Avengers: Endgame Includes Stan Lee's Final Cameo, Says Joe Russo

Screen Rant

By Cooper Hood

Published Apr 3, 2019

Avengers: Endgame director Joe Russo confirms that the blockbuster will feature the final cameo by Marvel comics legend Stan Lee in the MCU.

Stan Lee will make his final cameo in a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie in Avengers: Endgame. The legendary Marvel comics storyteller has remained a prominent figure in pop culture as many of his characters began gracing the big screen. Lee made cameos in Marvel movies dating all the way back to 2000's X-Men, and such moments have continued throughout the years, especially in the MCU. In fact, it was in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 that Marvel Studios appeared to confirm a fan theory that all of his cameos were as the same person.

Unfortunately, Lee passed away late last year, and even though he's no longer with us, he's still managed to find a way to live on momentarily through more cameos. He had a touching appearance in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, while Marvel Studios remade their opening credits sequence for Captain Marvel to highlight him. He also had a cameo in the Brie Larson solo movie, and we've known that he'd appear in Endgame too.

During the press tour for Endgame in India, co-director Joe Russo confirmed that Lee will have one of his famous cameos in the movie, but also that it will be his final one in the MCU. As shared by pinkvilla, he mentioned that he doesn't remember if one was filmed for Spider-Man: Far From Home, which is likely correct as no announcement was ever made that he did. In addition to this piece of news, Joe also spoke about his experience working with one of his idols.

With Endgame being the final physical appearance by Lee in the MCU, it will cap off his streak with roles in 22 consecutive MCU movies. He has never missed one and won't do so in the first three Phases of the universe, meaning that he'll be absent from Phase 4 and beyond. Additionally, this won't only be his final MCU cameo, but is expected to be his final movie cameo, as he did not film one for Dark Phoenix or any other known projects.

That said, there are still clever ways for future Marvel movies to continue acknowledging his involvement. Marvel TV shows have done this by using pictures of Lee to make him employee of the month; Deadpool 2 painted a giant mural of him on a building; and Spider-Verse included dozens (if not hundreds) of animated Stan Lees. He may be gone, but Stan most certainly won't be forgotten, and knowing that Avengers: Endgame includes his final cameo may make the scene - whatever it may be - all the more impactful for fans.