The Top 10 Stan Lee Cameos

Face front, true believers! This week in The Grand Marvel Rewatch brings you the culmination of Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers, and in recognition of that fantastic feat of film, The Cinema King is proud to present a post we could only call... “The Top 10 Stan Lee Cameos!”

Stan Lee, “Stan The Man,” is known across the land as the King of Cameos (hey, do you think he’d do a guest post here? The Cinema King and The King of Cameos -- World Wide Web-Slingers! A man can dream...), and eagle-eyed moviegoers and novices alike revel in spotting his distinctive delivery and specific sunglasses. With more than thirty cameos to his name, what makes the cut? Which cameo can be said to capture the essence of Smilin’ Stan? Nuff said – here’s the list!

10. The shoeshine man (Agent Carter, 2015)

Some of the best Stan Lee cameos are the ones you least expect, and this was no exception. Stan had already made a cameo on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but it had been hyped in promotions for weeks before. His appearance on Agent Carter, borrowing the sports section from Howard Carter (Dominic Cooper), was a delightful surprise.

9. Graduation day. (The Amazing Spider-Man 2, 2014)

I like my Stan Lee cameos to flirt with metafiction without calling attention to themselves, and this nod to Stan’s co-creation of Spider-Man fits the bill. “Hey, I think I know that guy!” It’s also got the nice implication that Stan Lee knows Spider-Man’s secret identity.

8. Wedding crasher. (Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, 2007)

No matter what you thought of Rise of the Silver Surfer (it happens to be one of the only Marvel films I don’t own), Stan’s cameo as himself is a high point for its faithful reproduction of a scene straight out of the comics – Fantastic Four Annual #3, to be precise – in which Smilin’ Stan and Jack “The King” Kirby were shut out of Reed and Sue’s nuptials. And you can’t say Stan’s invitation got lost in the mail – he played mailman Willie Lumpkin in Fantastic Four!

7. Look both ways. (Daredevil, 2003)

Matt Murdock met misfortunate crossing the street as a boy, but he saves Stan Lee from a similar fate in the unloved Ben Affleck Daredevil. You could almost imagine this being a panel from a classic issue of Daredevil, and it’s one of the earliest Stan Lee cameos I remember catching on my own.

6. Best cameo ever? (The Simpsons, 2002)

Stan Lee has cultivated a career on his personality, an amiable attitude of all-inclusivity, but his first appearance on The Simpsons did a satirical send-up of Stan’s psyche with friendly jabs at his Distinguished Competition and his attempts to transform into The Incredible Hulk. He didn’t manage to hulk out in the episode (but he would in the Lego Marvel videogame!), but his self-caricature captured our cameo hearts.

5. Vexed veteran. (Captain America: The First Avenger, 2011)

“I thought he’d be taller...!” Midway through the film, you may have thought you missed him, but Stan the Man is front and center, your Generalissimo on the silver screen. If only he’d been in Cap’s platoon – just imagine! Smilin’ Stan, the Howling Commando!

4. Excelsior! (Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2015)

Stan Lee has a few sayings for which he’s known – he got to say “Nuff said” in Spider-Man 3, but we had to wait until 2015 for his catchphrase “Excelsior!” to make its superhero movie debut in his own dulcet tones. And boy was it worth it – here he got to play one of Cap’s war buddies, imbibe a little Asgardian ale, and stumble off-screen with a hearty hat-tip to us True Believers.

3. He wears ’em front... (Big Hero 6, 2014)

Remember what I said about surprising cameos? We had no reason to expect a Stan Lee cameo in a Disney film, but our cockles were warmed when we saw his portrait in Fred’s home. And all the better for those of us who stayed after the credits, where we were regaled with a brief monologue about... well, Stan’s briefs.

2. The worthiest of them all. (Lego Avengers, 2016)

Before you revolt, true believers, take a look at the evidence – it’s a Stan Lee cameo that consists of all-new, all-different cameos! And it all culminates in the best cameo that never was, proof positive that Stan the Man is Stan the Worthy! (Stan Marvelson?) The very best part of all is that Stan cameos throughout the game until the point where you can play as Stan Lee!

1. Super security. (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 2014)

The greatest Stan Lee cameo of them all. I was so immersed in the film that I honestly didn’t think to look for Stan Lee, but right before the climax our Generalissimo appears as the custodian of Cap’s legacy... only to find it’s been swiped out from under his nose. “Oh man, I am so fired!”

With the #1 cameo being found in a Captain America film, what does this portend for Stan Lee’s appearance in Civil War? Sound off in the comments, true believers – what’s your favorite cameo? Keep it civil, and EXCELSIOR!