Stan Lee, the face of Marvel Comics, passed away Monday. He was 95, and one of the most influential figures in the history of the comic book industry. Lee started at Marvel (then Timely Comics) as a teen in 1939. He co-created Fantastic Four, Marvel's first superhero team, in 1961. With the help of Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby and a close team of writers and artists, Lee helped the brand evolve into the entertainment conglomerate it is today.
Lee wasn't only creatively involved in nearly every nook and cranny of Marvel's comic book universe, he was there to celebrate the very beginning of what is now known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or simply MCU. That landmark moment was his appearance in 2008's Iron Man, though he perfected the art of the cameo long before that.
Lee's live-action cameo debut was in 1989's The Trial of the Incredible Hulk. He played a horrified member of the jury during Huk's trial, and the appearances became tradition. Lee has over 42 live-action Marvel cameos. That number grows, by a lot, if you include video games, animated universes, and all the poster references from Marvel's Netflix shows.
Lee's most recent was in November's Venom, where he played a neighborhood man walking his dog. "Don't give up on her, either of you" he tells Tom Hardy's Eddie. And Venom will not be Lee's last. Director Joe Russo confirmed Lee filmed his cameo for Avengers 4 at the same time as Ant-Man 2. That means it's also safe to assume Lee filmed the Captain Marvel cameo, which arrives in theaters before Avengers 4 on March, 8.
"So, Stan, typically we try to get him out — he doesn't love to fly — so we try to get him out for his cameos around the same time," Russo said (via BBC). "So if we have other movies shooting on the same lot that we're on, for instance Ant-Man 2 or Avengers 4, we group his cameos together and then move him from one set to the next and kind of get him through his cameos in one day."
It remains unclear if Lee filmed something for Into the Spider-verse, which arrives in theaters Dec. 14, the Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel which arrives in July, or Dark Phoenix in June. Lee has also appeared in live-action shows such as Agents of SHIELD, Runaways and Cloak and Dagger and The Gifted, all of which are ongoing. So while only two more cameos are confirmed, it's possible Captain Marvel and Avengers 4 won't be the last.
In remembrance of Lee, take a look back at all his cameos over the years (Infinity War, Venom and Ant-Man 2 not available yet):
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