Before the MCU turned Stan Lee’s cameos into a potential drinking game, the comic book legend made an unexpected appearance in Kevin Smith‘s beloved ’90s cult-comedy, Mallrats. While Lee was incredibly excited about appearing in the movie, he had one major demand from Kevin Smith before completely agreeing to the part.
Stan Lee appears as himself in the film to tell Brodie (Jason Lee) a story about “the one that got away.” The moment is hilarious and uplifting, but, in true Stan Lee fashion, he was worried about upsetting his actual wife, Joan Lee. Speaking to GQ, Kevin Smith recalled his conversation with Stan Lee about the cameo. Smith said:
“I was like, ‘Well, can you do [the cameo], do you wanna do it, come play with us?’ And [Stan Lee] goes, ‘Well, here’s the thing, Kevin. You have me in this movie talking about the girl that got away in a very lovely monologue. If I’m in a movie as me, talking about the girl that got away, the girl I got at home will lock the door and not let me back in the house. What I’m suggesting is we put in one more scene where I talk about how I was just kidding. That way Joanie won’t be mad.’ And I thought that was incredibly sweet.”
Despite Kevin Smith not considering the part a “cameo,” as Stan Lee has several scenes in the film, Mallrats helped to kickstart the trend of Lee appearing in comic book movies. Amazingly, with all the incredible superhero films Stan Lee has appeared in, he considered Mallrats to be one of his best. In a Facebook post in 2017, Lee wrote, “My Mallrats cameo remains one of my favorites! #KingofCameos”
Kevin Smith Never Thought Stan Lee Would Appear in Mallrats
Mallrats was Kevin Smith’s second directorial feature film, and never in his wildest dreams did he think Stan Lee would appear in the movie. The scene involving Lee and Brodie was in the original script, but it featured a nameless stand-in character who was meant to represent Lee. Kevin Smith recited the conversation between himself and producer Jim Jacks about actually trying to get Stan Lee for the role. He said:
“Stan Lee was not a character in the first draft or two of Mallrats. Jim Jacks read the scene that took place with Brodie, where Brodie meets the guy who gives him advice. He’s like, ‘Who’s this comic book guru supposed to be?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, it’d be like a Stan Lee, or something like that.’ And he goes, ‘Well why don’t you just make it Stan Lee?’ And I was like, ‘Well I don’t know Stan Lee.’ And Jim Jacks goes, ‘Well, I do.’ And that’s when I realized Hollywood is good. All these f*ckers know each other.”
Stan Lee’s final ever cameo came in Jason Mewes’ (who plays Jay in Kevin Smith’s View Askewniverse) Madness in the Method in 2019. Within the confines of the MCU, where his cameos were best known, the comic book legend, rather fittingly, made his final cameo in the mega-blockbuster Avengers: Endgame, which wrapped up the long-running Infinity Saga.
