Top 10 MCU Cameos Explained — from Stan to [REDACTED]

Since the very first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel has provided fans with extraordinary cameos. And after seeing Tony Stark in The Incredible Hulk (2008), fans started to expect more Easter Eggs and special references. Each of these cameos either furthered the story or helped tell a joke.

Ultimately, we love these cameos whether they happen in a post-credits scene, mid-credits scene, or even just in the middle of the story! It shows us how much Marvel really wants us to connect with their comics and their characters. So, if you’re paying attention, you’ll definitely catch extra Easter eggs and special references. Here are our favorites.

MCU Spoilers Ahead (Excelsior!)

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Honorable Mentions:

First, it’s worth acknowledging a few of the cameos that were fantastic but didn’t quite make the top 10. Undoubtedly, artist Megan Thee Stallion played an excellent comedic role in She-Hulk. Seeing reporter Anderson Cooper in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever really added some realism to the fantastical story. And of course, Kevin Bacon in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was just about as special as it gets.

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Nick Fury in Iron Man

Now, the real list begins. And it starts right where the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off with cameos. Yes, we’re talking Nick Fury in Iron Man. In the post-credits scene of Iron Man, Nick Fury is waiting in the shadows. He arrives specifically to tell Tony Stark about the Avengers Initiative. Immediately, fans had a glimpse of the glorious cinematic universe to come.

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Howard the Duck

Clearly, James Gunn is a huge fan of comics. If you couldn’t tell from his previous work, you could certainly tell from the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 1. Sure, there were all manner of Easter eggs and comic book references. But perhaps the best was the inclusion of Howard the Duck. Only the geekiest, wackiest fans at the time got the reference. Now, thanks to James Gunn, the character is so well known that he is even featured in season 1 of Marvel’s What If…?

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Stan Lee and The Watchers

James Gunn continued to show his love for comics and cameos in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 — especially with Stan Lee. Now, it had been a long-running fan theory that all of the Stan Lee cameos across the Marvel Cinematic Universe were somehow connected. Fans believed that he was Uatu the Watcher. Well, they got half of the equation right. Stan Lee played the role of Watcher Informant, and in GotG Vol. 2, we finally got to see him hanging out with The Watchers. Though it didn’t seem like they had much time for him.

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Quicksilver

Marvel’s WandaVision opened up the potential of the entire Multiverse. For the first time ever, fans got to see the true nature of Scarlet Witch’s power. She could manipulate reality. With all of the reality manipulation and confusion of the show, it truly felt like anything was possible. So, when actor Evan Peters appeared in the show and claimed to be Pietro Maximoff, fans were stunned. After all, Evans Peters also played the role of Quicksilver in Fox’s X-Men franchise. We were almost certain that these two realities had crossed over.

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Thanos in What If…?

Throughout season 1 of Marvel’s What If…? there were small references and little nods to the main Marvel Cinematic Universe. Without a doubt, one of the most common tropes was showing all the different ways that Thanos could have been handled as a threat. For example, if T’Challa became Star-Lord, he would have had a heart-to-heart with Thanos. And Infinity Ultron was able to defeat him with just a single beam of energy!

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X-Men: The Animated Series Theme Song

Kamala Khan had an extraordinary adventure through time and space in the series Ms. Marvel. After everything, she returned home and reunited with her best friend Bruno. Ever the scientist, Bruno was able to discover something unique about Kamala’s genetic makeup. He reveals that she is a mutant. In that exact moment, the main motif used in the theme song of X-Men: The Animated Series plays. And while we still don’t know the future of the X-Men in the MCU, we know that Kamala is somehow tied to them.

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Daredevil and Venom

In Spider-Man: No Way Home, the entire Multiverse was literally collapsing in on itself. However, even before Doctor Strange’s spell, there was a cameo that felt like an entirely new universe had opened. For one brief scene, Charlie Cox reprised his role as Matt Murdock, AKA Daredevil. He offered Peter Parker some legal council and fans were shocked. Then, after an entire movie of cameos and multiversal characters, Marvel gave us one more little nod with Tom Hardy as Venom.

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Wong and Daredevil

Marvel’s She-Hulk pushed the boundaries of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in so many ways. Undoubtedly, it was one of the first true comedy shows. On top of that, it was the first time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that a character actively broke the fourth wall. It was also the first time we got to see Wong let his hair down (Wongerrrrrssss). Plus, Daredevil appeared for the first time (as opposed to just Matthew Murdock). Each of their scenes were hilarious and perfect.

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The Illuminati

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness revealed just how dangerous and confusing the Multiverse could be. Now that Spider-Man opened it, anything became possible. One thing that comic fans were not predicting was the arrival of the Illuminati. This team of masterminds works together to orchestrate events throughout the Multiverse, with the supposed goal of world piece. And each one of them was a cameo of their own.

First there was Sir Patrick Stewart as Professor X, as seen in the X-Men franchise. Then, there was John Krasinski as Mister Fantastic, a fan-cast and rumor that had been going around for years. There was Hayley Atwell as Captain Carter, a character we had only seen animated in What If…? before. There was Anson Mount as Black Bolt from The Inhumans series. And finally, there was Maria Rambeau as an extremely powerful Captain Marvel.

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Valkyrie, Beast & Binary, Kate Bishop

Last but not least, The Marvels has quite a few cameos. Sure, there is Valkyrie, who we know best from the Thor quadrilogy. And yes, in the end, we see Kate Bishop as Kamala Khan begins her “Young Avengers Initiative.”  Fans were thrilled to see a version of Binary. However, perhaps the most shocking and exciting cameo was the first official inclusion of the X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At last, fans got to see Hank McCoy, AKA Beast, in full form.

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What’s your favorite cameo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?  Join the conversation with other Marvel fans over at Sideshow Social Network or at side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!