34. Big Hero 6 (2014) - A rather unexpected animated cameo which reminds people, "Oh yeah, this is a Marvel property, huh?" It is, I guess. A cameo that's a bit forced.
33. Spider-Man 2 (2004) - Blink and you miss him. He looks at debris fall from the sky. Pretty much exactly the same as his original Spider-Man cameo, but less interesting and shorter.
32. Daredevil (2003) - This is simply an awful film, so I can't rank it that high. In a childhood flashback to lil' kid Daredevil, a bus passes by and after it's gone we can see Stan Lee reading a newspaper. By the time this one happened, Stan Lee cameos in Marvel films were now definitely "a thing." Still, at this stage they're just throwing him in the background and seeing if people notice. The full potential of the Stan Lee cameo hasn't been realized.
31. Iron Man 3 (2013) - On a TV set, Stan Lee gives an exited and horny perfect 10 to a lady in a beauty pageant. The weakest of the Iron Man franchise Stan Lee cameos.
30. X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) - After missing tons of the X-Men films after the "soft reboot" of the series brought forward by the new First Class/Days of Future Past timeline, Stan Lee returns (with his wife of 70 years, Joan) in a silent cameo as they watch missiles rise high in the sky to obliterate the Earth.
29. Spider-Man (2002) - As the Green Goblin is blowing shit up in New York, Stan Lee pulls a little girl to safety to protect her from debris. Cool, I suppose. One of the early nod-and-wink-style cameos where he still never says anything.
28. X-Men (2000) - Stan Lee is in the background with a beach cart as Senator Kelly comes out of the water as a mutant. Stan is super noticeable, despite lacking any lines. Many credit this as being the "first" Stan Lee film cameo that set the stage for others. I mean, I guess... sort of. I'll still give credit to the Mallrats appearance as being what really kicked off this whole thing. It was better and more meaningful than this one though, and it predated this one by 5 years. Although I'll give credit to where it is due - this is the first time a Marvel movie (aside from a 1980s Hulk TV movie, which is not counted in this list) where Stan Lee does a cameo. So it deserves some credit for setting the stage for what would come.
27. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) - After skipping X2: X-Men United, Lee returns for the final (and most awful) part of the original X-Men trilogy. In the hideously de-aged scenes with younger versions of Professor X, Magneto and Jean Grey, Jean shows off her powers by making cars float and fucking with Stan Lee as he tries to water with his garden hose. This one is sort of cute, but now Stan has reverted back to the silent cameo role after having (for a while) been given some speaking roles.
26. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) - During a graduation ceremony when Peter Parker's name is called, audience member Stan Lee shouts, "I think I know that guy!"
25. The Incredible Hulk (2008) - Stan Lee cameos as a random man who drinks the Brazilian soda tainted with Bruce Banner's blood. Although it's a short cameo, it's actually pretty relevant to the plot - as it helps Thunderbolt Ross track down Bruce.
24. Doctor Strange (2016) - Stan Lee laughs on a bus while reading Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception, once again oblivious to a superhero fight happening just inches away (and Dr. Strange getting his face smashed into Stan's window). Still, this joke had been used before in The Amazing Spider-Man (see below). So, although funny, it still lacked a little in originality. Although the CG here was much better.
23. Iron Man (2008) - The Marvel Cinematic Universe begins FOR REALS NOW!!! And what better way to kick it off than to have Stan Lee play Hugh Hefner (with velvet jacket and pipe). It was freaking awesome. I mean technically he could also be playing someone mistakenly identified by Tony Stark as Hugh Hefner. But I think it's just better if he's actually Hef. The Iron Man 2 cameo two years later helps to solidify that theory in my head, and he plays another real-world person there.
22. Iron Man 2 (2010) - Stan Lee cameos again playing someone other than Stan Lee. This time, he's got on the suspenders and is supposed to be Larry King. These Iron Man Stan Lee cameos are GREAT and finally the turning point where Stan Lee cameos switch from being "hey, check that guy out in the background, it's Stan Lee!" to genuinely funny moments.
21. Fantastic Four (2005) - Another early speaking role for Stan! Lee is a mailman who gives Dr. Richards some mail. Totally random nobody character? Not quite! The mailman is actually Willie Lumpkin, an actual character from the comics. Yeah, mailmen used to be important enough to get comic characters dedicated to them.
20. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) - Rebooting the Spider-Man franchise after emo Spider-Man 3 didn't stop Stan from doing cameos. This one features a pretty funny scene with Stan as a librarian listening to music while being oblivious to Spider-Man getting into a huge fight behind him and wrecking everything.
19. Black Panther (2018) - When T'Challa and crew show up at a Busan casino to track down Ulysses Klaue, a high roller gambler (Stan Lee) promises to watch the money. Of course you know Stan is going to run off with that shit!
18. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) - They announce Captain America is coming out on stage to do more of that showman nonsense (rather than using him as a real soldier), and the Cap has finally had enough of that and no-shows, as he's off to punch Hitler in the face FOR REALS. When a short man comes out to announce that the Cap ain't coming, Stan Lee (playing a general in the audience) says, "I thought he'd be taller."
17. Ant-Man (2016) - Stan Lee is a bartender, narrated by Michael Peña, who calls a lady "Crazy Stupid Fine."
16. The Avengers (2012) - Stan Lee is an old man playing chess and interviewed by the news. He doesn't seem to believe that Super Heroes in New York is a thing. Oh, you!
15. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - Stan Lee is Peter Parker's bus driver when a spaceship appears over New York, promising destruction and death. As all the kids freak out, Stan Lee nonchalantly is like, "Haven't you kids ever seen a spaceship before?" Ah, it's a great sentiment by this time in the Marvel Universe... because... yeah... this has happened a million times by now, hasn't it? He's a lot less skeptical than he was in 2012.
14. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) - As Spider-Man accidentally assaults a thief who's not really a thief, Stan Lee (named "Gary") watches from outside a window and shouts, "Don't make me come down there, you young punk!" A lady in a window across the way notices Stan/Gary, and the two then start old people flirting.
13. Thor (2011) - Stan Lee is a truck diver whose truck is totally wrecked when he tries to use it to pull away Mjolnir. Good stuff!
12. Thor: The Dark World (2013) - Stan Lee is a patient in a mental ward with the now batshit crazy Dr. Selvig. Stan just wants his damn shoe back!!!
11. Hulk (2003) - This is a pretty awesome cameo because it's a double cameo. First off all, it's the first time in a comic book movie where Stan Lee actually gets some lines (points for that!). He's a security guard walking out of a building and talking about how security needs to be beefed up. Who is he talking to? Another security guard, played by TV Hulk, Lou Ferrigno! Niiiiice. Perhaps the only good thing about this movie (other than getting to see Jennifer Connelly's hot self).
10. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) - At Susan and Reed's wedding, Stan Lee is rejected as a guest. His name? Stan Lee. This is cute and funny, I suppose. But within the continuity... I don't get this. The bouncer who kicks him out acts as if Stan Lee is a super famous guy and doesn't believe that Stan Lee is Stan Lee. But who exactly is Stan Lee within this cinematic continuity?
9. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) - This one was absolute fan service and a meta-joke. People were jokingly looking for an in-universe explanation for how Stan Lee keeps appearing in different films and playing different roles. A popular fan theory was that Stan was actually just one guy - a Watcher (a race of extraterrestrials who watch over the time and space)... specifically, Uatu the Watcher. In a post-credits scene, Stan Lee appears in space with a bunch of Watchers and directly references his roles in other films (e.g. being a FedEx guy), thus confirming the fan theory.
8. Deadpool (2016) - Stan Lee is the DJ an announcer at a strip club. Totally jarring and unexpected place for a Stan Lee cameo, and that's why it's so great!
7. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) - As Thor is trying to point out how manly his Asgardian hooch is (not made for mortal man), Stan Lee is an old WW2 vet who calls out his BS and demands some of that sweet, sweet alcohol. Cut to later, and the drunk old man is mumbling "Excelsior!" FINALLY! AN EXCELSIOR REFERENCE!!!!
6. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) - As Rocket Racoon is using his scanner to scout out people in the crowd on Xandar, he spots (and makes fun of) a dirty old man (Stan Lee) chatting up a young lady. Absolutely hilarious for Rocket's amazing narration. WHERE'S YOUR WIFE, OLD MAN?! This is funny enough to be the highest ranking cameo where Stan himself has no dialogue.
5. Thor: Ragnarok (2017) - In this amazingly hilarious movie, Stan has an amazingly hilarious cameo as the shaky-handed guy who cuts Thor's hair. Thor defiantly tells him not to cut his hair, before backing down and begging.
4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) - Stan Lee is back to being a security guard again. This time at the Smithsonian, where the old Captain America uniform was on exhibit. Only now it's been stolen so the Cap can go out and kick butt, old school style. Stan knows that the missing uniform means that he is "so fired." Way to ruin this old man's life, Cap!
3. Spider-Man 3 (2007) - As Peter Parker sees that Spider-Man is to receive the key to the city, random man on the street (Stan Lee) reminds Peter that one man can make a difference. D'awwwwww. *tears up*
2. Captain America: Civil War (2016) - Stan is a FedEx delivery man who calls Tony Stark "Tony Stank," and Rhodie is absolutely in love with it. This is another FANTASTIC Stan Lee cameo, and one of the best!
1. Mallrats (1995) - Brodie (Jason Lee) meets Stan Lee at the mall and is given sage relationship advice. This was really the first Stan Lee film cameo that made Stan Lee film cameos a thing. Mallrats was a low-budget film by a then-nobody named Kevin Smith. It was a film by a comic book nerd and for comic book nerds and Stan Lee's appearance was weird, fantastic, ludicrous, ham-handed, and completely appropriate. This was a great cameo!
No comments:
Post a Comment