Stan Lee’s Many Appearances in TV and Movies

Comic book fans around the world are familiar with the legendary Marvel superheroes like Spider-Man, the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, and the X-Men, who have become household names thanks to the comics and films. Less well-known but just as important is the creative mind behind many of these characters: Stan Lee, along with artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, brought these figures to life, yet his life and work have remained largely in the shadows. The new documentary “Stan Lee” by director David Gelb, set to debut on June 10 at the Tribeca Festival in New York City, uses previously unreleased audio recordings, new and archival interviews, and film footage to tell Mr. Lee’s story. The film, which will be available on Disney+ on June 16, offers a fresh perspective on Mr. Lee, who was a constant presence in fans’ lives due to his writing, voice work, TV appearances and Marvel movie cameos. Here are some of his most notable screen appearances.

Cameo Appearances

Mr. Lee’s cameos in Marvel movies have become something of a trademark. He made his first cameo in the 2008 film “Iron Man,” which marked the start of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In “Iron Man,” he appears at a party and is mistaken for Hugh Hefner by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). One of his most heartfelt cameos can be found at the start of 2019’s “Captain Marvel,” which was released after his death in the previous year. As the “Marvel Studios” logo comes into focus, glimpses of comic book images and dialogue give way to clips of Mr. Lee as music swells. When the logo fades, only the words “Thank You Stan” remain. He later appeared in a more traditional cameo, filmed before his death, in which he portrayed himself reading a “Mallrats” script on a train as he meets Carol Danvers (Brie Larson).

Voices Carry

Mr. Lee’s voice and his catchphrase “Excelsior!” were familiar to fans worldwide. He lent his voice to numerous Spider-Man video games, and players could use “EEL NATS” (his name spelled backwards) to unlock levels.

He narrated a “Fantastic Four” radio series in 1975, providing the voice for the Human Torch. Bill Murray voice-acted the character’s battle cry “Flame on!”

In the final episode of “Spider-Man: The Animated Series” (1994-98), Spider-Man travels through the multiverse and encounters Mr. Lee. He swings him on spider-webs through the city before the appearance of Madame Web, played by Joan Lee, his wife, who passed away in 2017.

Distinguished Competition

Although his name is synonymous with Marvel, Mr. Lee also worked with rival DC Comics. From 2001-2002, he wrote a series of stories called “Just Imagine” in which he reinterpreted heroes such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. DC revisited these characters last year with new stories to mark his 100th birthday.

In the 2018 animated film “Teen Titans Go! To the Movies,” a cartoon version of Mr. Lee makes an appearance. In one scene, he dances, strikes action poses, and declares, “Hey everybody, look at me, doing my subtle cameo,” while “Stan Lee” logos appear on the screen. He even makes a return later in the movie and says, “I don’t care if it’s a DC movie — I love cameos!” It was an acknowledgement of his ability to poke fun at himself and make a cameo in a rival studio’s film.

Letters From the Editor

Mr. Lee wrote many stories but also had a direct line to readers through editorials in the back pages of Marvel Comics. “Stan’s Soapbox” columns, published between 1967 and 1980, provided him an outlet to ruminate on everything from the creative process to social issues. The author Brad Meltzer wrote in Mr. Lee’s obituary for Entertainment Weekly, “He gave an entire generation creeds to live by. Principles to emulate.” A collection of his editorials is available from the Hero Initiative, a charity that assists comic creators in need.

Birthday Suit

The Marvel Fumetti Book, released in 1983, was a comic book anthology that used black and white photographs by Eliot R. Brown to tell its stories. It offered behind-the-scenes glimpses of Marvel’s editors, who sometimes acted out plot points. In one story, Mr. Lee playfully admonishes the team for recent developments, including “Alcoholic Iron Men!” and the mohawk haircut for the X-Men’s Storm. “I’m not sure I like what I see!” he says. “Knock it off already!”

In the middle of the book, Mr. Lee is pictured in a parody centerfold, lying on a couch with a Hulk costume superimposed over him. However, the original photograph was more daring, featuring Mr. Lee in the nude with a strategically placed comic book.

Non Marvel Comics

In 2020, TidalWave Productions released “Tribute: Stan Lee,” a 30-page biography comic. It chronicles Mr. Lee’s career before and after Marvel, as well as the publisher’s initial forays into animation and television and some of the creative influences that led to the creation of the Fantastic Four and other superheroes. The comic also addresses the conflict between Mr. Lee and Jack Kirby, the artist who created many of the characters, but felt he was not given enough credit or compensation for his contributions.

One of Mr. Lee’s final projects was the serialized Webtoon comic “Backchannel,” co-written by Tom Akel and illustrated by Andie Tong. A collected edition is set to be released on August 15th, with a cameo appearance by Mr. Lee in Chapter Nine. He is shown working at a movie theater, based on his early employment as an usher.