Worst2First: My Top Ten Stan Lee Cameos in Marvel Films

Worst2First: 

My Top Ten Stan Lee Cameos in Marvel Films

Stan Lee served as the editor-in-chief for Marvel Comics, and later as a publisher and chairman for the company, as well as helped create iconic characters such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, Thor, Doctor Strange, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and countless other superheroes.  He appeared in every Marvel film in a series of unforgettable cameos, and every time he appeared on screen, the audience in the theater would go wild.

On November 12, 2018, at the age of 95, Stan Lee passed away, and the world lost one of its most influential literary visionaries.  In honor of his insurmountable legacy, I've made a list of my personal top ten cameos Stan Lee made in Marvel films.

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**

#10

 Doctor Strange

The mystical arts aspect of the Marvel Universe falls into the hands of the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange.  In his first solo film, during a particular battle where the world he fights in is continually warped, he lands on the side of a bus where Lee's character is reading Aldous Huxley's "The Doors of Perception," which is an intellectual humor jab at the film, since it deals with perceptions of reality.

#9

Hulk

In Ang Lee's 2003 "Hulk," Stan Lee plays a security guard who's seen walking out of the building with a fellow security guard, played by Lou Ferrigno.  Not only is it funny to see the muscle-bound Ferrigno walking next to the elderly Lee, but also because Ferrigno played the Hulk in the original television series.

#8

Deadpool

In a humorously naughty sequence, Lee plays a strip club announcer in the R-rated "Deadpool" film, and it's just funny seeing the wholesome grandpa in such a naughty place.

#7

Avengers: Age of Ultron

When Thor advertises an Asgardian brew that's not for human consumption, Lee - playing a WWII vet - tells him that neither was Omaha Beach, and demands to try it.  Seconds later he's escorted from the Avengers tower in an obviously drunken state, muttering his now-iconic line, "Excelsior!"

#6

Thor: Ragnarok

Maybe as a way to get back at Thor for that heavy drink he had in "Ultron," here Lee plays an alien who's tasked with cutting off Thor's majestic hair - but needless to say the tools he uses seems more appropriate for torture than a trim.

#5

The Amazing Spider-Man

As he's rocking out to classical music on his oversized headphones, librarian Stan Lee doesn't even notice the huge fight going on behind him between Spider-Man and the Lizard.  Fortunately he had Spider-Man to protect him, otherwise he would've been hit by that thrown desk!

#4

Captain America: Civil War

Playing a FedEx delivery guy, Lee relishes in making fun of Tony Stark by calling him Tony Stank, something he later references in another cameo appearance.  After a hefty battle and large emotional toll, this was just the comedic relief we needed at just the right time.

#3

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

What sets this cameo apart from the others is the notion that Lee's cameos aren't just fun little Easter eggs, but rather as a way for Lee to be an observer of everything happening in the Marvel world.  Here he's reporting to the Watchers - a group of beings who exist in the Marvel world who simply watch things unfold but never interfere - the stories he garnered from his time on Earth, including being a FedEx delivery guy.  It's also hilarious because they leave him on the planet, with no way to get back home.

#2

Spider-Man 3

 Even more touching now, Stan Lee tells Peter Parker, "I guess one person can make a difference.  Enough said."  Enough said indeed Mr. Lee, as you made a difference in millions of peoples' lives.

#1

X-Men: Apocalypse

In his most poignant cameo, Lee doesn't even say a word.  After Apocalypse launches all the world's nuclear weapons, Lee and his wife (his real-life wife Joan, who passed away also at the age of 95 in 2017) look on helplessly as they fear the world will end.  If there's any comfort there is, it's knowing that now they're reunited on the other side.

Here's all of Stan Lee's cameos for you to enjoy.  Excelsior, good sir.