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regular-article-logo Monday, 06 May 2024

Stan Lee’s 100th birth anniversary: Top 10 cameos by the legendary comic book writer

Lee, the man behind iconic superheroes like Spider-Man and The Hulk, would have turned 100 on December 28

Smera Marcia Toppo Calcutta Published 29.12.22, 01:17 PM

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Legendary comic book writer Stan Lee, who created iconic superheroes like Spider-Man and The Hulk, became an important part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his smartly-timed cameos in some of the most successful superhero films of all time. Lee, who passed away on November 12, 2018, would have turned 100 on December 28 this year. As Marvel Studios and fans across the globe remember the visionary writer on his 100th birth anniversary, we take a look at 10 of his most memorable cameos that still stay with us.

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

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The 2007 Sam Raimi-directed Spider-Man 3 saw a fan-favourite moment of Stan Lee meeting Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man on the streets of New York. The short and sweet interaction saw Lee telling Maguire’s Peter Parker, “You know, I guess one person can make a difference”, and walking away. The appearance marked Lee’s third cameo in Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy.

Iron Man (2008)

The first of his many cameos in the MCU started with the 2008 Jon Favreau-directed Iron Man. The introductory film of Robert Downey Junior’s Iron Man saw Tony Stark mistake Lee for Hugh Hefner on a red carpet. The short cameo shows a confused Lee turn around after being patted on the back while being swarmed by ladies.

Thor (2011)

The 2011 Chris Hemsworth-starrer Thor marked Lee’s second appearance in an MCU film. The comic book writer appears as one of the multiple people gathered in the desert attempting to lift Thor’s hammer Mjolnir. While others attempt to lift the hammer by hand, Lee tries to pull it up with his truck, subsequently losing the back of it.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

The 2012 Andrew Garfield-starrer The Amazing Spider-Man sees Lee play a librarian at Midtown Science High School where Peter Parker attends classes. The hilarious scene shows an oblivious Lee blaring classical music in his headphones while Spider-Man and the Lizard are fighting right behind him. The entire sequence has bookshelves crashing on the floor and a table almost hitting Lee while he remains clueless to the fight behind him. He picks up his lunch bag and calmly walks out the door as the Lizard throws Spider-Man at a bookshelf.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

The Anthony Russo-Joe Russo-directed Captain America: Civil War saw Lee in the role of a FedEx delivery man. While delivering a package to Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), he mistakenly calls him Tony Stank to which Rhodes (Don Cheadle) replies, “Yes, this is Tony Stank”, adding to Tony’s annoyance.

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (2017)

One of the most crucial and longest Stan Lee cameos was seen in the Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 in which Lee turns out to be a Watcher informant surrounded by three Watchers (the alien race that oversees the universe). Lee informs them about his adventures, including being a FedEx delivery man. After the final credits, the movie shows the Watchers walking away from Lee as he says, “Aw, gee. I have so many more stories to tell!”

Thor: Ragnarok (2019)

Thor: Ragnarok, the third Thor movie, saw Lee playing the role of an amateur barber in the 2019 Taiki Waititi film. Servant to the Grandmaster of Sakaar (Jeff Goldblum), Lee is tasked with the job of cutting off Thor’s hair. A tied-up Thor (Chris Hemsworth) wiggles in his chair as Lee instructs him not to move and says, “My hands aren’t as steady as they used to be.” The hilarious scene shows the ‘Mighty’ Thor begging as Lee brings out his hair-cutting machine.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

The superhero team-up film of the year 2018 saw Lee play the role of Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) school bus driver. As Thanos’ henchmen land on Earth to obtain the Time Stone, the students in the bus try to look out the window while Peter escapes with the help of Ned. Lee gets annoyed at the students and says, “You never seen a spaceship before!”

Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018)

The sequel to Ant-Man (2015) saw Stan Lee in his last cameo that he lived to see. The comical scene shows Lee in the middle of a street in San Francisco during an action sequence, leading to his car getting caught in the crossfire and accidentally being zapped by a shrinking disc. As the car turns tiny, he says, “The ’60s were fun, but now I’m paying for it.”

Avengers: End Game (2019)

The 2019 Avengers: End Game saw Lee in his posthumous cameo after his death in 2018. The cameo has Lee as a ’70s rebel shouting “Make love, not war” at the soldier outside Camp Lehigh. This marked the end of Lee’s cameos that remain a signature element of the MCU films.

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