Stan Lee, the co-creator of many of Marvel's most popular characters such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the X-Men, used to jokingly proclaim himself the King of Cameos. Since his first appearance in the 1989 TV movie The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, Stan Lee became a very familiar figure to Marvel fans, lending his voice or likeness to over 60 cameo appearances across the majority of Marvel-based media from movies to TV shows and games prior to his ing in November 2018 at the age of 95.
Although not quite as often as he appeared in movies and TV, Stan Lee did perfect cameos in many video games as his characters' popularity grew and began to thrive in the medium. These appearances sometimes came in the form of narration that often mirrored his writing style in the comics, or in very self-referential cameos in which he played alternate versions of himself, with nods to his famous catchphrases.
Stan Lee Narrated NeverSoft's Spider-Man games
Upon loading up NeverSoft's 2000 and 2001 games Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro, players were greeted by Stan Lee's voice, as he narrated the campaign for both titles. As is to be expected of Stan Lee, his narration was full of energy, humor, and immediately got players - whether they were "True Believers or newcomers alike" - excited about the adventure they were about to embark on with the webhead from the moment they loaded up the game's first level. NeverSoft further referenced the Spider-Man co-creator through the games' cheat codes, as entering his name backwards as "EEL_NATS" would unlock everything, allowing players instant access to the titles' many costumes, levels, and powers.
Stan Lee's First On-Screen Game Appearance Was In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2
2009 saw Stan Lee's first-ever on-screen video game appearance as Senator Stanley Lieber, a character named after Stan Lee's birth name in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. Senator Lieber shared many of Stan Lee's traits, such as his wit and humor, and the game established the congressman as beloved by citizens around the world, with his ers dubbed "True Believers" after the title Lee granted Marvel fans. Senator Lieber was kidnapped by Titanium Man in the game's campaign and the Marvel heroes were tasked with rescuing him, resulting in a fun interaction and a near fourth-wall-breaking nod from Deadpool upon the mission's completion.
Stan Lee Narrated The Multiversal Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Before the Spider-Verse comic book or the Oscar-winning animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse made crossovers between a multiverse of Spider-Men commonplace, Beenox's Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions let players assume the role of four different Spider-Men from different universes. After The Tablet of Order and Chaos is shattered, Shattered Dimensions sees the classic Amazing Spider-Man, the Symbiote-wearing Ultimate Spider-Man, the stealth-based Noir Spider-Man, and the futuristic Spider-Man of 2099 working together across dimensions to stop Mysterio's reality-destroying plans. Stan Lee served as a narrator for the game and appeared in the title's promotional videos, where he discussed the "enduring popularity" of the character, and why he liked the idea of each universe essentially giving players "four games in one".
Stan Lee Had Spider-Powers in The Amazing Spider-Man's DLC
The 2012 movie tie-in game, The Amazing Spider-Man had Stan Lee appearing as a canonical character based on himself called Stan. Stan was friends with the Parkers and allowed Peter to house-sit for him, which gave players a base in the heart of the city. The Stan Lee Adventure Pack DLC took this extended cameo a step further by allowing fans to play as Stan, using Spider-Man's powers to retrieve lost comic book manuscript pages, unlocking a special end cutscene celebrating 50 years since the webhead's creation. In 2014, Stan Lee reprised his role for The Amazing Spider-Man 2's tie-in, and players could visit the character's comics shop in Manhattan to interact with him, complete challenges, and view collectibles.
Players Could Unlock A Superpowered Stan Lee In LEGO's Marvel Games
Stan Lee appeared in all three of LEGO's Marvel titles since 2013, with players unlocking superpowered versions of him upon rescuing him in the games' levels. Across the titles, Stan's powers would vary, with LEGO Marvel Super Heroes' version able to transform into a Hulk-like creature but with the same hair, mustache, and glasses referred to as Excelsior Hulk. 2016's LEGO Marvel's Avengers saw the return of Excelsior Hulk, but also offered up Iron Man variants Iron Stan and the Stanbuster.
LEGO Marvel's Avengers also included a credit sequence that saw Stan Lee cleaning Tony Stark's apartment in the Avengers Tower. In a fun nod to a scene in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's then-recent Avengers: Age of Ultron where the Avengers take turns attempting to lift Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, Stan accidentally proves himself to be worthy as he casually picks up the hammer to dust under it and accidentally shoots lightning across the room. 2017's LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 - while unrelated to the MCU-inspired LEGO Marvel's Avengers in its story - saw Stan Lee once again wielding the powers of Thor as well as those of Galactus and Spider-Man.
Insomniac's Spider-Man Included Stan Lee's Final Game Cameo
Lee makes a brief cameo as the owner of Peter and Mary Jane's favorite restaurant, Mick's, in 2018's Marvel's Spider-Man. Stan Lee sadly ed away in November 2018, shortly after the initial release of Marvel's Spider-Man on the PlayStation 4, making his cameo in the game his final video-game cameo, and one of his last cameos in general. Upon his ing, Insomniac honored Stan Lee by retroactively adding a tribute at the end of Marvel's Spider-Man's credits alongside the credits for the game's The City That Never Sleeps DLC.
Insomniac paid a further tribute to Stan Lee with a statue of his character located outside Mick's Diner in Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. The statue is accompanied by a plaque that reads "Dedicated with love to the man who nourished the hearts, minds, and souls of True Believers everywhere. Excelsior!" and visiting it unlocks the Best Fries in Town achievement. Fans have also paid their own respects to the Marvel legend by modding Stan Lee into the game upon its PC release, as his cameo in Marvel's Spider-Man allowed modders access to a detailed character model, and much like with The Amazing Spider-Man's DLC, this mod grants Stan Lee the powers of his web-slinging creation.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Paid Tribute To Stan Lee With The Cosmic Glasses Artifact
Stan Lee didn't cameo in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, as the game was released years after his ing, but developer Eidos-Montréal still included a tribute to the Marvel writer with Stan Lee’s glasses appearing in The Collector's Emporium, alongside other references and Easter eggs for Marvel heroes such as Nova. A plaque next to the "Cosmic Glasses" describes the man who wore them as a “powerful cosmic entity seemingly capable of being anywhere in the galaxy at any given time”, it also referenced his cameos themselves and includes his catchphrase, "Excelsior."
Source: Marvel Entertainment/YouTube
