Credit: Marvel StudiosPer Ryan Reynolds himself, Deadpool & Wolverine was marketed as “A vapid dreamland, a place where grown men and grown women walk around in tights and act like it’s not a giant cultural cry for help.” While the film more than fits that description, it also comes with the most Marvel fan service since Avengers: Endgame (2019).
After teaming up with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Deadpool drags him across eras and timelines to keep Casandra Nova (Emma Corrin) from destroying the fabric of reality. Like anything involving the TVA, the Marvel Multiverse, and all the variants that come with it, the film comes with more than a few cameos and guest appearances guaranteed to delight superhero fans everywhere.
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While many are likely dazzled by the presence of Wolverine alone (and in a comic-accurate suit, no doubt), they simply aren’t prepared for the number of familiar faces that land in the new movie. However, one appearance will surely get an emotional response from every True Believer.
WARNING: Spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine beyond this point!
The First Stan Lee Cameo in Years
Until his passing in 2018, Stan “The Man” Lee was the man behind Marvel. Stan Lee transformed a small comic book company into a global entertainment empire by co-creating iconic characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the Hulk, revolutionizing the superhero genre and becoming the master hand behind the Multiverse.
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Lee’s influence over the Marvel Cinematic Universe was instrumental in shaping the superhero genre as we know it, and icons like Spider-Man and the X-Men wouldn’t even exist if not for him. His work made him a pop culture phenomenon, and a permanent fixture at Marvel even after he retired from the company.
If you’ve been a Marvel fan for as long as this writer has, you’ll already be familiar with the dozens of film cameos Lee had under his belt prior to his death. It was a tradition for the Marvel master to make an appearance in nearly every film under Marvel Studios, and Deadpool & Wolverine continues that tradition.
Stan Lee in Deadpool and Wolverine
During the third act’s climactic fight sequence. Deadpool and Wolverine team up to fight an army of Deadpool Variants, including Blake Lively as Ladypool, sent by Casandra Nova. The bloody battle reaches its zenith when both heroes corner a legion of Deadpools aboard a New York City bus.
As the carnage unfolds inside the vehicle, viewers watch the chaos from outside the bus, where Stan Lee appears in an advertisement for Stan Lee Steamer Cleaning, a parody of the Stanley Steemer carpet cleaner company. While it wasn’t a full-fleshed appearance, it no doubt made several Marvel maniacs smile before Deadpool and Wolverine came crashing through the bus’s rear window.
Stan Lee has not made a true Marvel movie appearance since his posthumous cameos in 2019, but this is the first time his actual visage has been seen in a film instead of a reference or easter egg. Even the outrageous Deadpool recognized that no ultimate serving of Marvel fan service could be complete without him.
What’s your favorite Stan Lee cameo? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!