7/6/2008 - Stan Lee Cameos

There's a reason why Stan Lee's nickname is "The Man"... and that's because he is. In 1962, with the collaboration of great artists like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, Stan created the Marvel Universe that included the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Iron Man, the Avengers, and the X-Men. He did this in only a span of about 2 years! Think about it... any comic book artist or writer would be lucky to come up with one hit superhero in their lifetime. Stan literally created an army of them... not just their names or their powers, but their entire origins and years of storylines as well!

I dare say that he has just as much imagination as J. K. Rowling, or even Shakespeare himself. Sure, comic books may be a less mature medium, but the mythologies Stan Lee helped shape are no less compelling. And think of it this way... it did not have to take 40 years for Hollywood and digital effects to catch up to Shakespeare or Rowling like it did for Stan. We are witnessing a Renaissance in movies that parallel the Renaissance in comic books that Stan initiated nearly 5 decades ago. Big name actors like Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Halle Berry, Tobey McGuire, Alfred Molian, Robert Downey Jr., Gweneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Edward Norton, Tim Roth, and William Hurt are starring in superhero movies not just to make a quick dollar... they have a genuine respect for the source material that really presents a modern mythology that is on par with those of the Greeks.

And there must be no higher honor for Stan than to have cameos in these Marvel movies. Besides X-Men 2, Stan has had cameos in all the movies that feature one of his creations. And that's not because he lobbies himself to be in the movie... it's because the filmmakers have such respect for the man that they want to pay tribute to him by making him a part of what he created. Plus, it's something cool for the fans as well, who have come to expect Stan in more fun and prominent cameos of the Marvel movies. So here, with the exception of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, are all of Stan's cameos: