For one who earned his breakthrough in the entertainment industry through a superhero role, Hugh Jackman has been a part of the Marvel universe for decades. Over the years, he has donned the suit of the mutant one too many times for innumerable projects on the X-Men, with his most recent one being Deadpool & Wolverine.
And yet, he didn’t get to meet Stan Lee, who was one of the greatest influences in the MCU, until a long, long time after he had established himself as Wolverine. But when this first meet finally came, it was still as viral and iconic as ever — so much so that this decades-old clip needs to be specially preserved by Disney!
Hugh Jackman Had the Most Iconic First Encounter with Stan Lee
Starting from 2000’s X-Men, Hugh Jackman has embodied his fan-favorite Wolverine in ten movies to date. Right from the first movie, he solidly cemented himself as the mutant in the superhero league and has been continuing to amuse fans with his performances ever since.
However, when it comes to Stan Lee, the late mastermind comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer who pretty much established the Marvel era with other notable allies like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, Jackman didn’t come across him until he was knee-deep into the role.
Nonetheless, when this duo finally did get to meet, the moment was nothing short of worthy of being captured and preserved for all eternity. This happened at the Comic-Con of 2008 when Jackman was surprisingly present at the event at the same time as the late legend.
In the old clip recently unearthed and shared by @joshuahorowitz on Instagram, Jackman was seen stepping away mid-interview to stand next to Lee, who was taking a photo with someone else. When Lee realized Jackman’s presence, his immediate reaction was:
Hey! You son of a b—h! You’re not the W, are you? I had never met you, I didn’t know.
As wholesome as this moment was, it was followed by Jackman hilariously joking with someone behind the camera:
Tell him about his cameo… in the hot tub with the Wolverine in Japan and he’s playing a Geisha girl.
Following this, Lee is seen confronting the director for not asking for his cameo and including it in the movies, saying, “Did you do the Wolverine movies? Where’s my cameo?”
To this, the director said, “It’s coming, man. We got a whole year, don’t worry, buddy.” But Jackman had the better response as he teasingly said:
We shot it in Australia but couldn’t afford to bring your entourage.
Needless to say, this was one of the best first encounters in the history of cinema, so wholesome that it has left fans swooning at this heartfelt encounter between the duo.
Fans React to Hugh Jackman Meeting Stan Lee for the First Time
While this meeting happened almost two decades ago, fans are having the time of their lives watching it nonetheless. Taking to the comment section of @joshuahorowitz’s post on Instagram holding this clip, here’s what those fans are saying:
The wholesomeness and passion that Stan Lee had was purely amazing! ~ @rajiv.dadke
This is insane! What a moment for you to experience!~ @sebastian.stans.frying.pan
LONG LIVE STAN THE MAN ~ @dussebigalow
This is so wholesome😢😢 I love it ~ @bo11ywood
“The legend who created & wrote the characters & the other legend plays one of these characters 🔥” ~ @svartrod
“Wowwwwwww! I can’t believe y’all captured that epic moment 🔥” ~ @bwaysho
“What an amazing moment aww!” ~ @ipek.delemen
“Stan Lee fanboying over Wolverine 🥲💕” ~ @jessasinclare
Obviously, all these fan reactions are enough to prove two things: One, that Stan Lee and Hugh Jackman are indeed two of the most wholesome people on this planet, and two, that this moment will indeed go down as one of the most epic first meetings in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
