On November 12, 2018, the world lost an icon with the passing of Stan Lee. Changing the lives of many comic book fans around the world, Stan Lee’s influence on the comics scene and pop culture remains unparalleled. Lee was responsible for the creation of the most popular superheroes and teams in Marvel comics, alongside the equally talented and influential artist Jack Kirby. Without Stan Lee, there would be no Spider-Man, Iron Man, X-Men, or Fantastic Four, and he has been sorely missed by fans since his passing two years ago.
Today would have been Stan Lee’s 98th birthday, and as such, there is no better time to look back at his history of brilliant cameos. When Lee was alive, he made multiple appearances in Marvel projects, with his cameos in the movie adaptations of his characters’ best stories being unforgettable for fans. However, those who love the Marvel brand did not only expect to see Lee when sitting down to watch a Marvel movie, but also whenever they played a game based on the writer’s characters. For those wanting to celebrate the birthday of Stan Lee and look back on his legacy, here are all the Marvel creative leader’s video game appearances.
Spider-Man (2000)
Spider-Man was playable in video games before he was seen on the big screen, and when 2000's Spider-Man game released, Stan himself had only cameoed in a single Marvel film: Fox's original X-Men. Stan Lee’s first video game appearance was in the 2000 Spider-Man game was a good one, with the game itself remaining one of the webslinger's best-rated games on Metacritic. Offering a surprisingly strong story for the time, Spidey faced off with fan-favorite villain Venom in a symbiote-focused tale that brought back some of the voices from the 90s animated series. In the game, players could hear Stan in action as both the menu voiceover and the opening cutscene’s narrator. Setting the stage for the game perfectly, the cameo is simple but effective.
Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro (2001)
Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro offered fun webshooting action and another solid voice cast, though the game was not quite as well received as the original title. Fans found Vicarious Visions’ storytelling to not be as engrossing as it was in their first use of the IP, with Lizard and Electro failing to capture the spark caused by Venom’s appearance. However, one thing that the game did do right was getting Stan Lee back as a menu voice, with Lee announcing the names of each character players hovered over in the model viewer.
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009)
Stan Lee’s first cameo outside of a Spidey game is also his first physical appearance in a game. Showing up in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, Lee played an actual character named Senator Lieber. A nod to his birth name of Stanley Lieber, the cameo remains one of his best due to just how many lines he provides. Having unique dialogue with every member of the game’s cast, Lee roasts Green Goblin for not being a hero and tells Hulk he “wouldn’t like him when he’s angry.” While the game is a cult classic for being a solid adaptation of the unforgettable Civil War storyline from the comics, its Stan Lee appearance is equally special.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (2010)
Before there was a proper Spider-Verse comic book or the Oscar-winning animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the highly underrated Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions let players fill the shoes of some of the best alternate Spideys. From freefall gameplay as the futuristic Spider-Man 2099 to stealth gameplay as Spider-Man Noir, the Beenox game was truly special for fans of the alternate reality takes on the character. Lee serves as a narrator for the game, with a behind the scenes interview seeing him discuss the character’s “enduring popularity.”
The Avengers Origins (2012)
In 2012, a few Marvel mobile games released as a promotion for the first Avengers film (one of the many Marvel movies to feature a cameo from Lee). While the amazing crossover film was hugely successful and kicked off a bold new era for the MCU, the tie-in games The Avengers Origins: Hulk and The Avengers Origins: Assemble! have been largely forgotten. Featuring by-the-books gameplay, Lee’s narration of his character’s comic book backstories remains the best part of the mobile titles.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
The Amazing Spider-Man had many faults, from a hipster Peter Parker to an odd Spider-Man suit. However, the tie-in game remains a decent Spider-Man title propelled by a hilarious Stan Lee cameo. An unlockable and playable character, Lee tracks down comic book pages to finish a mockup of a story he is writing. Climbing out of a window, Lee stretches and calls himself the “king of cameos” before swinging through the city and beating down villains. Seeing Lee search for comic pages while wielding his creation’s powers and delivering quips is hugely entertaining, and the cameo stands tall as one of the best he had in the realm of video games.
LEGO Marvel Superheroes (2013)
Not to be outdone, LEGO Marvel Superheroes also makes Lee playable. Surrounding him with a full roster of Marvel characters, completing all 50 Stan Lee in Peril objectives unlocks a fully controllable version of Stan. Rather than assigning him the usual, useless moves of other powerless LEGO characters, Lee was given the powers of the Hulk. After a fun transformation animation, Stan-Hulk is ready to fight, with the mustache and hairstyle of Lee looking great on the large green giant.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
The second The Amazing Spider-Man movie has been in the news as of late due to confirmation that Jamie Foxx’s Electro will be returning in the MCU’s third Spider-Man film. While this news has some fans excited and others worried, all fans agreed that Stan Lee’s cameo in The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s tie-in game was a positive. After Spidey saves Lee from a burning building, the writer offers to “call the Bugle and tell Jameson he’s full of it.” Later, his comic shop can be visited, a nice touch that adds to the effectiveness of the cameo. While Stan’s appearance in the original The Amazing Spider-Man game is a bit more memorable, this showing still has plenty of heart.
LEGO Marvel’s Avengers (2014)
Stan Lee’s LEGO Marvel’s Avengers appearance is a cut above his cameo in LEGO Marvel Superheroes. Developer Traveler’s Tales outdoes itself with its nod to Stan in the game, as the character appears in many cutscenes and gets an even deeper playable moveset. Alongside Stan-Hulk, players can transform into Iron Stan, gaining the abilities of Tony Stark after watching some heavily detailed in-helmet animations resembling scenes from the films. Beyond that, Iron Man’s Hulkbuster suit can be worn by Stan Lee as well, with the armor boasting a pencil in place of a cannon and being cleverly renamed “the Stanbuster.”
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 (2017)
Stan Lee’s last LEGO-related video game appearance is seen in LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2, the heavily improved follow-up to the 2013 original. Once again unlocked by rescuing Lee from 50 humorous situations, Stan Lee is given the powers of three of his strongest creations. The mighty God Thor, Spectacular Spider-Man, and deadly world-eater Galactus all see their abilities wielded by Stan Lee in the game. Having Stan Lee as the most powerful character in all three game is a great tribute, and doing the work needed to unlock the legend is worthwhile.
Spider-Man (2018)
Easily Stan Lee’s most talked about cameo in terms of video games, Spider-Man’s co-creator made a massive appearance in Insomniac’s excellent PS4 exclusive. At the end of a dinner scene between MJ and Peter, Stan Lee talks to Mary Jane, saying that her and Peter “always were her favorites.” With Lee passing away only two months after player’s saw this cameo, fans of the man and his work may hold this one a little closer to heart. Looking better than ever in the PS5 remaster of Marvel's Spider-Man, one of Lee’s very last cameos is one of the most memorable of all.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020)
Rounding out the list of cameos, the most recent appearance of Stan Lee in a video game took place during the spinoff Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Outside of the diner where Lee interacted with MJ, a large bronze statue can be found that shows Stan Lee standing proudly. Awarding players with a trophy for finding the easter egg, Insomniac encourages all players to visit the legend, paying their respects to “a man who nourished the hearts, mind, and souls of True Believers everywhere.” Ending with Stan’s classic catchphrase “excelsior,” the statue is a great sendoff to Stan Lee and a great way to cap off his long list of video game appearances.