even show up at all. Campbell previously teased his cameo in the movie, confirming that he did shoot a scene for the project. However, as the film has undergone a lot of edits in the post-production process, Campbell can't be sure his scene will make the final cut.
"The Marvel guys, they make eight of these movies at the same time, so they're always updating storylines. So, my buddy Sam has had to add scenes that they told him he had to shoot, and he's removed scenes that no longer apply. So, until May this movie comes around, I'm not even sure Benedict Cumberbatch knows whether he's in this movie or not."
For now, fans will have to speculate over who Campbell could be playing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. For April Fools' Day earlier this month, the actor joked that he would be playing a Doctor Strange variant. Last year, he similarly joked on the first of April that he'd be reprising the role of Ash from the Evil Dead films. In any case, fans will just be happy to see Campbell involved in one way or another, so let's hope the scene will be seen on the big screen.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is scheduled to be released in theaters on May 6, 2022.