THE BEST CAMEOS IN MARVEL MOVIES

With the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, there have been a huge number of new cameos and shock appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe recently. The history of cameos in these films dates back a long way, with fans memorably noting the appearance of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in the post-credit scene for Iron Man as the real opening of the MCU.

All 41 Cameos in Deadpool & Wolverine

Deadpool & Wolverine features an abundance of cameos from across the Marvel Universe, and beyond.

The history of cameos in Marvel movies goes back even further than that, with many great moments being produced in the X-Men and Spider-Man movies of the 2000s, and beyond. Over the years, cameos and rumors about who will pop up in superhero movies have generated a great deal of hype for various Marvel projects, and this will likely continue to be a successful strategy for the MCU going forward, now that they have the full roster of Marvel Comics at their fingertips.

Samuel L. Jackson As Nick Fury

Helped Lead To The Avengers

The MCU began with Iron Man when the huge origin movie was released in 2008. However, the scope of what was to come wasn’t truly unveiled until the stunning post-credits scene, which both started a trend for the MCU and superhero films in general. It introduced Samuel L. Jackson’s all-important Nick Fury, who asked Iron Man if he would like to join the Avengers.

This moment is a historical one in cinema, given how far and wide the MCU has gone since then, and how successful the bringing together of the Avengers has been. This cameo by Jackson turned into a character that he has played many times, often just in small roles like his original one in Iron Man. Yet his importance to the larger MCU is massive and has helped make this cameo and scene one of the most memorable Marvel moments of all time.

Henry Cavill As The "Cavillrine"

Saw A Major Jump From DC To Marvel

The major release of Deadpool & Wolverine, the only MCU or Marvel film to be released in 2024, saw some of the most infamous cameo moments in movie history. Henry Cavill, Superman himself, making the leap between brands to cameo as an alternate reality version of Wolverine provided one of the best moments in the entire film.

Starring as a full mutton-chop version of Wolverine, complete with a cigar and Cavill’s now infamous arm pump, this Wolverine was a choice one for Deadpool to bring on his ride with him through the Multiverse. Unfortunately, the "Cavillrine" rejected the Merc's proposal, and sent Deadpool flying back to where he came from. This was a huge highlight for the Wolverine search montage in the film, and also a significant leap for Cavill from DC to Marvel, allowing Deadpool to poke fun at the guys “across the street.”

Kevin Bacon As Kevin Bacon

A Hilarious Running Joke Fulfilled

It was pretty amusing to find out in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film that Peter Quill treated Kevin Bacon as a true hero from Earth because of his starring roles in films like Footloose. This hilarious jape materialized surprisingly into an actual appearance by Bacon, as himself, in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special released on Disney Plus.

5 Most Rewatchable Marvel Movies, Ranked

These are some of the most enjoyable Marvel movies that hold the most rewatch value.

Seeing Mantis and Drax come to Earth, get drunk, and steal Kevin Bacon as a Christmas present for Quill was one of the better sequences the MCU has had in the past few years. It made for a truly hilarious showing, ending with a surprisingly heartfelt coming together for the team and their newfound friend, resulting in an excellent cameo that confirms at least some beloved celebrities exist as themselves in the MCU.

Matt Damon As Fake Loki

One Of Marvel's Biggest Surprises Yet

Of all the random times to turn up in a cameo role, Matt Damon throughout his career has picked some of the best. The Jason Bourne star wouldn’t be a surprising choice to appear in a leading role in a Marvel film, but the role he did take on, and his only superhero role to date, was a fairly astounding one.

In Thor: Ragnarök, Loki had taken over Asgard and was masquerading as his father. He set other Asgardians to tell the story of Loki from his perspective, and Matt Damon appeared hilariously as the actor playing Loki as he “tragically dies” in a recreation of his supposed death scene in Thor: The Dark World. A completely random moment, this made for one of the most genuinely funny scenes in the MCU's third phase.

Anthony Mackie As Falcon

Helped Broaden The MCU's Interconnectivity

Ant-Man was not a particularly well-known character to general audiences when his first film was released in 2014. However, he didn’t waste time in getting himself to the Avengers Compound to make a name for himself; even if he was doing it by breaking into the compound illegally, shortly after Captain America and Black Widow had formed their new, short-lived Avengers team.

Falcon, before he became the new Captain America, was sent out to apprehend Ant-Man after he'd breached the perimeter in a surprise cameo moment for the new Avenger, who ended up in a classic Marvel hero-vs-hero situation in which Falcon didn’t manage to come out on top. Not only did this make for a great initial win for Scott Lang as Ant-Man, but it was also a hilarious addition to the film and helped jumpstart Anthony Mackie's MCU role.

Charlie Cox As Matt Murdock

Officially Brought The Netflix Division To The MCU

Although it isn’t the most recent occasion in which Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock has made a surprising appearance in an MCU project, the previously Netflix-confined vigilante has since branched out both into film and Disney Plus appearances. With all the news leading up to No Way Home being about the potential former Spider-Men heroes and villains appearing, Cox’s cameo as Matt Murdock slipped under the radar.

Although he (somewhat surprisingly) didn’t appear in costume as Daredevil on this occasion, Matt did provide legal advice to Peter Parker during a difficult time for the young hero. He also managed to showcase his special skills by stopping a brick thrown through Peter's window, suggesting that Daredevil may have even faster reflexes than Spider-Man. Though this might not result in him being an Avenger, Daredevil will return on the back of Cox's cameos in other Marvel projects for a Disney Plus series, Daredevil: Born Again, in 2025.

The X-Force

Created A Hilarious, Shocking Sequence

The team and many cameos in Deadpool & Wolverine aren’t the first time that Ryan Reynolds has compiled a list of celebrity cameos for one of his films. His second time around in the Deadpool suit (and third time playing the character), Reynolds was joined by the likes of Zazie Beetz as Domino and Josh Brolin as Cable, but he also attempted to form an entire team to take down Cable when the futuristic mercenary turned against him.

MCU: 8 Characters Henry Cavill Could Play In The Franchise

Whilst Henry Cavill is no longer Superman, there are still some truly iconic roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that the actor could make his own.

This led to the creation of X-Force in live-action for the first time. The team included Bedlam, Zeitgeist, Shatterstar, and Vanisher, as well as Deadpool’s future best friend, Peter. Featuring celebrities like Terry Crews and the astounding Brad Pitt as Vanisher, the team only lasted a matter of seconds before (almost) all dying off in a variety of brutal accidents, but their creation and death made for the most memorable part of the entire sequel.

Seth Green As Howard the Duck

A Throwback To The First Marvel Movie

James Gunn has always been known for favoring characters that comic book history hasn’t always been kind towards. This includes his choices of teams to direct, like Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, as well as many of the characters he is set to highlight while in charge of the DCEU. However, while taking on the Guardians for the first time in 2014, he managed to have some fun additions, particularly a huge nod to Marvel’s first on-screen hero.

Before Blade, X-Men or Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, the first major motion picture made using a Marvel Comics character was actually Howard the Duck. Though he hasn’t become a major part of the MCU (yet), the character was reintroduced in Guardians of the Galaxy — played by the lovable Seth Green — as part of the Collector’s collection, making for a highly amusing Easter Egg.

The Illuminati

Blew The Multiverse Wide Open

Deadpool & Wolverine arguably did it better, but Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness pulled off something quite amazing in bringing together the alternate universe version of the Avengers that fans know and love. The protectors of this alternate Earth where Stephen Strange and America Chavez find themselves squaring off against Wanda Maximoff include a variety of amazing and surprising cameos in one scene.

John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic was one of the biggest shocks, as well as Patrick Stewart returning as Charles Xavier and Anson Mount returning to the role of Black Bolt from The Inhumans. Additionally, alternate universe versions of Peggy Carter and Monica Rambeau, where they became Captain America and Captain Marvel respectively, were included, making for a fascinating and exciting team of heroes who were all unfortunately killed when Wanda invaded their world and challenged them.

The Resistance Team

A Fitting End To The Marvel Fox Era

Although it is a recent addition to the list, the Resistance Team that stood against Cassandra Nova in The Void has broken the internet and combined a number of familiar faces from previous (Non-MCU) Marvel films to create something wonderful. Wesley Snipes as Blade, Jennifer Garner as Elektra, Dafne Keen as X-23 and Channing Tatum in the Gambit role he never got to bring to the big screen all joined Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool to create a truly unique team.

Even more surprising than their cameos was the fact that this ragtag crew may have managed to survive the events in The Void, although their fates are left ambiguous in all but X-23's case. This surprisingly nice ending for the heroes of different eras made for a wholesome wrapping up of the Fox stewardship of Marvel properties, and caused some massive gasps in the cinema.

Chris Evans As Johnny Storm

The Greatest Switcheroo Move In Marvel History

Though Deadpool & Wolverine didn’t manage to bring back Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man (though RDJ’s return was confirmed the same week as its release), Ryan Reynolds was able to tempt Chris Evans back into the MCU for one more suiting and booting. In the wildest moment of the film, Deadpool and Logan run into Evans, but while even Deadpool is convinced the A-lister has returned as Captain America, it’s actually his much earlier Marvel role of Johnny Storm from The Fantastic Four that Evans has taken on.

25 Lowest Grossing MCU Movies At The Box Office

Even though movies set in the MCU are invariably profitable, some performed better at the box office than others.

This version, likely the same variant of Johnny that appeared in 2005’s Fantastic Four, joins Deadpool and Wolverine in being captured, goes on a tirade against Cassandra Nova on their journey to meet her, and consequently gets his skin ripped off by her when she hears about it. This brutal killing made for a hilarious moment, as did Evans’ entire cameo, creating one of the most memorable Marvel moments in years.

Andrew Garfield And Tobey Maguire As The Spider-Men

Bringing The Three Big Screen Peter Parker's Together

The most enormous box office moment of the MCU’s phase 4 came in the form of Spider-Man: No Way Home. This huge event had the hype of fans thinking that, in addition to confirmed appearances by former versions of Spider-Man villains, there was a chance that the former on-screen versions of Spider-Man himself would appear. When this moment came, it was one of the most raucous moments in cinema history.

Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire both appearing and taking up their old mantles, alongside Tom Holland’s version of the character, added a huge bit of nostalgia to the hype around the film. No Way Home was a riotous success, and the trio coming together and fighting alongside each other made for a brilliant third act. It remains the best use of the Multiverse in the MCU to date.

Stan Lee As Various

The Creator

There is one man who has appeared in more Marvel films than any other, even more than Robert Downey Jr. can hope to do by the time he finally quits. Stan Lee, the man behind the rise of Marvel Comics, has had a bigger impact on comic book history, and arguably pop culture history, than anybody else.

Stan Lee made cameos in at least 38 Marvel movies, and his image has popped up in others even after his death. This has made him the greatest recurring Easter Egg and the most successful cameo actor in the history of cinema. His antics in these cameos are legendary; picking out just one is nearly impossible, and surpassing the greatness of his cameo run is unthinkable.

MCU: Phase Five, Ranked (So Far)

Despite the MCU's momentum winding down, Phase Five still has a few tricks up its sleeve to impress those who can't get enough of Marvel's heroes.