After two dozen movies, Marvel fans are primed to spot any easter egg that’s slipped on screen, no matter how well hidden it may be. And they’ve done it again with the latest episode of WandaVision, with eagle-eyed viewers discovering a sneaky reference to the late, great Stan Lee, co-creator of the Scarlet Witch.
The ever-changing opening sequences of the Disney Plus hit have been a highlight of each outing, as the series jumps forward to a new style of sitcom every week. In episode 7, “Breaking the Fourth Wall,” WandaVision echoes mockumentary comedies like Modern Family, with the theme tune reminiscent of The Office. The simple sequence rapidly cuts between different types of signage reading “Wanda,” including a license plate.
It’s easy to miss, but above Wanda’s name, the plate reads “122822” and Marvel fans being who they are, it didn’t take them long to realize that this was a tip of the hat to Lee. You see, the string of numbers refers to the Marvel legend’s birth date – 12/28/22 AKA December 28th, 1922.
12/28/22….omg that's Stan Lee's birthday!!! 🥺😭❤️ #WandaVision pic.twitter.com/6c9Z1ZfDD0
— Shruti Rao (@shrutiraoart) February 19, 2021
From 2008-2019, Lee made a much-anticipated cameo appearance in every single MCU film, with his last one coming in Avengers: Endgame. We’ve actually only had two MCU releases since the big Phase 3 finale and while Spider-Man: Far From Home didn’t address Lee in any way, it’s nice to see WandaVision keeping his memory alive with a creative little easter egg like this one.
Of course, the show has been a real treat for comic book fans across the board, with episode 6 putting Wanda, Vision and Quicksilver in their classic costumes for the first time. Meanwhile, the latest outing of WandaVision also confirmed that a certain character is really a major player from the source material and the true villain of the series, something that’s blowing fans’ minds.
Don’t miss the penultimate installment when it debuts on Disney Plus next Friday.
