Which Marvel hero has shown up in more movies than any of the Avengers or the X-Men? That’s right, it’s the one and only Stan Lee, who’s been a fixture of every Marvel production for the past two decades. Whether it’s released by Disney, Fox or Sony, Lee’s always welcome to appear for a cameo in the latest film based on the comics franchise that he helped build, and nearly every single time he pops in, it’s a treat for fans.
Once known primarily as the founding father of Spider-Man, Hulk, Doctor Strange, the Fantastic Four and so many other great Marvel characters, Lee’s now pretty much the king of cameos. From Captain America: Civil War and The Defenders to this year’s Avengers: Infinity War, not a Marvel movie – or TV show! – goes by without some cute nod to the all-around industry legend, be it in the form of a well-placed poster or actual appearance. And of course, Venom is no different.
True, the Tom Hardy-led film isn’t part of the MCU, but Eddie Brock is still a Marvel character and so, Stan Lee has once again stopped by for a cameo. It’s far from his best one, but here’s how ComicBook.com describes the scene (spoilers to follow).
So, after Venom defeats Riot in the final fight, the Symbiote seemingly gives his life to save Eddie. The movie then goes forward in time a bit to Eddie having a conversation with his ex-girlfriend, Anne. Like the audience, Anne believes that the Symbiote is gone, but he suddenly speaks in Eddie’s head, revealing that he’s actually alive. However, in an effort to keep his life afloat, Eddie has apparently decided to not tell Anne about his other.
Once Eddie gets up and leaves the conversation, he passes Stan Lee on the street, walking a dog. The old man laughs and tells Eddie, “I hope you two can work it out with her,” or something to that effect. Of course, this is just the movie making a joke that Stan Lee knows that Venom is alive and well, and living inside Eddie’s mind.
Like we mentioned before, this is just another example of comic book fan service, as there’s not a Marvel property goes by without Stan Lee turning up for a subtle and often hilarious appearance in some shape or form. For example, Avengers: Infinity War saw him play a school bus driver.
With 2019 set to bring with it a whole handful of films that hail from the House of Ideas, you can expect to see a lot of Mr. Lee over the next little while. But for now, you can catch him in Venom, which arrives in theaters on October 5th and is set to have a huge opening weekend.