By this point in the game, Stan Lee has effectively been crowned the master of Hollywood cameos. Throughout the course of the Marvel Cinematic Universe alone, the comic book legend has played Hugh Hefner, a Xandarian Ladies’ Man, and a postage delivery man who has trouble reading the words “Tony Stark,” and that’s before we begin to factor in those blink-and-you’ll-miss-them appearances in Fox’s superhero universe. For what it’s worth, Lee is also now set to cameo in upcoming X-Men drama The Gifted when it premieres later this fall.
But long before Bryan Singer and Matt Nix introduce TV viewers to the most dysfunctional of dysfunctional families, Spider-Man: Homecoming presents an opportunity for another Stan Lee cameo and sure enough, ahead of the film’s long-anticipated launch next month, Marvel has rolled out the latest promo for Jon Watts’ reboot in which Peter Parker is sent off on an errand run in the middle of an NBA game, much to the entertainment of Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan.
A quick scoot over to the local donut store is rudely interrupted by some thugs, though, and just as Tom Holland’s Web-Head leaps in to save the day, the camera cuts to Stan Lee exclaiming, “I think I know that guy!” It’s a tongue-in-cheek nod to fans that will no doubt evoke memories of Lee’s brief cameo in THAT Deadpool 2 teaser, wherein Ryan Reynolds’ Merc With a Mouth broke the fourth wall in typically flippant fashion to hurl some light-hearted abuse at the comic book giant.
Spider-Man: Homecoming will make a beeline for theaters on July 7th, and it seems Tom Holland owes Chris Hemsworth a debt of gratitude for helping him land the part of Spidey in the first place.
