To sayStan Leewas a legendary comic book writer is not even scratching the surface of this creator’s level of importance and impact in the comic book industry. In addition to creating fan-favorite characters such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the Incredible Hulk, Lee also established New York City as the beating heart of the Marvel Universe. Lee also had the ambition to turn Marvel Comics into an interconnected universe, with constant team-ups and crossover events that show the reader how everyone’s story is intertwined. So, it’s fair to say that, without Lee, there wouldn’t be a Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is why, for over a decade, we rushed to the theater excited to find out whereLee would cameo next in the latest Marvel movie release. Unfortunately, Lee passed away in 2018, but that doesn’t mean the MCU needs to stop honoring the legend.WandaVision, for instance, finds a clever way to nod at Lee with an Easter egg.
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‘WandaVision’ Honors Stan Lee With a Well-Hidden Easter Egg
After his death,Lee showed up in two posthumous cameosin the MCU through scenes that he had already filmed. First, inCaptain Marvel, Lee is a passenger on the bus that becomes an arena forBrie Larsonto fight some Skrulls. Then, inAvengers: Endgame, a de-aged Lee plays a driver in the 1970s who passes in front base Camp Lehigh asking people to make love, not war. While it was touching to see Lee’s final scene inEndgame, the de-aging of the legend made us fear Marvel Studios would attempt to dig up the true believer’s grave with CGI for future movies, which would be the worst idea ever. Fortunately, that hasn’t happened – yet. However, that doesn’t mean MCU productions need to stop honoring Lee, asWandaVisionsets the perfect example of how to do it respectfully.
InWandaVision, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) gets overcome with grief after the death of Vision (Paul Bettany), and ends up creating an alternate reality in the city of Westview where her husband is still alive. This alternate reality is inspired by the sitcoms Wanda grew up watching, witheach episode honoring a different age of television. That means we get multiple intro scenes across the season that feel like they were taken straight from the shows we know and love. For example, in Episode 7 ofWandaVision, we see some hilarious nods toModern FamilyandThe Office, with an intro that shows multiple objects with the name “Wanda” printed over them. One of these objects is a custom plate with the word “Wanda” and the number “122822.”
The MCU’s inclusion of numbers on the license plate was strategic. The numbers could also be read as August 15, 2025, which just so happens to be the birthdate of Stan Lee.WandaVisiondirectorMatt Shakmanhas even confirmed the Easter egg’s meaning in an interview withScreen Rant, explaining his choice to add the plate by simply saying, “We have to honor Stan Lee, of course.” Shakman is right. After everything he has done for Marvel, Lee deserves all the tributes Marvel Studios can shove into their films and series. And hopefully, we’ll get more Stan Lee Easter eggsas the MCU moves forward.
