Bruce Campbell Faces Ash Vs Evil Dead's Biggest Monster Yet In First Season 3 Trailer

Whatever one's preconceived notion is of heroism, Bruce Campbell's Ash Williams doesn't quite fit the bill, and yet he's somehow been responsible for keeping the planet safe for over three decades. And now he's facing his biggest challenge yet in the new Ash vs Evil Dead Season 3 trailer. No, not fatherhood. Literally the biggest challenge yet. Check it out!

See what I mean? We have seen a large and disgusting army of deadites and other assorted ghouls giving Ash, Pablo and Kelly trouble in the first two seasons, but you'd have to combine all of those threats into one form to get something comparable to that gigantic, multi-limbed creature. Seriously, what the hell is that thing?

As Pablo half-explains (possibly in reference to something else entirely), this massive monster is "the final test," although we're obviously not sure what the earlier tests specifically consisted of. Maybe going back in time to the iconic Evil Dead cabin and defeating Baal in the Season 2 finale was one of them. Maybe we'll see some in the earlier days of Season 3. Still, this sumbitch doesn't look like the most intuitive-to-defeat villain, with his flame-filled chest and his cavernous maw. (Get a better look at that giant mouth on the poster on the next page.)

As we saw, though, the giant evil beast isn't Ash's only new and surprising life complexity, as he discovers he's the biological father to a girl named Brandy (Arielle Carver-O'Neill), who isn't extremely overjoyed to bumble into this small-scale family union. (In fact, it's pretty rare for someone to connect with Ash and be purely joyous about it.) But Brandy won't be a pushover, even as she finds herself hunted by the supernatural threats that have plagued Ash's life for many years longer than Brandy has been alive.

We get to see the return of Lucy Lawless' Ruby, though this is the alternate version to the more virtuous Ruby who died in Season 2. She suffers a wicked stomach injury that should help keep her from overeating in the near future. Of course, after seeing that possessed doctor attacking Ash with what looks to be sperm, maybe we'll all refrain from overeating for a bit. (Could that upcoming scene possibly top Season 2's corporeal mess of a morgue scene? No way.)

CinemaBlend spoke with Bruce Campbell some months back about the Season 2 Blu-ray release for Ash vs Evil Dead, and he hinted at a whole lot of death and time travel coming to the third TV chapter of this horror classic.

Everyone dies 87 times in Season 3. It's a big tumultuous season, and don't forget, time travel is one of the components. It always will be in the Evil Dead series. So there's gonna be everything, including Ash's daughter, which is spectacular. It's so great for the character. So he not only has to save the world, he has to raise an unruly daughter, which, you know, you have to grow the character. Ash has to go beyond the 2-dimensional. Which, hopefully, by the end of it, you will see. By the jaw-dropping end of it.

Assuming the end involves that colossal monster in some way, our jaws will probably remain on the floor until Season 4 comes around to pick them back up. It's worth noting that Season 3 features a new showrunner in Mark Verheiden, so the show might feel a little different from the earlier two seasons. With its new cast members and characters, Ash vs Evil Dead could easily be the bloodiest show on TV in 2018.

Be sure to have yourself a nice big glass of WTF handy, because Ash vs Evil Dead Season 3 will kick off on Starz on Sunday, February 25, at 9:00 p.m. ET. That's a good night for fans of wildly disparate horror shows, since The Walking Dead Season 8 will also be returning to AMC on that night. For all other genre-related TV needs, head to our midseason premiere schedule to see what's on the way.

Ash vs Evil Dead Season 3 also released its first poster, seen below. And I gotta say, the size and scope of that ugly mofo are even more intimidating in this still form than they were when he was active in the trailer. If a fully grown human being can stand on a single tooth of another creature, it's time to move to another planet.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.