Stan Lee's Marvel Movie Cameos Broke From Tradition Only Twice In 30 Years

Stan Lee made cameo appearances in Marvel’s live-action projects for three decades before his death, but two of these appearances broke tradition.

For 30 years prior to his passing in 2018, Stan Lee made cameo appearances in many live-action adaptations of stories from Marvel Comics, but two of these appearances, one from Fox’s Marvel franchise and one in the MCU, broke tradition. Stan Lee became an assistant at Timely Comics in 1939, and spent the next several decades rising through the ranks, eventually becoming the primary creative leader of Marvel Comics. Even after his retirement in the 1990s, Lee remained as Marvel Comics’ public figurehead, and became the highest-grossing person in film ever thanks to his cameo appearances in Marvel’s live-action projects.

Stan Lee made cameo appearances in every single feature film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before his passing in November 2018, and made two posthumous appearances in 2019’s Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame. However, Lee’s first Marvel cameo dates back even further, as he appeared as the narrator and jury foreman during Dr. David Banner’s trial in 1989’s The Trial of the Incredible Hulk TV movie. This means that Lee appeared as original characters in 30 years of Marvel projects, but two of Lee’s cameos stood out from the others, as they were adapted directly from characters from Marvel Comics.

Stan Lee Cameos As Willie Lumpkin In 2005’s Fantastic Four

20th Century Fox adapted Marvel’s First Family into live-action in 2005’s Fantastic Four, and Stan Lee’s cameo in the project saw him portray a character that he created for Marvel Comics. Lee appeared as Willie Lumpkin, the Fantastic Four’s mailman who greets them in the Baxter Building, marking Lumpkin’s live-action debut after being introduced to Marvel Comics in 1963’s Fantastic Four #11. Lumpkin was featured as a side-character in the Fantastic Four’s adventures, and even dated Peter Parker’s Aunt May for a time. Willie Lumpkin later reappeared as a biology teacher for the Future Foundation’s school as late as 2013.

Stan Lee’s Defenders Character Was Very Different To His Marvel Comics Counterpart

While Stan Lee doesn’t appear in person in Marvel Television’s Defenders Saga, he appeared several times in several of the Marvel Netflix shows through photographs and advertisements. Stan Lee’s character in the Defenders Saga was inspired by Marvel Comics’ Irving Forbush, a.k.a. Forbush Man, who first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1955’s Snafu #1. Forbush was created by Stan Lee to be the butt of his jokes in Marvel Comics, as the character was introduced as a fictional employee of “Marble Comics”, though he returned in 1967’s Not Brand Echh #1 as Forbush Man, a wannabe hero with no superpowers.

In the Defenders Saga, Irving Forbush was adapted into a Captain of the NYPD, making his first appearance in a photo hanging in Precinct 15 in Daredevil season 1. Jessica Jones season 2 revealed that Irving Forbush had become an attorney at Forbush and Associates, which continued into Luke Cage season 2, where Lee’s image is depicted with the caption, “Call Forbush – Get What You Deserve.” Lee’s version of Irving Forbush is vastly different from the character inspiration in Marvel Comics, and marked only the second and final time that Stan Lee appeared as a character from the comics.