Highlights
- Elon Musk making a cameo in Iron Man 2 was unexpected given his polarizing reputation and current controversies.
- Matt Damon's cameo as Loki's actor in Thor: Ragnarok was hilarious and fit the movie's overall goofy tone.
- Megan Thee Stallion's appearance in She-Hulk was bizarre and caused complaints, but it added to the show's overall goofiness.
Since its inception in 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has included countless characters in its various movies and shows. Of course, a lot of these characters have appeared in the form of small, brief appearances; aka, cameos. Cameos have become one of the most anticipated parts of any Marvel project. Whether it’s Nick Fury in Iron Man, Thanos in The Avengers, or Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home, cameos tend to be very memorable.
Fans can spend years speculating about the characters involved, as well as what this means for future MCU projects. This is understandable for some, but how about the weird cameos? There have been some weird cameos in the MCU so far. They can be weird in terms of being unexpected, sticking out from the rest of the film/show, or just flat-out bizarre.
8 Elon Musk (Played By Himself) - Iron Man 2
For better or worse, Elon Musk is one of the most recognizable names in our world today. Whether it is as founder of and his continued work on SpaceX, CEO of Tesla, or owner of X Corp., he has played a significant role in some of the most prominent technological advances of today. But did you know that he made a cameo in Iron Man 2?
Briefly appearing during a party ahead of the Monaco Historic Grand Prix, Musk is seen interacting with Tony Stark, who gives Musk a compliment and continues walking. While it is not the most groundbreaking cameo, it was on the unexpected side, given Musk’s polarizing reputation. It definitely may be reflected now, 13 years later, as even more bizarre, with Musk being constantly in the news over his perceived mishandling of the Twitter platform and other actions.
7 Actor Loki (Played By Matt Damon) - Thor: Ragnarok
Thor: Ragnarok had a memorable sequence of actors reenacting events from the previous movie, The Dark World, in a play on Asgard. The sequence featured some nice cameos, such as Chris Hemsworth’s brother Luke playing Thor, and Sam Neill playing Odin - or at least the actors playing the Asgardians. But the most unexpected one was definitely the A-lister who portrayed Loki’s actor - Matt Damon.
Damon is one of Hollywood’s most recognizable actors, and one of the few who have not headlined a comic book movie. While he has not taken a prominent role (and probably won’t, at this rate), he has made space for a couple of fun cameos. In Ragnarok, Damon plays Loki’s actor, reenacting the God of Mischief’s “death” from The Dark World. It was a hilarious scene that fit the vibe of the movie perfectly. In addition to reprising the role in Thor: Love and Thunder, Damon had a cameo in Deadpool 2, playing a redneck and being barely recognizable.
6 Megan Thee Stallion (Played By Herself) - She-Hulk: Attorney At Law
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law had plenty of memorable guest appearances, ranging from Daredevil to Hulk to Wong. With the show’s focus on courtroom drama/comedy and constantly breaking the fourth wall, the series made plenty of room for fun cameos. But the most bizarre cameo would have to be one from hip-hop superstar Megan Thee Stallion.
In the episode “The People vs. Emil Blonsky,” Jennifer Walters takes on a case involving a Light Elf impersonating Megan Thee Stallion. As the case goes on, the real Stallion comes in and the case is closed. The episode ends in a mid-credits scene where Walters takes on Stallion as a client, and the two have a dance and twerk-off. It was a surprising scene that caused a lot of complaints, and the cameo as a whole was definitely bizarre - even if it fit the show’s overall goofy tone.
5 Actor Hela (Played By Melissa McCarthy) - Thor: Love And Thunder
With how well-received Thor: Ragnarok’s play sequence was, it only makes sense to revisit the concept in its sequel, Love and Thunder. This time, the film re-enacts the events of Ragnarok. It sees the returns of Luke Hemsworth, Matt Damon, and Sam Neill in their respective roles as Actors Thor, Loki, and Odin. However, the sequel brings in a whole new character: Actor Hela, played by Melissa McCarthy.
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Recreating Hela’s first meeting with her brother from Ragnarok, McCarthy’s performance fits the vibe of the scene (and the film) to a T. The whole sequence was goofy, over-the-top, and just hilarious. While Love and Thunder arguably pales in comparison to its predecessor, this scene was certainly a highlight, and the unexpected cameo from McCarthy makes it even more memorable.
4 David Hasselhoff (Played By Himself) - Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
Revisiting the world of Guardians of the Galaxy, writer-director James Gunn has incorporated plenty of memorable cameos in his trilogy. Vol. 2 has some very notable ones, ranging from Sylvester Stallone to even Miley Cyrus. However, the one that is arguably the “weirdest” is also one that fits perfectly thematically for Peter Quill.
During Ego’s revelation of his true nature, he suddenly transforms into beloved actor David Hasselhoff for a brief moment, before changing back to his main form. He noted that he tried to fit the form that best suited Quill, and with Quill idolizing celebrities from the 1980s such as Hasselhoff, it makes perfect sense. It was definitely weird in the sense of it being unexpected, but it was a great surprise.
3 Ralph Bohner (Played By Evan Peters) - WandaVision
This one stretches the definition of a cameo a little bit, as this character has appeared in a few scenes and episodes. But when it comes to weird guest appearances in the MCU, this one takes the cake. Marvel’s first Disney+ series has some memorable guest appearances, the most notable (for better or for worse) being Evan Peters, who plays “Quicksilver” before being revealed to actually be an actor named Ralph Bohner.
When he first appeared, it was an exciting callback to Peters’ role as Peter Maximoff in the X-Men movies. In fact, with the Multiverse Saga starting, fans thought this was the first sign of universes colliding. Alas, it was nothing more than a neat Easter egg referencing his past role. It was cool but definitely a very silly guest appearance.
2 Starfox (Played By Harry Styles) - Eternals
Eternals remains one of the more polarizing movies in the MCU to date, earning mixed reception for its deconstructive approach to the superhero genre. While it made a fair amount at the box office - grossing over $400 million worldwide - there has been no announcement for any sequel or future installments featuring the characters. But as usual, the film had a couple of mid- and post-credits scenes teasing the future.
One scene featured the introduction of Thanos’ brother, Eros/Starfox, played by superstar Harry Styles. Since the disbanding of One Direction, Styles has had a wildly successful music career, and he has also started appearing in movies. Naturally, Marvel Studios would capitalize on that. Given Styles’ A-list status, it was definitely a nice surprise to see him in Eternals, especially as Thanos’ brother. It’ll only be weirder if he never appears again.
1 Peter Parker (Played By Max Favreau) - Iron Man 2
Circling back to Iron Man 2, we have a cameo that wasn’t even intended until years after the fact. Before the Spider-Man series was rebooted (twice) and integrated into the MCU, 2010’s Iron Man 2 featured a young boy in an Iron Man mask, saved by the Armored Avenger. Played by Jon Favreau’s son Max, the boy was nearly attacked by one of Justin Hammer’s drones, only for the real Iron Man to come in and intervene. At the time, it was just an unnamed boy, but that seems to have been retconned.
With Tom Holland’s Spider-Man joining the MCU, the actor (along with director Jon Watts) has indicated that this scene has been retconned, and Iron Man 2 marked Peter Parker’s real MCU introduction several years before Captain America: Civil War. It’s an interesting retcon, given Parker’s close ties to Tony Stark in the MCU. The scene established their connection from the very beginning. It was certainly unexpected, as at the time, Holland’s Spider-Man wasn’t even an idea in anyone’s mind. But it is a welcome surprise.
