MCU: Every Stan Lee Cameo Ranked From Worst To Best

To be the man, you've gotta cameo like the man.

By Duncan Forbes /

There are certain things that you come to expect with a Marvel Cinematic Universe film: snappy dialogue, a bombastic action sequence during the climax, at least one tantalising teaser scene after the credits, and of course, the obligatory Stan Lee cameo.

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The brief appearances by the legendary comic writer have become a Marvel hallmark, in the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and those outside it (who could forget his cameos in Deadpool or The Amazing Spider-Man?) So important are they that they've developed a cult of their own.

Fans had even begun to speculate whether the cameos were legitimately meaningful. Was Stan playing the same character in every film? Was he actually Uatu the Watcher? So prevalent were these theories that James Gunn finally answered them in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, offering a unifying tease explaining how so many characters look the same in the universe.

Some of his cameos have been blink-and-you'll-miss-it brief, and others have been a bit more weighty, but which is the best?

15. Iron Man 2

The Cameo: Tony Stark meets Stan after his Stark Expo appearance, mistaking him for Larry King.

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Stan's cameo in Iron Man 2 is basically a rehash of his cameo in the first Iron Man movie. Once again, Tony passes him in a crowd, and once again, mistakes him for a different white-haired celebrity.

The gag was pretty good the first time around, but is definitely less funny in its second appearance. It's also even briefer: Stan is probably on screen for three seconds.

This was pretty much only there to tick a box.

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