The collective Infinity Saga, which makes up the 23-film arc of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies to date, concludes with Spider-Man: Far From Home. And while it may seem like Avengers: Endgame is the natural end to the Infinity Saga story, there’s enough in Far From Home to both wrap up that story and set up the future of MCU tales moving forward.
But one grand tradition that Marvel fans have grown to anticipate in the MCU movies will not continue with Spider-Man: Far From Home, and that’s the Stan Lee cameo. Of course, Stan passed away on November 12, 2018. And we had reported that Avengers: Endgame was intended to be Lee’s final cameo (he is spotted driving past the facility that “birthed” Captain America, shouting at soldiers that they should make love, not war).
But when the ReelBlend guys had a chance to speak with Spider-Man: Far From Home director Jon Watts about the making of his new sequel, co-host Kevin McCarthy asked if there ever was an early plan to include a Stan Lee cameo in the sequel, and Watts admitted to us:
No. I mean, I think everyone sort of knew that he was sick and he had just filmed the cameo for Endgame. I think they shot that earlier, too. So I didn't want to… It felt right for the last thing to be in Endgame. So we never really talked about it, honestly.
And that makes sense. There’s real closure to Stan Lee appearing in Avengers: Endgame, and having that be his last on-screen appearance. That movie really does feel like the culmination to everything that began when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) stepped out of the shadows to discuss The Avengers Initiative with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). The Stan Lee cameos can’t last forever, and Endgame was the right place for them to conclude.
Also, I’m not 100% sure another live-action Stan Lee cameo would be able to top the AMAZING one that was included in the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This one makes me choke up, every single time.
The ReelBlend podcast conversation with Jon Watts is a home run. It’s completely non-spoilery, and can be heard in its entirety below. We will also have an episode that is loaded with spoilers posting AFTER the movie is out, so stay tuned for that.
Spider-Man: Far From Home may not have a Stan Lee cameo, but there are plenty of huge moments in the movie for die-hard fans. See for yourself when the movie opens in theaters on July 2.
