Since the passing of Stan Lee in November, fans have been holding on to any remnant of the Marvel Comics’ legend, especially through what’s left of his on-screen cameos. Oddly enough, the latest Marvel release Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse has a slew of sneaky Stan Lee’s all over its beautiful canvas. Producer Chris Miller has just revealed another one. Check it out:
Yep! There he is, standing in between Peter Parker and Miles Morales, seemingly throwing down his shades to give the kid a look before moving through the city. It’s a clever little hidden nod to the late great comic book creator and one of many in Into the Spider-Verse.
As Chris Miller says in his recent tweet, this is the third cameo to be revealed involving Stan Lee. A couple days ago, fans geeked out when one of the movie’s animators showed off a stealthy frame of Stan Lee doing his iconic web shooter pose inside a train while displaying a frame by frame look at a scene where Miles is thwipping across town.
There’s more where that comes from too, as Chris Miller confirms that Stan is featured all over the movie. Animators all wanted a shot at doodling the legend in the movie, so he can be spotted in unsuspecting locations throughout the film filled with spider-heroes.
The reveal comes just in time for the filmmakers to promote the Blu-ray release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse coming in March. The movie was already passionately received by just about everyone, so tons of people are going to want to own this one. Now, there’s also an implied challenge for owners of the home release to find the remaining cameos. Especially since audiences would be able to pause and slow down the movie to look for them.
The Spider-Verse cameo fans will most remember is the one that features his voice, in a both touching and funny scene when Miles Morales buys a Spider-Man suit from comic book shop owner Stan Lee following the death of Chris Pine’s Spider-Man, before Jake Johnson’s cynical and more seasoned version comes along from another universe.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was released just a month after Stan Lee’s passing, making the inclusion of a cameo all the more special and precious. Producers Chris Miller and Phil Lord recalled that the icon was an “idea machine” who pitched them with at least seven ideas about his animated cameo.
The one they went with was a perfect farewell for Stan Lee to his most personal creation, though who knows what his Avengers: Endgame cameo will bring? In the meantime, you can look for more Stan Lee’s when Into the Spider-Verse is released on Blu-ray on March 19.
