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Surprise cameo appearances have become the bread and butter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU has been chock-full of cameos since the franchise’s inception, from introducing major players in post-credits scenes to featuring A-list celebrities in hilarious bit parts. So today we are counting down the 25 best cameos the mega-franchise has to offer.
Before we begin, it’s essential to specify precisely what constitutes a cameo. For the sake of our list, cameos are brief appearances from a notable character or actor which do not extend for longer than a couple of scenes. Some surprise reveals, such as Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield returning to play variants of Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), have too much screen time to qualify, while others, like Gambit and Blade in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) have complete character arcs that disqualify them from this list. Make sense? Without further ado, here are our picks for the best cameos in the MCU’s storied history.
25. Captain America in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
One thing the MCU has excelled at for years is world-building. The Marvel Cinematic Universe feels lived in as you witness the impact of major events from other films crossing over into the disparate pockets of the MCU. A great example of this is Captain America’s PSA videos from Spider-Man: Homecoming. Wearing his often maligned suit from The Avengers (2012), Steve Rogers talks to the camera to teach America’s youth about essential values. Hannibal Buress’ Coach Wilson meanwhile mutters, “I’m pretty sure this guy’s a war criminal now, but whatever—I have to show these videos; it’s required by the state.”
These comments are in lieu of the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), which concludes with the Star-Spangled Man on the run and the Avengers disbanded. But the real joy of this cameo comes in the post-credits zinger where Cap unexpectedly returns in PSA format to teach viewers that they need to have… patience. After forcing us to sit through the credits and waiting for the usual teaser of the next movie, Marvel went surprisingly meta on this one, poking fun at their audiences’ expectations for an after-credits bombshell.
24. Eddie Brock/Venom in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Tom Hardy’s tenure as Eddie Brock/Venom has come to a supposed end with the release of Venom: The Last Dance (2024). The character’s legacy is a mixed one, mainly because Sony was never really able to crossover the symbiotic antihero into the MCU proper. However, the mid-credits scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home set up a potential Peter Parker storyline that propelled this cameo onto the list.
Venom leaves behind a small piece of his alien symbiote in the sequence, implying Tom Holland’s Spider-Man could don the iconic black suit in future outings. While unfulfilled cameo teases are generally a bore, Spidey returning for a fourth installment in the MCU and two upcoming Avengers films the latter being Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027, it would make sense for this incarnation of Peter Parker to go through the comics storyline last portrayed in live-action in Spider-Man 3 (2007). The black suit is a central component of the original comics Secret Wars run, after all, so Eddie Brock’s brief foray into the MCU could have significant implications for the saga moving forward—enough to make this more than just another road to nowhere.
23. David Hasselhoff in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
…or should we say “Zardu Hasselfrau?”
The ‘80s culture icon of Knight Rider (1982) fame makes a brief appearance during a pivotal moment in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. After Peter Quill discovers his father, Ego the Living Planet (Kurt Russell), put a tumor in his mother’s head. Quill reacts by immediately laser blasting the celestial being. In a fit of rage, Ego shapeshifts into David Hasselhoff, one of Star-Lord’s childhood heroes.
The cameo in of itself is a joke, and some may argue it undercuts the tension of the scene. However, Hasselhoff appears later in the film during the credits, singing the original mixtape track “Guardians Inferno.” The hilarious and catchy tune perfectly represents the tone of the Guardians movies. Additionally, Quill draws comparisons between his pseudo-adopted father, Yondu, and his memories of a childhood hero in Hasselhoff. Thus the Hoff’s appearance in the sequel is much more emotionally resident for those paying attention.
22. The Community Cast in The Russo Brothers’ Marvel Movies
When it was confirmed that Anthony and Joe Russo were tapped to direct Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), fans met the announcement skeptically. Before making their way into the MCU, the Russo Brothers were best known for directing over 30 episodes of the sitcom Community (2009), something seemingly far off from Marvel fare. It turns out that pessimism was not warranted, as The Winter Soldier and their subsequent three Marvel films, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019), are regarded as some of the best films the franchise has to offer.
The directing duo never forgot their roots, as they managed to sneak in several cameos for their former Community stars. This includes Danny Pudi as a technician in The Winter Soldier and Jim Rash as a slightly different college’s dean, this time M.I.T., in Civil War. Ken Jeong appears as the security guard at the self-storage facility who discovers Ant-Man in Endgame, while Yvette Nicole Brown is featured as a S.H.I.E.L.D. employee during the 1970s in the same film. Many other side characters from Community also appear throughout the MCU, and Donald Glover has a small part in Spider-Man: Homecoming. However, that was not a Russo Brothers wink and nudge.
21. Doctor Strange in Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Significant cameos from major players in the MCU have been the bread and butter of the franchise since the beginning. Marvel has loved peppering brief appearances of its flagship heroes throughout the series run, cementing its trademark interconnectivity between each film. Doctor Strange’s scene in Thor: Ragnarok is a perfect example of this.
When he took over the dwindling Thor franchise in 2017, Taika Waititi injected some much-needed life into it. The sequence featuring Stephen Strange and the God of Thunder is emblematic of the style Waititi brought to the MCU. While mostly fueled by gags, watching these two larger-than-life characters interact on screen was a treat for fans. The scene ends with a hilarious bit of Loki, the God of Mischief, exclaiming, “I have been falling for 30 minutes!” between two of Doctor Strange’s magic portals.
20. The Original Marvel Comics Guardians of the Galaxy in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
The Guardians of the Galaxy, who we’ve come to know and love in the MCU, weren’t the original team from Marvel Comics. Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, and company were introduced as the modern-day Guardians in the 2008 comic Annihilation: Conquest #6. The OG team, introduced on the page in 1969, featured characters such as Stakar Ogord, Aleta Ogord, Charlie-27, Martinex, and Yondu–the latter of which is the only character to officially make the roster in the MCU.
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, director James Gunn was able to sneak in a half-dozen cameos for the original comics team with a star-studded cast. This featured two of Gunn’s longtime collaborators, Sylvester Stallone and Michael Rosenbaum, as Stakar Ogord and Martinex, respectively. Pulp Fiction and Mission: Impossible star Ving Rhames brought his resonating voice and presence to Charlie-27, while pop star Miley Cyrus voiced Mainframe in an uncredited role. Finally, future Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh joined the squad as Aleta Ogord. While Yeoh’s GOTG character never returned, she later got a part in a different Marvel movie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). Despite not being the most recognizable Guardians to the casual viewer, seeing live-action interpretations of these characters was a delight to hardcore comics readers.
19. Matt Murdock/Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
If there is one thing Marvel fans can agree on, it’s that Charlie Cox as the Man Without Fear was perfect casting. The original Daredevil series, which ran on Netflix for three seasons, was embraced by viewers and critics alike. Sadly, the streaming series met an unceremonious end when Marvel announced their intentions to move their TV programming to Disney+. There is still even a cloud of uncertainty about whether or not the show is canon to the MCU at large, leading fans to give up hope we’d ever see this interpretation of Daredevil again.
Fast forward a few years, and the hype for Spider-Man: No Way Home is building. Every news outlet is speculating on the potential cameos in that film, ranging from Jamie Foxx as Electro to Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock/Venom. There were also loose reports that Charlie Cox would triumphantly return to the Marvel universe. And that he did. In an honest-to-goodness single-scene cameo, Matt Murdock appears as the “really good lawyer” Peter Parker needs to escape the pickle he’s in thanks to the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).
In the years following No Way Home, Cox has reprised his role twice, appearing in his yellow and red suit in the show She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and in his black suit during a fun action scene in Echo (2024). Next March, Daredevil will once again headline his own series, this time titled Daredevil: Born Again. We can’t wait to see what the MCU has in store for the character in the future.
18. The Asgardian Theater in Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World (2013) are two of the least popular films in the MCU. Despite the immaculate casting choices of Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston as brothers Thor and Loki, the individual films failed to grab audiences like other Marvel movies. Thor’s fortunes would change with the redirection of the franchise when Taika Waititi injected his infectious enthusiasm into Thor: Ragnarok. The Oscar-winning writer even developed a clever way to recap and poke fun at the events of the previous installments.
In a hysterical sequence early in the movie’s runtime, Odin (Loki in disguise) is watching a stage reenactment of the emotional moment of Loki’s “death” in Thor: The Dark World. The Asgardian actors playing the in-universe characters are composed of an impressive list of stars. Jurassic Park’s Sam Neill, who previously worked with Waititi on Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), plays Odin; Chris’s brother, Luke Hemsworth, steps into his sibling’s shoes as Thor; later Mythic Quest breakout Charlotte Nicdao is featured as Lady Sif, and finally, none other than Matt Damon gets a shot at the God of Mischief in one of the most unexpected celebrity appearances the MCU has to offer.
17. Howard the Duck in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
In 1986, Star Wars creator George Lucas produced the now-infamous comic book movie Howard the Duck. Released in an era where Marvel movies were mainly unheard of, Howard the Duck flopped at the box office and garnered negative attention, including four Razzie awards. The mainstream media quickly forgot the bipedal bird, and many fans were never aware he was even from a Marvel comic.
Fast-forward nearly 30 years to the release of Guardians of the Galaxy, the most obscure MCU movie yet. The ragtag group of heroes was composed of lesser-known Marvel characters such as Rocket Raccoon and Groot. Little did we know that James Gunn had even more inside baseball references in store. In the film’s after-credits scene, the Collector (Benicio del Toro to civilians) mulls over his destroyed archive of intergalactic artifacts. As Cosmo the Space Dog licks his face, a cameo in her own right, a graveling voice in the background begins to speak.
It’s Howard the Duck. Voiced nowadays by Family Guy star Seth Green. The funny moment in Guardians of the Galaxy ballooned into several cameos for the character throughout the MCU, including appearances in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 (2023), What If…? (2021), and even a brief glimpse of him during the final battle in Avengers: Endgame.
16. The Cavilrine in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
Anything is possible in the multiverse, but witnessing Superman actor Henry Cavill portray Wolverine wasn’t on many Marvel viewers’ bingo cards. In a shocking reveal early on in Deadpool & Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds’ Merc with a Mouth stumbles across the perfect specimen of a Logan variant to join him on his multiversal escapade.
A quick shot from behind reveals muscles akin to that of a Greek god, even bigger than the already-jacked Hugh Jackman. That’s because this Logan is played by former Superman star Henry Cavill, transitioning from one of DC Comics’ most iconic characters to one of Marvel’s very own. Nicknamed “The Cavilrine” by Deadpool himself, the way-too-tall Logan cocks his arms a la Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) and punches our hero right after Wade Wilson makes his usual meta joke poking fun at the rival studio’s mistreatment of the actor.
15. Captain America in Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Technically, this isn’t Steve Rogers; it’s Loki shapeshifting into the Marvel icon. However, this is one of the funniest bits the MCU has to offer, despite appearing in one of their least appealing movies.
The Asgardian trickster briefly transforms into Captain America while walking down a hallway with Thor. Chris Evans relished this part, portraying a caricatured version of America’s favorite boy scout, saying, “I can feel the righteousness surging… wanna have a rousing conversation about truth, honor, patriotism?”
14. The Falcon in Ant-Man (2015)
When Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson showed up in the first Ant-Man flick, it felt like an afterthought. With a reported budget of only $130 million, the smallest in the entire history of the MCU, Falcon felt like the best Avenger that Marvel could afford to throw into the film, not someone they desperately wanted to include. However, the fight scene between the two heroes wearing red might’ve actually saved the universe.
From a visual standpoint, a flying character battling a shrinking character inherently makes for a cool faceoff, and the sequence in Ant-Man delivered. What’s most important about this scene was establishing a connection between the two characters. Sam Wilson later refers Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, to Steve Rogers as part of Team Captain America during Civil War. With Scott in the loop with the Avengers, he later seeks their help in Endgame with the idea of building the universe-saving time machine using the quantum realm.
So, if it weren’t for a short skirmish between Ant-Man and the Falcon, Thanos might’ve won!
13. Hawkeye in Thor (2011)
Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, needed an introduction into the MCU before the Avengers assembled in 2012. That introduction ended up being a brief appearance in Thor. In a key moment of the film, and when the God of Thunder is at his lowest point, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson requests eyes to be up high on the Asgardian with a gun.
The camera pans over a nicely laid-out weapons rack with all the firearms a sniper could ask for, but the mysterious operative opts for a bow and arrow instead. Eagle-eyed, or should we say hawk-eyed, Marvel fans immediately knew what this meant: Clint Barton had arrived in the MCU. Hawkeye’s presence was immediately established in this world despite not uttering a single word, perfectly setting up the archer for his future MCU outings.
12. The Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
In the months leading up to the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the internet went into a frenzy trying to predict what potential multiversal cameos could appear in the Marvel sequel. Rumors of anyone from Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man to Ben Affleck’s Daredevil, or even Tom Cruise as Iron Man, were floating around. What we eventually got was the Illuminati on Earth-838. This council was made up of several different styles of cameo.
Members of the Illuminati included Maria Rambeau, taking over the mantle of Captain Marvel instead of Carol Danvers. Hayley Atwell’s Captain Carter, first introduced in the animated series What If…?, was brought to live-action for the first time wielding the vibranium shield. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds star Anson Mount reprised his role as Blackagar Boltagon, aka Black Bolt, King of the Inhumans. Mount previously portrayed the character in the short-lived 2017 TV series Inhumans, which Marvel Studios generally wants you to forget about.
The two highest profile cameos from this scene featured The Office breakout John Krasinski playing Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, a popular online fan-casting come to life. Finally, Patrick Stewart returned to the role of Charles Xavier/Professor X, this time in his iconic hovering yellow chair from X-Men: The Animated Series. While the novelty of these cameos were entertaining, the individuals didn’t last long, as every last one of them was brutally murdered by Wanda Maximoff. For some fans, and even some of the actors, that was a disappointment. But the cruel, mean-spirited humor in their deaths was classic Sam Raimi mischief.
11. Killmonger in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Director and actor pairings are nothing new. You have classic combinations like Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, Oscar-winning duos such as Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy, or newer collaborators like Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan. One grouping that’s flown under the radar in recent years is Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan. In fact, Jordan has appeared in all four of Coogler’s directorial efforts, with Sinners, their fifth film together, hitting theaters next year. Despite this, audiences were unsure whether or not Jordan would pop up in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Erik Killmonger, Jordan’s character in the first Black Panther (2018), is often regarded as one of the best villains in the entire MCU. The multifaceted cousin of King T’Challa proved a more than worthy adversary to the Black Panther but met his demise in the film’s final act. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is no stranger to character resurrections, but that wasn’t the case with Killmonger’s cameo in Wakanda Forever.
As is tradition with the incarnation of the new Black Panther, Princess Shuri (Letita Wright) took the ceremonial heart-shaped herb to gain the hero’s powers. This process transports her to the Ancestral Plane, the afterlife of the Wakandan people. In the original film, T’Challa talked to his late father, T’Chaka, in this domain. In Wakanda Forever, Shuri is surprised to see her cousin Killmonger there instead waiting to greet her. Their interaction is brief, but Jordan commands the screen once again, pushing the plot forward in unexpected ways.
10. Red Skull in Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
The final showdown from Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) between the titular character and his arch nemesis, the leader of Hydra Red Skull, concludes with the Nazi holding the tesseract in his hand and being teleported into space. Nobody knew what happened to the villainous character, and fans wouldn’t find out for another seven years.
Enter Avengers: Infinity War. Thanos is on his quest to collect all six of the Infinity Stones, taking him to the remote planet of Vormir. To obtain the Soul Stone, Thanos must sacrifice a soul he truly loves. Who is the protector of the Soul Stone? It’s none other than Red Skull, who has acquired a rather sinister black cloak since we last saw him nearly 75 years in the past of the MCU timeline. This cameo was quite a surprise to Marvel fans and helped to pay off a plotline established nearly a decade beforehand.
9. Tony Stark in The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The MCU debuted in the summer of 2008 with two separate movies. The first film, Iron Man, was a massive success credited with jumpstarting the beloved franchise—the second film, The Incredible Hulk, not so much. Lukewarm reception, mediocre box office returns, and the infamous recasting of Edward Norton as the titular character resulted in The Incredible Hulk feeling detached from the greater Marvel universe, sans one scene at the very end.
Just slightly over a month after Iron Man premiered, Marvel fans were treated to the first legitimate crossover in the MCU. Gen. Thunderbolt Ross is pictured drinking his troubles away after the events of the film when Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark walks into the bar. The two have a brief conversation, referencing the super soldier serum used to create Captain America and the “team” Iron Man is helping to assemble, which, of course, would become the Avengers four years later. While viewers had no idea what was in store at this point, the scene from The Incredible Hulk laid the groundwork for future MCU crossover and gave us the first recurring face of an actor from an ostensibly different franchise—and what a face too when he looks like Iron Man.
8. Wong vs. The Abomination in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a breath of fresh air for the MCU in the post-Endgame era. Similar to many films from Phase 1, Shang-Chi felt mostly detached from the rest of the world, setting up its own little pocket of the universe. However, Marvel wouldn’t let the movie get away with zero connections to other films, and the surprise cameos we got were bangers.
Our protagonist finds himself in an underground fighting ring where various Marvel characters have matches that spectators can gamble on. The first big fight we see features Wong from the Doctor Strange movies battling against the Abomination, returning to the MCU for the first time in over a decade since The Incredible Hulk. It’s a pairing no Marvel fan ever thought we’d see, and it set up some funny storylines in the Disney+ show, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
7. J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
With all the multiverse gobbledygook surrounding the MCU over the last few years, J.K. Simmons reprising his role as J. Jonah Jameson from the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy doesn’t seem like a massive shock. However, let’s not forget when Spider-Man: Far From Home was released.
In 2019, the MCU was fresh off Endgame, and the Multiverse Saga had yet to begin. When J. Jonah popped up on screen in the mid-credits of Far From Home, it was a genuine shock. Everyone figured the MCU would recast the part for their universe, but some actors are just too good to replace. The Oscar-winning Simmons is one of those, and the scene he’s featured in had massive implications for Peter Parker’s character moving forward in the MCU. Also by making him an Alex Jones-like internet influencer, as opposed to an actual journalist, somehow makes the character a lot scarier.
6. Nick Fury in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
About 99 percent of Captain America: The First Avenger is set during World War II, which doesn’t leave the door open for many surprise MCU appearances. However, the feature concludes with Steve Rogers waking up in present-day New York City. After not falling for S.H.I.E.L.D’s tricks to make him believe he’s still in the 1940s, Rogers rampages out of his hospital room into the streets of Times Square. There he is greeted by Nick Fury.
This was the final piece needed to bring the original team of Avengers together before their first crossover film in 2012. Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, Thor, and Hawkeye had already been established with a connection to S.H.I.E.L.D., and Captain America was the last component needed. The after-credits scene of The First Avenger was a trailer for The Avengers as well, beginning the hype train for the ambitious event film.
5. Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
There may be some debate as to whether or not this is technically a cameo per se because of Chris Evans’ screen time in the film, but his entire purpose in Deadpool & Wolverine builds to a fantastic punchline, so we’re counting it. Discovered in the backdrop of the Void, a hooded figure with a familiar voice communicates with our heroes. He drops down, does the recurring “superhero landing” joke from the other Deadpool films, and reveals himself as a bearded Chris Evans, looking like Captain America from Avengers: Infinity War. Shades of dark blue can be seen underneath his cloak, leading the viewer to immediately associate him with the Star-Spangled Man.
But in a classic bait-and-switch reveal, Evans does not assemble the Avengers. Instead he exclaims “flame on!” whilst his body is engulfed in fire. That’s right, he’s Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch from Fantastic Four (2005). While the mid-2000s Fantastic Four flicks were poorly received, Evans was always a bright spot, and it was entertaining as hell to watch him play against his usual Captain America type in a modern Marvel movie. Additionally, the final post-credits bit about his words for Cassandra Nova was the icing on the cake. His death, and how he was just asking for it, is one of the funniest moments in MCU history.
4. Thanos in The Avengers (2012)
The Avengers took the world by storm in May 2012. Breaking dozens of box office records, the crossover event film cemented the MCU as a force to be reckoned with for years to come. The comic book flick didn’t necessarily need a tease in the mid-credits; everyone would’ve left the theater satisfied regardless, but what Marvel gave us was nothing short of monumental.
A glance and a grin. That’s all it took to establish Thanos in the MCU. The mad titan’s intentions were palpable from a single expression: we all knew he meant business. It would take another six years to establish precisely what his intentions were for the universe, but boy, was it worth the wait, as Thanos has since become one of the most iconic comic book movie villains of the 21st century.
3. Everyone in Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Let it be known there could be an entirely separate list counting down the best cameos in Avengers: Endgame. Everyone and their mamma (literally, if you’re Thor) showed up in this movie. Audiences expected those who Thanos dusted to return in some way, shape, and form; nobody really believed they’d permanently kill off the likes of Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange. The more surprising cameos were the random characters from the history of the Infinity Saga showing up once again, despite several of them being deceased in-universe.
Some highlights include Tilda Swinton’s the Ancient One from Doctor Strange (2016), Robert Redford’s Alexander Pierce from Captain America: The Winter Soldier in his last onscreen role, and Rene Russo returning to the part of Friga, Thor’s mother, for the first time since Thor: The Dark World. But the cameos don’t stop there. Others include Ty Simpkins back as Harley, last seen in Iron Man 3 (2013), Natalie Portman returned as Jane Foster from the Thor films, perhaps leading to her return in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), and James D’Arcy as Edwin Jarvis, the first instance of a Marvel television character making the jump to the cinema. D’Arcy was first seen as Howard Stark’s butler Jarvis, the namesake of Tony Stark’s future AI, in the TV show Agent Carter.
Finally, we’d be remiss if we didn’t shout out recent Emmy-winner Hiroyuki Sanada’s role as Akihiko, a Yakuza boss in Tokyo who faces off against Hawkeye in a brilliant one-take shot action sequence.
2. Stan Lee in Every MCU Movie from Iron Man (2008) – Avengers: Endgame (2019)
One of the principal architects behind the Marvel Comics we all know and love, Stan Lee is a legend. With a larger-than-life personality, the late comic book writer was a perfect choice as a recurring cameo throughout the entirety of the MCU. Stan Lee’s Marvel movie appearances predate the MCU, with his first credit coming in the 1989 TV movie, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk.
Stan Lee’s crowning acting achievement, though, was appearing in the first 22 MCU films, starting with Iron Man and fittingly being sent off with Avengers: Endgame, the highest-grossing installment in the entire franchise. Some other notable Lee cameos include being mistaken for Larry King in Iron Man 2 (2010), a Smithsonian security guard who lets Steve Rogers steal his original Captain America suit in The Winter Soldier, and a FedEx delivery driver who refers to Iron Man as “Tony Stank” in Civil War. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Lee is pictured in a space suit talking to the Watchers, implying that all of his cameos throughout the MCU are somehow the same person.
Finally, Stan Lee’s various appearances are commemorated in the Marvel Studios fanfare in Captain Marvel (2019), the first MCU film released after his death. Anticipating Stan Lee’s latest cameo in the most recent Marvel flick became tradition for fans, and the universe hasn’t been the same without him.
1. Nick Fury in Iron Man (2008)
“I’m here to talk to you about the Avenger initiative.”
Those 10 words uttered by Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury started this whole shebang. Nobody thought anything like The Avengers was possible when Iron Man was released. Every Marvel movie before it was a standalone project with no crossover. All that changed when the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. popped up in the post-credits scene of Iron Man.
For starters, Samuel L. Jackson was a surprise cameo unto himself. Even if you didn’t understand the comic book implications of Nick Fury arriving onscreen, it was undeniably cool to see a Hollywood legend appear out of nowhere. In the early 2000s, Marvel Comics redesigned Nick Fury for their Ultimate alternate universe to look like the actor, so he was the perfect casting choice for the role. But of course, the most exciting part of this cameo was the words that came out of his mouth.
Little could we know that Nick Fury recruiting Iron Man would change the course of cinema forever, but he spelled everything out for us right then and there. Fury states, “You think you’re the only superhero in the world? Mr. Stark, you’ve become part of a bigger universe; you just don’t know it yet.” That line set up the entirety of the future of the MCU, which is why the first significant cameo in the franchise remains its greatest to date.
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