A Stan Lee cameo is a classic Marvel trademark, but Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is unique in regard to this special feature. While attending the 2019 Golden Globes on Sunday, January 6, Peter Ramsey, Bob Persichetti, and Rodney Rothman—the film's directors—revealed that Lee has more than one hidden cameo in the animated film.
According to The New York Times writer Kyle Buchanan, the film’s directors shared that several of the animators involved with the project each wanted a shot at animating the late Marvel icon, so Lee has cameos in “several crowd shots” throughout the movie.
Before the film was released, its producers shared some details about collaborating with Lee on the film, which was the last movie the legend worked on before he died on November 12, 2018.
"I feel like it's taken on an added poignancy since we lost him, but ... as a moment still plays to cheers. But now with some ahs and then some laughs," producer Chris Miller said. "I'm just happy that we got to put him in a really integral spot of the movie, and sort of at a really important, emotional moment for the movie. And be able to honor him in a way that felt like it did him some justice."
"I think that it's a really warm cameo, and we've seen it play with an audience for a few months now, and it's always been a welcome presence," added fellow producer Phil Lord. "People are always excited to see . We've seen it since then with an audience, and there's still a kind of joy in it, even though we all miss him. The audience basically welcomes him back. It's like seeing an old friend."
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is in theaters now.