Editor's note: The below article contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.Ever since Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) first became a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he’s been nothing but a menace. In his MCU introduction in 2016’s Doctor Strange, we saw the incredible narrative arc of Dr. Strange going from a cocky, know-it-all neurosurgeon to a cocky wizard who pretends to know it all, who breaks the laws of nature after being warned of the danger. In Avengers: Infinity War, Strange states that the only way to save the universe is by letting half of everything die. With What If?…, he literally lets the entire world implode because of his selfish choices, and in Spider-Man: No Way Home, his inability to craft a spell while a teenager talks to him causes Peter Parker (Tom Holland) to have to abandon his life and love.
Simply put, Doctor Strange sucks. The man is a terrible wizard with a Tony Stark complex that, as Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) so eloquently puts in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, makes it so that he always has to be the person in control. And as we’ve seen so far in the MCU, that means putting his needs above the needs of everyone else. Yes, Stephen Strange—as we’ve seen him in the MCU so far—has inadvertently destroyed worlds, allowed half of the population to be snapped away, and left Peter to live a sad, poor, isolated life. But, arguably, Strange’s cruelest, most self-centered, and inexcusable action comes in Multiverse of Madness.
Yes, I’m talking about Pizza Poppa.
If you're watching Multiverse of Madness for the first time this week on Disney+, then you haven’t witnessed the MCU’s next big star, Pizza Poppa. A working-class hero, an entrepreneur for our times, and a savvy businessman who dared to ask the question: “What if pizza was a ball?” Pizza Poppa is the kind of culinary artist that Guy Fieri could only dream about.
Strange and multiversal traveler America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) come across Pizza Poppa, played by Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi’s favorite cameo-maker Bruce Campbell, upon their arrival in Earth-838. Despite having shown us a wild number of intriguing multiverses — one where dinosaurs still rule! One where everything is made of paint! — Earth-838 is simply New York City, but with plants. Oh, and you cross the street on red instead of green. Talk about a multiverse of madness. America tells Strange that in most universes, food is free, and she’s already claimed her first free meal, which appears to be a bowl of balls that look like pizza.
However, America was mistaken, and we soon meet the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s new giant, Pizza Poppa, who utters the now-iconic Multiverse of Madness line (say it with me now), “Pizza Poppa always gets paid!” But instead of Doctor Strange simply Wingardium Leviosa-ing some money into Pizza Poppa’s pockets, Doctor Strange chooses — quite literally — violence. Strange puts a spell on Pizza Poppa that leaves the street vendor covered in his own mustard and punching himself continuously for three weeks. 21 days. 504 hours. Let’s say that Pizza Poppa hits himself four times every minute. That means over the course of three weeks, he would’ve punched himself around 120,000 times.
Strange could’ve made this spell last an hour, tops, which is plenty of time to steal food, for him and America to get away, and to laugh at the idea of robbing this man who just wants to get paid for his goods and services. But no, he wants to leave Pizza Poppa in pain. He wants to show off his power. He acts this way, not as a hero, but — dare I say — as potentially the new major villain in the MCU. Say what you will, but Thanos wanted the suffering to end in the snap of a finger. Doctor Strange wanted those who fought against him to languish in the pain, knowing that they should never question the wants and desires of Doctor Stephen Strange.
Keep in mind, as far as Pizza Poppa knew, this suffering might’ve gone on FOREVER. He didn’t know he had to wait three weeks. All he knew was this odd man stole from him and cursed him. Let’s also not forget that in Earth-838, Doctor Strange is dead. So for three straight weeks of self-abuse, Pizza Poppa probably believed that he was going crazy. A supposedly dead man stole from him, and then he started hurting himself incessantly for 1,814,400 seconds???
The deleted scene attached to the home release of Multiverse of Madness essentially points out that Poppa recognizes the sorcerer, but not as the true Doctor Strange – who is a hero in his universe – but as a no good thief. In the deleted scene odiously titled "It's Not Permanent," we see the same fateful meeting between Pizza Poppa and Strange and America, but this time, Poppa is not just protecting his business, but the legacy of a martyr. He accuses Strange of stealing the Cloak of Levitation after touching the fabric and realizing that it is authentic. Surmising that this criminal has stolen from The Strange Museum, Poppa then turns on Strange, saying, "You're a taker. Why don't you take some mustard, huh?"
The true victory of Multiverse of Madness comes at the end of the credits — hiding the triumph of our true hero until everyone has left. At the end of the three weeks, Pizza Poppa’s seemingly endless suffering comes to an end. He looks at the camera and triumphantly states “It’s finally over!” The joy in that face speaks volumes. While Doctor Strange is constantly asked whether he’s happy or not in Multiverse of Madness, we finally see what true happiness looks like when Pizza Poppa can conclude the torment of beating his own face to a pulp.
Multiverse of Madness marks the sixth cameo Campbell has made in a Raimi film, but he’s never been treated as poorly as he is here. Take, for example, his appearances in Raimi’s Spider-Man films. In the first film, he’s a super-cool wrestling announcer for the Bonesaw McGraw/Spider-Man fight, decked out in a shiny gold blazer and early 2000s sunglasses. In Spider-Man 2, he has the power of the superhero, not allowing Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man into Mary Jane Watson’s (Kirsten Dunst) play. Once again, in Spider-Man 3, where Campbell plays a Maître d’ at a fancy restaurant, Campbell has all the power over the hero.
Strange has clearly had access to this other universe where Campbell’s characters held power over Maguire’s Spider-Man, and maybe after meeting him in No Way Home, Strange — either consciously or subconsciously — decided to pay Campbell a piece of his mind. Maybe having Campbell hurt Maguire’s Spider-Man and try to take food out of the mouth of the orphaned America was just too much for him. OR MAYBE Strange just snapped, tired of losing the love of his life, tired of trying to save the world, tired of trying to hunt down Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), and he just wanted someone else to feel the pain he was building up. A true hero doesn’t take his anger and frustrations out on the people that he’s trying to protect. No, this sick fuck sounds like a villain to me.
Hopefully, the MCU will try to right the horrific wrongs caused by Doctor Strange in Multiverse of Madness, and it only seems fair that Pizza Poppa receives the recognition he deserves. Maybe a six-episode Disney+ show about the frustrations of “heroes” trying to take money out of his hands? Maybe an origin story? Pizza Poppa and the Legend of the Ten Slices? Pizza Poppa in: Crustmania? Maybe he can be the personal chef for Star-Lord, Groot, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, and the rest of the gang in Guardians of the Galax-cheese Vol. 3?
Marvel needs to condemn the actions of Doctor Strange and put the spotlight on Pizza Poppa. It might sound cheesy, but he’s the hero we need.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now available to stream on Disney+.
Read more about Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness:
'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness': All the Easter Eggs You Might Have Missed
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