The legendary comic book creator’s surprise appearances in Marvel superhero movies have sometimes been forgettable, but other times, hilarious
Every time a new Marvel movie comes out, the one thing hardcore fans can count on is a special cameo from comic book legend Stan Lee. Some have been fun surprises, while others have been underwhelming. With his next expected appearance in « X-Men Apocalypse » bringing the cameo count to 25, we’re ranking all his guest roles thus far.
29.) « Spiderman 2 » (2004) The bottom of this list consists of Lee’s « blink and you’ll miss it » cameos, but during the first fight between Spidey and Doc Ock, Lee sees enough screen time to pull a women out of harm’s way.
28.) « Spiderman » (2002)
Same here. Lee gets a freeze-frame shot during one of the big fight scenes in the Sam Raimi original. This was before Stan Lee cameos became a major part of the Marvel moviegoing experience, explaining why so little thought was put into them.
27.) Iron Man 3 (2013)
You can catch Lee for a split second as a beauty pageant judge in this film. Compared to some of the other recent Lee cameos, this one is extremely forgettable.
26.) « X-Men The Last Stand » (2006)
Lee appears in a flashback scene where Jean Grey demonstrates her powers. Another one of the more forgettable cameos, this one at least gives fans time to register who they’re looking at.
25.) « X-Men » (2000)
This was the first Marvel feature film to include Stan Lee, and as such was purely an easter egg for eagle-eyed fans. Lee can be seen for several seconds, but he’s not the focus of the shot as he is in later films.
24.) « Daredevil » (2003)
Here’s where the cameos start getting good. Lee gets saved from walking into traffic by a young Matthew Murdock, marking the first time Lee is used as part of a gag in a Marvel film.
23.) « Iron Man 2 » (2010)
This is another fleeting clip, but it ranks higher for portraying Lee as Larry King, complete with glasses and suspenders.
22.) « Fantastic Four » (2005)
The first film in which Lee talks with one of his creations portrays him this time as a mailman who extends Reed Richards a friendly greeting. Beyond that, there’s nothing too special about this appearance, but it demonstrates the pivot toward increased focus on these cameos.
21.) « Doctor Strange » (2016)
This quick cameo sees Lee reading Aldus Huxley’s « The Doors of Perception » and otherwise remaining completely oblivious to the otherworldly goings-on just outside his bus window.
20.) « X-Men: Apocalypse » (2016)
Lee appears with his wife, Joan Lee, pop up in « Apocalypse » as a couple watching as the world’s nuclear weapons are launched — although luckily, they’re being rendered useless in space. It was Joan’s final appearance on film before her death in 2017.
19.) « Captain America: The First Avenger » (2011)
Some films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe use Lee as the punchline for a gag scene. Here, Lee cameos as a military official at a White House press event that Cap no-shows.
18.) « Thor » (2011)
Here’s another gag scene in which Lee uses a truck to try to uproot Thor’s hammer from the crater in which it’s stuck.
17.) « Captain America: The Winter Soldier » (2014)
Lee plays a security guard at a museum where Cap’s suit is on display. Unfortunately for Stan’s job security, Steve Rogers needs it back.
16.) « Spider-Man: Homecoming » (2017)
Lee returns to New York to join in the neighborhood lecturing the Web-Slinger about a slightly botched attempt at heroism.
15.) « Ant-Man » (2015)
During Luis’ madcap story, Lee appears as a bartender. Hearing Michael Pena’s voice come out of Lee’s mouth is a great surprise gag.
14.) « Iron Man » (2008)
By the time « Iron Man » was released, Marvel knew its fans were on the lookout for the Stan cameo, so they put him in a smoking jacket, flanked him with some beautiful women and had him appear as Hugh Hefner.
13.) « The Avengers » (2012)
This is a bit of a cheat. The actual Lee cameo used was another quick shot that would have ranked low on this list, but the deleted cameo is too funny to exclude. As Cap struggles to adjust to life in the 21st century, Lee shows up to call him out on his obliviousness.
12.) « Thor: The Dark World » (2013)
Poor Dr. Selvig. After getting his brain scrambled by the Mind Stone in « The Avengers, » he’s left in a mental ward where he uses Stan Lee’s shoe to deliver a lecture about the convergence theory before an ambivalent audience.
11.) « Guardians of the Galaxy » (2014)
It’s already surreal to see Rocket Raccoon in a blockbuster. It’s even weirder to hear him voiced by an A-List actor like Bradley Cooper. But nothing is as weird as seeing Rocket ask Stan Lee from afar, « Where’s your wife, you old codger? »
10.) « Deadpool » (2016)
The raunchiest Marvel film deserves the raunchiest Stan Lee cameo. If you think it’s weird to see him guest star as a strip club DJ, remember that this is the guy who created « Stripperella. »
9.) « Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer » (2007)
In a rare cameo as himself, Stan Lee tries and fails to get into a wedding guarded by a skeptical bouncer.
8.) « The Amazing Spider-Man 2 » (2014)
During Gwen and Peter’s graduation, Lee spots Peter swapping his Spider-Man costume for a cap and gown. « I think I know that guy, » he exclaims.
7.) « Captain America: Civil War » (2016)
The movie’s greatest strength is its balance of comedy and drama. At the film’s close, Tony and Rhodey have an emotional moment together when Lee arrives to lighten the mood as a mailman looking for « Tony Stank. »
6.) « The Incredible Hulk » (2008)
Quentin Tarantino has been known to subject himself to some gruesome fates in his own films. Here Stan Lee gets a tough break as a poor sucker who accidentally gets gamma radiation poisoning from a contaminated soda.
5.) « The Amazing Spider-Man » (2012)
While the first two « Spider-Man » films saw Lee scrambling to get out of danger, the Andrew Garfield reboot made him completely oblivious to it.
4.) « Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 » (2017)
Seemingly confirming something Marvel fans have suspected for some time, Stan appears with the Watchers, the group of all-seeing cosmic beings who observe intelligent life in the universe.
