Stan Lee has died. The legendary comic book artist passed away on Monday afternoon at the age of 95. While he is best known for being the co-creator of superheroes like Spider-Man and Captain America, Lee has also become known for making cameos in every installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
With Lee’s passing, the MCU will never be the same. Fortunately, the studio made a habit of stockpiling Lee’s cameos ahead of time. On occasion, the studio would even have him film several at once so that it would be most convenient for him, which is what happened to work out with Avengers 4.
Stan Lee Had Already Filmed His ‘Avengers 4’ Cameo Before His Death
According to Joe Russo, who is directing the film with his brother Anthony, Stan Lee shot his Avengers 4 cameo at the same time he shot Avengers: Infinity War and Ant-Man & the Wasp cameos.
“So, Stan, typically we try to get him out — he doesn’t love to fly — so we try to get him out for his cameos around the same time,” Russo told CBR. “So if we have other movies shooting on the same lot that we’re on, for instance Ant-Man 2 or Avengers 4, we group his cameos together and then move him from one set to the next and kind of get him through his cameos in one day.”
Lee Filmed It In Conjuction With His ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Cameo
Lee has made cameos in every MCU film to date, as well as other Marvel-related properties like the X-Men series and Deadpool. In an interview with Marvel HQ, he revealed that his favorite cameo was the one he shot for 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. “Well, I think the cameo that’s my favorite is the one I did [with] Thor,” he revealed. “I’m standing in a bar with him and he’s drinking this Asgardian drink, which is very powerful, and I ask for a sip and he says, ‘No, it would kill you,’ and I insist. And he gives me a sip and then in the next scene, they’re carrying me out.”
The cameo features Lee saying his trademark catchphrase “Excelsior!” He went on to add that the cameo was also his longest in terms of screen time. “Now you’re saying to yourself, ‘Why is this Stan’s favorite cameo?’ and you haven’t thought of the real reason,” he said. “It’s the only one I did that has two scenes. So I’m hoping it does well. Next time, they’ll give me three scenes. You never know where it’ll end.”
Marvel Has Yet to Confirm Whether Lee Will Cameo In ‘Captain Marvel’
Given that Captain Marvel arrives in theaters before Avengers 4, many assume that Lee has already filmed his cameo for that film as well. Earlier this year, a Reddit theory went viral that suggested the filmmakers should de-age Lee to make him look younger, as Captain Marvel will be set in the 1990s.
It’s possible that Marvel will do just that, perhaps much in the way that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story brought back the late actors Peter Cushing and Carrie Fischer via CGI. Syfy reports that the Marvel co-creator may have done his bit for Captain Marvel at the same time as the aforementioned cameos, but Marvel Studios has yet to confirm this.
