Stan Lee almost made his first big screen cameo a full decade before ‘Iron Man’


Marvel Comics lost much of its history with the passing of Stan Lee in 2018. In his later years, he also became known for appearing in memorable cameos. Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were particularly used to seeing Lee appear on screen. But some fans may not know the movie that almost marked their first cameo for the Marvel movie.

Stan Lee poses with Spider-Man
Stan Lee poses with Spider-Man | Michel Boutefeu / Getty Images

Stan Lee was one of the greatest Marvel icons and the king of cameos

Lee is perhaps best known as the comic book writer behind Spider-Man. But he actually co-created countless Marvel heroes over the years. Lee was instrumental in bringing to life heroes like the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and Daredevil.

So it felt like a show of respect for his Marvel Comics work to lead to Lee’s regular cameos in the movies. After 2000’s X-Men went big, Marvel characters were all over the big screen. Spiderman, Recklessand Fantastic four They all hit theaters in the 2000s, and Lee appeared in each and every one.

When Iron Man The MCU began in 2008, Lee’s presence became even better known. In fact, fan theories began to form about how their cameos could fit into the overall story. AND Guardians of the galaxy vol. two He confirmed his role as a sort of supervisor of the Marvel movies.

RELATED: Stan Lee Had The Most ‘Depressing’ Job Before Becoming Marvel’s Real-Life Superhero

The Marvel icon almost made its first big-screen cameo in the 1990s.

In addition to finishing the MCU’s ‘Infinity Saga’, Avengers: EndgamIntroducing Lee’s latest big-screen cameo. Of course, fans will continue to come back and enjoy their dozens of previous cameos. But even Marvel’s most ardent devotees might not know which movie almost featured Lee’s first cameo.

In 1998, Lee almost made a surprise appearance in the R-rated Marvel Comics adaptation. Sword. The film features Wesley Snipes’ debut as the day vampire hunter and became a trilogy. And Lee almost showed up early as a police officer.

The cameo was reportedly filmed but edited from the final cut. In the film, Lee reportedly played one of the police officers who discovered Quinn’s charred body (Donal Logue) after a bloody vampire turned attack. As fun as it would have been to see Lee, it’s easy to see why the moment for walking was cut short.

RELATED: MCU Fans Think This Was Definitely Stan Lee’s Worst Cameo

I was making cameos long before Marvel started making movies

In the 1990s, Marvel sold the rights to the film to several major heroes. Thus, the initial explosion of adaptations of the Marvel movie from the early 2000s. But Lee didn’t wait until his creations hit theaters to start making cameos. Rather, he was already making surprise appearances in the late 1980s.

1989 television movie The judgment of the incredible Hulk – an extension of the 1970s The incredible Hulk series – features one of Lee’s first cameos. The MCU certainly wouldn’t be the same without him, but at least Lee lived to see his characters take over the world. “Excelsior” indeed.