All eyes were on Marvel this past fall as the studio made the leap to the small screen with their first ‘event’ television series, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The show, which returns to ABC tonight for its first episode after a brief winter hiatus, premiered to huge ratings in late September, though recent episodes have shown a slightly worrying decrease in viewership. However, smaller ratings weren’t enough to deter ABC from ordering a full, 22-episode season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. last October. Now, we have confirmation that the series will get some added star-power in an upcoming episode, from none other than comic-book mogul Stan Lee.
Lee, who also serves as an executive producer on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., told THR that he will appear in “a big role.” His episode is expected to air on February 4, though that is subject to change.
The former president of Marvel is no stranger to appearing in films and series featuring heroes he once helped to create. Lee has had “a million cameos” over the years, he told THR. In the past decade, he’s appeared as Reed Richards’ mailman Willie Lumpkin in Fantastic Four, a librarian caught up in a fight between Spider-Man and the Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man, a beauty pageant judge in Iron Man 3, and many other bit characters in superhero blockbusters. On the small screen, he’s had memorable parts on CBS’s geeky smash hit The Big Bang Theory, NBC’s spy comedy Chuck and the internet-based comedy series The Guild. Additionally, Lee is a constant presence on animated comic-book series. He has lent his distinctive voice to multiple episodes of Disney XD’s Ultimate Spider-Man, Disney’s Phineas and Ferb and Cartoon Network’s The Super Hero Squad Show, amongst many others.
Lee is kicking off 2014 with his first starring role – in Hub Network’s animated movie Stan Lee’s Mighty 7, set to debut on February 1. The comic-book mogul will portray a fictionalized version of himself, who mentors a group of superheroes whilst detailing their exploits in a comic-book series.
As for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., it sounds like Lee’s role will be a lot more substantial than his usual cameos, but ABC will likely be keeping details under wraps until the episode’s air date.
Tell us, are you a fan of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? If so, are you excited to see Lee join the cast, even if only for a guest stint? Sound off in the comments section!
