30. Shoeless Patient (Thor: The Dark World)
Marvel Comics are an ever-expanding collection of multiverses. Not only is there the MCU, but also the Ultimate Universe, the New Universe, the Marvel Zombie Universe, Earth-616, Earth-8311, and way too many more to list here. If Stan Lee’s cameos prove anything it is that they’re all connected. Yes, even the Sony and 20th Century Fox flicks. In the first Thor movie and The Avengers, Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) experienced just a taste of the universal possibilities, and it drove him completely mad. We meet him in the Thor sequel rambling on inside a mental care ward using Stan Lee’s shoe to prove a point. Smilin’ Stan is one of the few beings in existence who might actually understand Selvig’s predicament but that’s no reason he should wander around the hospital barefoot. – Brad Gullickson
29. Three Stooges Wedding Guest (The Princess Diaries 2)
Wait, what? Why is Stan Lee appearing in The Princess Diaries 2? No real answer other than his friendship with director Garry Marshall, and Lee’s desire to work. Lee makes an appearance at the royal wedding as a guest whose only command on the English language comes from his obsession with The Three Stooges. Funny? Debatable. Weird? You bet. Memorable? Definitely. – Brad Gullickson
28. Strip Club DJ (Deadpool)
Continuing in the Dirty Grandpa cameo shenanigan stylings of Iron Man 3, Stan Lee’s spot in Deadpool is certainly keeping in tone with the rest of the vulgar-minded movie. “Let’s give it up for Chastity!” Stan is just here to support the girls. – Brad Gullickson
27. Stan Lee (The Ambulance)
When I think about Stan Lee, New York City often springs to mind. That’s because the Big Apple provided the backdrop to some of the best superhero yarns to spring from his epic imagination. Additionally, when I think of maverick filmmaker Larry Cohen, NYC is also the first thing that pops into my head. So, a Lee cameo in a Cohen movie based in the city was always going to be a marriage made in heaven. In this one, Lee plays himself and appears in a couple of scenes to interact with a comic book artist (Eric Roberts). The rest of the movie revolves around a conspiracy involving Roberts, the object of his affection, and a scary ambulance. It’s a real gosh darn treat and one of the most rewatchable movies you’re ever likely to see. Lee’s cameos are merely sweet cherries that complete this delicious cake. – Kieran Fisher
26. Dispatcher (Yoga Hosers)
Back in the 90’s, Kevin Smith made some really funny comedies. Mallrats will always hold a special place in my heart for many reasons, one of which is the cameo by Lee (more on that later). That was a fun movie for him to be a part of and also one to be proud of. However, what makes Lee so awesome is that he was always down to appear in his friend’s movies, no matter how unflattering they were. You see, Yoga Hosers is trash and did absolutely nothing for anyone involved. But it’s entertaining trash and a fun experience in its own stupid way. For all its flaws, though, Lee still graced the screen as a 911 operator, listening to Smith and Johnny Depp’s daughters as they reported Nazi sausage men. He called Hitler a “nasty camper” and that’s something you can’t argue with. – Kieran Fisher
25. Smithsonian Security Guard (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
Stan, you had one job! After discovering that Hydra has been secretly operating within S.H.I.E.L.D. since he went into the ice, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is determined to overthrow the corrupt organization. To do that, he’s going to need his old duds and that means busting into the Smithsonian and retrieving them. As the night watchmen though, Stan Lee might have to resign for dereliction of duty. – Brad Gullickson
24. Stan Lee (Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer)
Call me crazy, but I think this movie is incredible. I am, however, alone in having this opinion so let’s save that thought for another day. Of course, with the Fantastic Four being one of Lee’s most iconic creations, you’d think he’d want nothing to do with a movie that most Marvel aficionados found insufferable. As we’ve established, though, Lee was The Man and not even bad movies could stop him from lending his talents. This is a brief cameo which saw him being turned away from a party because his name was not on the list. I’m sure most fans of the comics wished he hadn’t turned up to this party in the first place because it didn’t deserve him, but we should be glad he did. – Kieran Fisher
23. FedEx Driver (Captain America: Civil War)
Here’s what I love about this particular cameo: after having been mistaken as both Hugh Hefner and Larry King in Iron Man 1 and 2, Stan Lee’s FedEx delivery man finally gets his revenge in Captain America: Civil War by providing Rhodey (Don Cheadle) with the ultimate Tony Stark takedown insult – “Mr. Stank.” Burn. Now we can imagine a wide variety of offscreen scenarios in which War Machine refuses to let up on the joke, and the cosmic creature that is Stan Lee is forever satisfied in leveling the playing field. – Brad Gullickson
22. Thespian Stan Lee (Captain Marvel)
The first posthumous cameo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After dealing a crushing emotional blow by reworking the famous Marvel Studios logo into a beaming collage of Stan Lee’s many MCU appearances, the Captain Marvel filmmakers drop a mindblowing cameo from The Man himself. After Vers (Brie Larson) pursues a shapeshifting Skrull aboard an L.A. commuter train, she intensely searches the crowd of humanity within hoping to spot the faker amongst them. She passes Stan Lee with his nose deep into the pages of his Mallrats screenplay (more on that movie later). We hear Stan practicing one of his classic catchphrases, “Trust me, True Believer.” Vers pushes the screenplay away from his face, Stan offers a smile, and she returns a knowing nod. Um, so Stan is playing Stan preparing to play Stan in the Kevin Smith film in which his deep connection to the Marvel Universe aids in the romantic growth of Jason Lee’s character. Whoa. The space-time-continuum just shattered. Feel free to go deeper into this insanity by reading Susana Polo’s Polygon article exploring the paradox. – Brad Gullickson
21. Stan Lee (Teen Titans Go! To the Movies)
We’ve seen Stan Lee cameos that break the fourth wall before (see: Rise of the Silver Surfer), but none take a sledgehammer to it quite like his animated appearance in this summer’s Teen Titans Go! To the Movies. This is one of the funniest gags on the list, one that pokes fun at the very nature of Stan’s cameos and where he just sounds like he’s having an absolute blast. Stan shows up in the background when Teen Titans arrive at a studio lot, declaring that it’s time for his “subtle cameo” as his name shows up in lights, striking some iconic Marvel poses. Then some poor assistant has to tell him that, much to Stan’s horror, he’s in a DC movie! He makes a run for it, returning later in the movie interrupting a chase scene to reveal that he’s something of a cameo junkie. We know Stan, we know. – Hayden Cornmell
