Excelsior!

Greetings True Believers! To celebrate the release of Marvel's The Avengers on DVD and BluRay, this week I'll be counting down the; 

Top 10 Stan Lee Cameos in Marvel films! 

So without any further ado: 

10. Fantastic Four (2005) 
- My man Stan pops up as Willie the Mailman, a staple of FF comics since the 1960s, creating a great little nod to the fans in what is, otherwise, a pretty poor film. 

9. Daredevil (2003) 
- A young Matt Murdock has discovered his powers and is training in secret when he prevents Stan Lee from walking into traffic. A nice little scene that's not on the nose. 

8. Thor (2011) 
- Stan Lee wrecks a pickup truck trying to pull Mjolnir out of a crater, his line? "Did it work?" Stan can be a funny guy. 

7. The Incredible Hulk (2008) 
- Stan Lee is on-screen maybe as much a two seconds in this film as he drinks a Gamma-tainted energy drink and keels over. The only film to kill Stan Lee to date. 

6. Iron Man (2008) 
- On his way into a party, Tony Stark stops to greet Hugh Hefner, as played by Stan Lee, complete with pipe, smoking jacket and bunnies. Funny and memorable without being distrating, bravo. 

5. The Avengers (2012) 
- "Superheroes? In New York? Give me a break." It's funny because Stan Lee created so many heroes that live in New York, see? Ok... yeah... I'm a nerd. 

4. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- Top Army brass await Captain America when an aide walks in instead, Stan's response? "I though he'd be taller." 

3. Hulk (2003)
- Ang Lee's experimental, Freudian examination of the duality of Bruce Banner is, in my opinion, unfairly maligned, but it does give us a great double-whammy cameo with Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno as security guards at the Gamma facility. Their response to the Hulk? "We need to beef up security around here." 

2. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) 
- A beautiful scene where librarian Stan listens to classical music whilst Peter and Curt tear up the school behind him. You know this kind of thing is working when the whole cinema is roaring with laughter. 

1. Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) 
- Ok, so this film is terrible, but it does give us one of Marvel's most iconic moments, the marriage of Reed and Sue. A familiar face is trying to get in only to be told that he's not on the list; "I'm Stan Lee!" "Sure you are buddy." Fourth-wall breaking? Yes. Hilarious? Hell yes.

Now I'm off to watch The Avengers again... 

Hat Guy - Earth's mightiest pedant.