Spoiler Alert for Stan Lee's cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. None of the actual film's contents will be discussed.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has gone from a brilliant idea to an extremely lucrative and popular movie behemoth. Part of that popularity is an endless number of theories generated by fans that reguarly clog up the internet. But it turns out that one of those popular fan theories has been confirmed, specifically by Marvel Studios President/MCU mastermind Kevin Feige.
The theory in question is that Stan Lee's cameos in the MCU are actually connected, and he's been playing the same character for all of the roles. While this seemed pretty out there, Stan Lee's role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 confirms it - referencing his cameo as a Fed Ex employee in Captain America: Civil War as one of many adventures he has been on. In discussing the sequence with our own Eric Eisenberg, Kevin Feige discussed the ubiquitous Marvel founder and his cameos, saying,
I think the notion is that Stan, which I think he is in real life, is an ethereal creative being that is everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. I remember his head used to pop up in comics and in the animation. So we loved, loved, loved -- this is my favorite Stan cameo -- to be able to say and to acknowledge he exists. He's one of those who sit above.
So how does this all work? Well, let's double down on the SPOILER WARNING for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 before we dive into this any further.
For those of you still here, it all has to do with Stan Lee's relationship with the Watchers - a group of ancient alien beings who cameo alongside Stan Lee in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. In Marvel Comics, these extraterrestrials individually exist to keep an eye on respective parts of the universe, and typically only appear during monumental events. With the latest cameo from the Marvel co-founder, it's confirmed that he is an agent of these beings and doing their bidding.
The big question is, does this idea actually hold water? The answer is "mostly." In fourteen cases of Marvel Cinematic Universe cameos, it would make sense that Stan Lee is an agent of the Watchers, both in that he tends to show up at big moments in world events, and also clearly isn't limited by time and space in his travel. There is, however, one appearance that doesn't quite fit the mold, and that's his tiny moment in The Incredible Hulk. In that movie, he winds up in the hospital after drinking a soda tainted with gamma-irradiated blood, which winds up leading the United States military directly to Bruce Banner's hideout in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Having that kind of impact on the world is not the Watcher way - but perhaps it was just a screw-up on his part.
You can check all of the evidence for yourself watching the Stan Lee cameo compilation video embedded below!
So what do you think, Marvel fans? Do you think it makes sense that Stan Lee is working for the Watchers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? What are your thoughts on his cameos in Marvel movies that aren't in the MCU canon? Hit the comments section below with your thoughts and opinions.
