While a horror icon through and through, Ash Williams is the kind of everyman character that one might think would be easy to squeeze into just about any franchise. Perhaps that's why Mortal Kombat fans have long campaigned to see the "groovy" hero appear in the franchise, with the latest rumors tied to hopes that he'll be playable in the upcoming Mortal Kombat 12. Well, Bruce Campbell just shared his thoughts on the possibility of Ash crossing over into that game's universe, and wasn't cryptic in the slightest about how he felt about it.
You won't see Ash Williams in Evil Dead Rise, even if you may hear him if you listen hard enough, and fans apparently won't see him holding his own in Mortal Kombat 12, either. Bruce Campbell dashed the hopes of any fighting-game enthusiasts with chainsaw dreams, and flat-out rejected the idea of Ash appearing in non-Evil Dead video games (or any other franchises, it sounds like) during an interview with AV Club. In his words:
No, I don’t want Ash to appear in other people’s games. Other creatures like Freddy and Jason should be in the Evil Dead game. You should be able to play as Freddy. You should be able to play as Jason and then have Ash fight those guys. So the video game format is much more welcoming, and then you make a side deal with however you get the likeness and the character of Freddy, you let the game company make those deals. So that’s what I would do. But, no, I’m not interested in loaning Ash out. They need to come to our house.
Bruce Campbell is receptive to the idea of bringing iconic characters from other horror franchises into the world of Evil Dead, but he's not into the business venture of loaning Ash out to other games. Campbell didn't expound on that thought specifically, but one would imagine that he's intent on keeping the universe's creative tangents fall under the guidance of Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, and a possible lack of trust in giving another company the rights to do what they want with Ash. Campbell probably doesn't care as much about taking a shit on Jason or Freddy in the Dead-verse so long as Ash is the one doing the squatting.
Bruce Campbell's stance of being protective of Ash is perhaps surprising, especially given the willingness of brands to cross-promote in gaming. Fortnite is a game that practically runs on promotions and has skins for multiple characters from franchises like Deadpool to Will Smith's Mike Lowery from Bad Boys. But Campbell is more old school than any of that, and doesn't have a need to see Ash taking on every other hero in pop culture.
What fans of Mortal Kombat want is not so uncommon, but obviously, Campbell is free to have his opinion. That's not to say his opinion will never change, but it'd probably take another version of Campbell to convince him.
This may be the most disappointing news for Evil Dead fans since Bruce Campbell officially retired as Ash Williams on the live-action front. The character's run concluded after Starz opted not to continue the much-beloved Ash vs. Evil Dead. As such, one of the only ways people are able to see the character anymore is by checking out the Evil Dead movies on streaming and/or putting one's gaming skills to use in last year's Evil Dead video game, which features the as-of-now final Ash performance from the Burn Notice vet.
If Ash Williams isn't allowed in other video games, and Bruce Campbell is done playing the character in live-action, it may be time for fans to accept the character is just officially retired. Then again, Campbell did specifically mention the idea of doing more video games, and people always change their minds in Hollywood. Hell, we're living in a world where Hugh Jackman is returning to play Wolverine after a near-perfect exit for the character, so I'd like to believe anything can happen.
Evil Dead Rise is in theaters now, and while it lacks Ash, it's loaded with Evil Dead easter eggs fans of him will appreciate. Check out the movie, and see how it stacks up against the other movies in the franchise.
