There wouldn’t be a Marvel universe without Stan Lee, so Marvel Studios has always repaid the massive debt it owes the legendary comic book creator by making sure to feature him in every single one of their 19 movies to date. Over the past decade, Lee’s been everything from a Hugh Hefner lookalike (Iron Man) to a school bus driver (Avengers: Infinity War). But what’s his favorite of his many cameos in the MCU?
In an interview with Star Wars hero Mark Hamill that’s sure to please geeks everywhere, Lee revealed to Marvel HQ that his personal choice for best MCU cameo is actually Avengers: Age of Ultron. Though it might not be the most showy of his roles, Lee points out a very good reason for why he enjoyed it so much.
“Well, I think the cameo that’s my favorite is the one I did [with] Thor,” Lee confessed to Marvel HQ. “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. Now you’re saying to yourself, ‘Why is this Stan’s favorite cameo?’ and you haven’t thought of the real reason. 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.”
We see what Stan means. Though truth be told, there’s a more recent one that featured him in two separate scenes as well. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 saw Lee in space, chatting to a bunch of Watchers and this sequence was then reprised in the end credits of the movie. Perhaps he only counts it as one though as he filmed both scenes in one take.
Many fans might actually plump for Vol. 2‘s cameo as Lee’s best since it was the first to confirm a long-running theory: that all of his roles have him playing the same character. While talking to the disinterested Watchers, Lee regales them with a tale about how he used to be a FedEx man, referencing his cameo in Captain America: Civil War.
Exactly what this means for his character is unclear, but it seems he’s some sort of immortal individual tasked to look after Earth’s Mightiest Heroes by the Watchers. Perhaps we’ll find out more in Avengers 4? Time will tell.