Krittika Mukherjee
If you are an avid fan of MCU movies, you’ll know how the films simply feel incomplete without Stan Lee appearing in his cameo roles. The creator of Marvel showed up in all the live-action movies until his unfortunate demise in 2018. However, there was a brief period, when James Gunn directed Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) was rumored to release without a cameo from Lee, as he didn’t write that particular story.
However, later Stan Lee not only appeared in the 2014 installment but also the 2017 sequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. Spotting his cameo in the second part fans theorized a connection between Lee and his appearance in the adaptations of Marvel properties. Further, even James Gunn addressed the theory and admitted what prompted him to offer Lee a cameo.
Stan Lee’s Cameo In Marvel Adaptations Originated Fan Theories
Since Stan Lee appeared in most MCU movies, he was expected to make an appearance in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, in 2014. However, since the 2014 film was an adaptation of Marvel properties, which unlike most Marvel stories wasn’t written by Lee, the movie was reported to lack a cameo from The Man himself.
Nonetheless, during the film’s final cut, James Gunn included a brief cameo from Stan Lee, keeping the legacy going. However, in the sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, when Lee further reprised his cameo fans theorized a connection between the legend and his cameos.
In the 2017 installment from James Gunn, as The Man was spotted wearing a spacesuit and sitting on an asteroid, with three Watchers surrounding him and listening to him talk, fans theorized that Stan Lee was indeed a Watcher informant. One fan tweeted the theory stating, “Stan Lee was canonically a Watcher informant, and was playing the same character in every MCU movie”.
James Gunn Addressed Fans Theories About Stan Lee’s Cameo
After the fan theory surrounding Stan Lee’s appearance in the MCU films as well as its adaptations, gained momentum and struck netizens, James Gunn addressed the tweet and responded. The acclaimed filmmaker who added Lee’s cameo in the first Guardians of the Galaxy, at the last moment, addressed the tweet and admitted what prompted him to do so.
Playing along with fan theories, James Gunn confessed how he often gets ideas from them. Admitting how he nicked several ideas from fans on Twitter, Gunn clarified, “I stole the idea from fan theories on Twitter, which I thought were hilarious.” He later addressed the particular Watcher theory and mentioned how he found it hilariously worthy.
“One thing I found very funny and interesting is the fact that people thought Stan Lee is a Watcher… and that all of these cameos that he’s doing are part of him being a Watcher. So I thought that was one of the greatest things the fans came up with.” James Gunn admitted.
Thus, giving into fan theories, Gunn admitted using them for his creative benefit. “So Stan Lee as a guy who is either a Watcher or probably a guy who is working for the Watchers was something that I thought was fun for the MCU” the director confessed. Without discussing any further if the theory had a weightage, James Gunn left his fans wondering for more.
Watch Guardians of the Galaxy movies on Disney+.
Source: Digital Spy
