Though it usually seems like nothing is impossible in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Good, The Bart, and The Loki showrunner, Al Jean, just revealed that the short film crossover between Loki and The Simpsons was barred from including any Stan Lee cameos. The prolific comic book writer’s cameos became an integral part of the Marvel experience before his death in 2018, with Lee also making appearances in a number of non-MCU films and television shows as himself, including multiple Simpsons projects. However, Avengers: Endgame marked the last of the hilarious cameos that Stan Lee recorded prior to his passing.
The Good, The Bart, and The Loki marks one of the new Simpsons crossovers with the other cinematic universes available on Disney Plus. The show’s Star Wars collaboration, The Force Awakens From Its Nap, is also currently available on the streamer. The Good, The Bart, and The Loki, follows Loki, voiced by Tom Hiddleston, after he is banished to Springfield by Odin. Eventually, Loki finds himself at the Simpson’s home where he subsequently banishes Lisa Simpson to Asgard.
In an interview with Comicbook.com, Al Jean revealed that he considered including an homage to Stan Lee in The Good, The Bart, and The Loki, using audio captured from Lee’s previous work with The Simpsons. However, the idea was ultimately turned down by Marvel. Read what the showrunner had to say about Marvel’s Stan Lee policy below:
We just thought, 'Oh, we have Stan Lee audio from when he was on our show, could we cameo him in?’ And they said that their policy is he doesn't cameo now that he's passed away, which is a completely understandable policy. That was their only note and that was, of course, easily done. And the Grogu note [for the Star Wars-themed short] made total sense, too. It was like, if you let everybody use Grogu in their stuff that wanted to, it would be all over. Believe me, I respect that these franchises have a great power beyond ours. I respect it.
However, despite Lee being deemed off limits, Marvel did give The Good, The Bart, and The Loki access to other material, including the Avengers music. Plus, the six-minute short did manage to jam pack as many cameos and post-credits sequences into it as seemingly possible. Released alongside the fifth episode of Loki on Disney Plus, The Good, The Bart, and The Loki manages to match up quite clearly down to the production design with the latest Marvel series.
In one of Lee’s final appearances on The Simpsons, season 29, episode 19, “The Caper Chase,” he says the simple line “There is nothing too short that I can’t cameo.” It’s a tried and true theory that will live on through his appearances in projects he loved so much. Though there has never been, and never will be, enough Stan Lee available in the world, fans can be happy to know that Marvel has continued to honor the creator’s iconic legacy by preserving it in time.
Source: Comicbook.com