The Best Stan Lee Cameo, According To Stan Lee

Whether the movie is made by Marvel Studios or somebody else, there’s one thing that you can be fairly certain you’ll see in any movie that includes a Marvel hero, the guy who’s credited with creating most of them, Stan Lee. Lee has made a cameo appearance in every Marvel Studios film, and most of the others, ever since the very first X-Men movie in 2000. Now, the man behind Marvel has opened up about which of his many appearances was his favorite.

Speaking over the weekend at Silicon Valley Comic-Con the master of Marvel, who has done more crossovers in the movies than any of the Avengers, was asked about his favorite movie cameo. While most of us probably have his strip club DJ for the most recent Deadpool in our heads, according to Comicbook.com, Lee said his favorite was actually his appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron where he had an opportunity to have a drinking contest with Thor. One which he lost very badly.

It’s not surprising that the Avengers: Age of Ultron cameo is Stan Lee’s favorite. It’s one of the funnier moments that we’ve seen from him throughout his cameo film career. While often Lee’s moment on screen is simply one that’s there for the fans to recognize, in Ultron Lee actually had a chance to be funny, and he was. It’s also the first time he got to spout his own personal catchphrase, "Excelsior!" Check out the scene below.

Over the past 16 years Stan Lee has appeared in nearly every movie based on Marvel Comics characters. The only exception was last summer’s attempt to reboot the Fantastic Four. Lee, for his part, says his lack of cameo was one of the reasons the film did not do well. At the beginning, Lee’s appearance never even had lines. He would just show up on screen, often as a hapless bystander. In The Incredible Hulk he’s actually credited as "Hapless Citizen," as he consumes a soda that’s been infected with Bruce Banner’s blood and, we assume, dies horribly. In recent years, as with Avengers: Age of Ultron or Deadpool, he’s actually given lines, which make his roles a bit more engaging.

Do you have a favorite Stan Lee cameo? Any predictions as to how we’ll see him in Captain America: Civil War? Let us know what you think below. 

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.