Marvel’s made some of the highest grossing movies of all time, but none of it would’ve been possible if not for Stan Lee, whose characters form the spine of the sprawling universe. Lee died last year, but he’s still made a cameo in every single MCU movie to date, including the two that premiered after his passing—Captain Marvel and Endgame. We know that Endgame was the artist’s final cameo, and now we’ve learned another sad bit of news: He wasn’t able to see a cut of Endgame before his death.
In a Reddit AMA, Kevin Feige was answering some of fans’ most pressing questions, and the topic of Lee and Endgame came up. User abuskeletor said that—like most fans—they had wanted Stan Lee to see the film and “the culmination of what you built with his characters.” Feige, who is the head honcho and overlord (but in a good way) of the MCU, wrote back that Lee loved to wait until the movies’ premieres, and so wasn’t able to see a cut of it before he passed in November. “Stan loved to wait to see the final movie at the premiere, so unfortunately he did not get to see the finished movie. Stan got a download of the full story the day he came and shot his cameo.” A true fan of his own world through and through, it makes sense that Stan Lee would want to wait until the premiere to get the full effect.
In addition to this bummer of an update, the Russos has also hinted at Endgame being Stan Lee’s last cameo, but, by virtue of a fast car, a mustache, and the spirit of the ‘70s, it was a good one.