Stan Lee’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse cameo becomes even more heartbreaking when you hear some of the alternate lines he recorded for the scene.
These days, it’s hard to imagine a Marvel film without a Stan Lee cameo.
The man responsible for comic book characters like Spider-Man and Black Panther has made dozens of brief appearances in both live-action and animated films (and even a few video games) featuring heroes he had some part in creating.
When it came to his cameo for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the scene was quick but impactful nonetheless. Lee’s character is the shopkeeper in Stan’s Collectables, the store Miles Morales visits after news breaks that Peter Parker has died.
Miles walks up to the counter to purchase a Spider-Man costume from the shop, and the face of the man behind the register immediately warms the hearts of viewers everywhere.
“I’m going to miss him. We were friends, you know,” Lee’s character tells Miles.
“Can I return it if it doesn’t fit?” Miles asks him, referring to the costume.
“It always fits,” the shopkeeper says with a smile. “Eventually.”
Into the Spider-Verse director Rodney Rothman recently revealed that several different versions of Lee’s lines were recorded — and one of them will absolutely wreck you.
“I can’t believe it. I didn’t think Spider-Man could die,” was one. “Why this stuff sells, I’ll never know,” was another.
But the third line that didn’t make it into the film is the most heartbreaking of them all: “ always thought he’d outlive me.”
Are you crying? We’re DEFINITELY crying.
Other lines we recorded with Stan Lee: 1) I can't believe it. I didn’t think Spider-Man could die. 2) Why this stuff sells, I’ll never know. 3) Always thought he'd outlive me. But he loved the line we used #VuduViewingParty @VuduFans
— Rodney Rothman (@rodneyrothman) March 23, 2019
Lee would pass away only a month before Into the Spider-Verse premiered, which made the cameo in this film bittersweet.
Fortunately, Stan Lee’s face will still appear in several upcoming Marvel films. We’ve seen (and teared up during) his cameo in Captain Marvel. He will also reportedly appear in Avengers: Endgame, though multiple sources have stated that his appearance in April 2019 will be the last we’ll see of him on-screen.
His memory, of course, will live on, both on and off the big screen. It’s highly probable future directors will find other ways to honor him in their films — tributes rather than cameos, but just as memorable.
While it is true the character of Spider-Man has in fact outlived his creator, that certainly speaks to the magnitude of Lee’s legacy. He may be gone, but the stories he told will live on for decades to come.
Do you think the line that made it into the film was a good choice? Do you think Stan Lee will continue to “appear” in future Marvel projects?