When people talk about cameos in Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, the conversation often starts and stops with Stan Lee. The famous comic book writer, who created most of the superheroes fans love today in the MCU, appeared in every MCU movie until his death, and it was a fun way for him to make his legions of fans happy time and time again.

In recent years, the cameos have been bigger and have little to do with just winking at the fans. A lot of the recent cameos have been the appearance of surprise heroes in movies, returning MCU heroes that fans didn't expect, and a few cameos that were included just for laughs. Whether J. Jonah Jameson or Matt Damon's Loki actor, these are the cameos that fans are looking for now that Stan Lee is gone.

J.K. Simmons in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man Far From Home

In Spider-Man: Far From Home, most MCU fans had one thing in mind. Iron Man died, and Spider-Man had to learn to move on without him, as did the fans of the Marvel movies. This led to a battle with old-school Spider-Man villain Mysterio, and that was enough to bring fans back after Avengers: Endgame.

However, a scene at the movie's mid-credit scene changed the course of Spider-Man in the MCU. J. Jonah Jameson arrived and revealed that Peter Parker was Spider-Man. While this was not the same character from the Sam Raimi trilogy, J.K. Simmons returned for the famous role. This was one of the MCU's best cameos because it opened up an entire multiverse for Spider-Man in his next movie.

Tobey Maguire & Andrew Garfield in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

All three Peter Parkers go over their plan in Spider-Man: No Way Home

They might be bigger than normal cameos, but the fact Marvel Studios and Sony kept Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire's return a secret made it one of the best appearances in comic book movie history. Of course, many fans wished for a long time to see the trio of all Spider-Men on the big screen to emulate the iconic pointing meme, so the reality of this scene coming to fruition made it more ecstatic.

It all started with Garfield showing up and meeting MJ and Ned. After Maguire showed up, and all three movie Spider-Man actors worked together to battle the five sinister villains, it was an epic galore of Spider-Men's teamwork, nostalgia, redemption, and banter and one that future movies are unlikely to beat.

Patrick Stewart in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Patrick Stewart as Professor X wearing green suit and in large yellow chair in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

There were a ton of cameos at one moment in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In that scene, the Illuminati from Marvel Comics showed up, albeit with a different lineup. Anson Mount returning as Black Bolt was a surprise, and John Krasinski showing up as Reed Richards was a fan-favorite moment.

However, the best MCU cameo in the movie was when Patrick Stewart showed up as Professor X, making him the first official member of the X-Men to appear in the MCU. The cameo brought forth a comic-accurate depiction of Professor X from the comics, with the large, yellow hover chair. Though the character met his demise, it hinted that the mutants are coming relatively soon to the MCU.

Charlie Cox in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Daredevil catches a brick in Spider-Man No Way Home

Fans loved most of the Netflix Marvel shows, and Daredevil received a lot of praise for its grounded storytelling and Charlie Cox's powerful portrayal as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. However, when Netflix canceled the shows, it appeared fans had seen the last of the characters. But, those shows are now available on Disney+, and Matt Murdock is in the MCU.

He showed up in a surprise cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, where he represented Peter Parker in his legal case. With Kingpin showing up in Hawkeye and Daredevil returning in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, this MCU cameo was even better because it officially brought the Netflix heroes back to the MCU.

Matt Damon in Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Matt Damon as Actor Loki in Thor Ragnarok

Thor: Ragnarok took the Thor movies from being a dire, serious Shakespeare drama and turned it into a funny, quirky movie with as many laughs as big action moments. One of the funniest scenes came when Thor returned to Asgard and saw they were putting on a play about Loki's death.

Sam Neill played Odin, Luke Hemsworth was Thor, and in the funniest cameo, Matt Damon imitated Loki in the play. Damon's MCU cameo was by far the most notable solely because it was unexpected and funny, given his fame. But the actor has made several small appearances in many movies over the years as part of the surprise value, and his cameo in Ragnarok was no less. They all returned in the next movie in a new play, with Melissa McCarthy joining them as Hela.

David Hasselhoff in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 - David Hasselhoff

In the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, Peter Quill had a tragic history. As a child, he watched his mother die of cancer and was too scared to say goodbye. After this, the Ravagers kidnaped him and took him off Earth and away from his family. He didn't know much, but he thought that David Hasselhoff might have been his father.

His dad was actually Ego, the Living Planet. When he met Ego and learned his dad was why his mother died and that he was evil, Ego tried to manipulate Peter's emotions. At one point, he even turned into David Hasselhoff, who had a quick cameo in the second movie. Though the MCU cameo was made to intimidate Peter to join him, it also made for an exciting appearance, especially for those who loved the star from his Baywatch days.

Elon Musk in Iron Man 2 (2010)

Iron Man 2 Elon Musk cameo.

When Iron Man 2 came out in 2010, the MCU was still trying to find its feet. While the movie was not critically praised like the first one, it still had some fun moments and included a decent villain in Whiplash, but it also had an MCU cameo that was perfect for Tony Stark.

Stark met some big-time tech people at a private party in the movie. One of these was Elon Musk, who has since become the wealthiest man in the world (via Forbes). Having the smartest man in the MCU meets the man who believes himself the smartest in the real world was an MCU cameo that completely fits Stark's world.

Lou Ferrigno in Incredible Hulk (2008)

Lou Ferrigno in The Incredible Hulk.

Very few people give The Incredible Hulk any praise as part of the MCU. This was the second Hulk movie after Ang Lee's, and this was the only one that was part of the MCU, although it was a co-production for Disney. But the movie had a great cameo for nostalgic Hulk fans.

Lou Ferrigno, who played Hulk in the old TV show, had a cameo in the movie as a security guard. In some ways, it was a poetic moment to watch Ferrigno, the first actor to play the live-action Hulk, run into Edward Norton's Bruce Banner. There was also a TV show playing an old Bill Bixby TV show, as Bixby played David Banner in the same Hulk TV show and gave old-school Hulk fans another cameo to leave them smiling.

Lloyd Kaufman in Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

Lloyd Kaufman in Guardians of the Galaxy

When the Guardians of the Galaxy members first met, they had a massive battle against each other. The Nova Corps showed up and broke up the fight and arrested them all. When the group went to prison, there were two cameos that took place in that moment.

One cameo had Nathan Fillion as an alien prisoner who threatened Peter Quill. However, an even better, yet smaller cameo had Troma Studios founder Lloyd Kaufman as a heckling prisoner. James Gunn got his start with Troma Studios, and the MCU cameo was great for fans who followed Gunn's career since he paid homage to the man who gave him his first break.

Donald Glover in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Donald Glover talks to Spider-Man

Before Spider-Man movies started throwing out cameos left and right, there was a smaller one in Spider-Man: Homecoming that had many fans happy. In this cameo. Spider-Man was trying to become a hero and was still struggling to get it right. Donald Glover played a small-time criminal he tried to stop.

There is one thing that made this MCU cameo so special. Glover played Aaron Davis, who is The Prowler, and Miles Morales's uncle in the comics. Glover also voices Miles in the animated Ultimate Spider-Man, a fun connection for Spider-Man fans, as well as a fun appearance for people who love Glover's show Atlanta and passionately follow his music career as Childish Gambino.

NEXT: The 20 Best MCU Quotes