Lengthy earlier than Stan Lee cameos grew to become an ever-present Easter egg within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the legendary comics creator, who passed away in 2018 at age 95, had his eye on showing in a completely completely different franchise.
A current Facebook publish from former DC author, editor, and government Paul Levitz (by way of thePopVerse) reveals that on the 1989 premiere of Tim Burton’s Batman, Lee requested Batman co-creator Bob Kane if he may make a cameo in its inevitable sequel.
Famously, in fact, Lee popped up in dozens of Marvel films, even previous to the MCU’s official kickoff; he additionally made quite a few appearances in different media, particularly comics-adjacent movies like Mallrats. Even so, it could appear unusual that Lee wished to look in a DC film—although he would finally lend his voice to DC’s Teen Titans Go! To the Movies in 2018, lastly scratching that itch for the uncommon—but not unprecedented—comics-company crossover.
However you’ll be able to’t assist however marvel: what may the King of Cameos have gotten as much as in Gotham Metropolis? Bear in mind the sequel Lee was referring to would finally grow to be Batman Returns, the unimaginable psychosexual horror present introducing the world to each Michelle Pfieffer’s Catwoman and Danny DeVito’s Penguin. In hindsight, this looks as if an enormous missed alternative.
Trying again on the film, Lee may have performed a sewer-dwelling carny, slow-danced to Siouxsie and the Banshees, and even had his nostril bitten off by the Penguin (a scene simply as haunting to behold three a long time later) in a metatextual jab on the competitors. A case may even be made Lee would have made a greater Commissioner Gordon than Pat Hingle ever did. Lee’s larger-than-life public persona would have made him a pure match for Gotham Metropolis— precisely the kind of inventive maniac who’d taker residence in a metropolis largely outlined by its larger-than-life prison component.
What are your ideas on Lee’s DC goals? Speculate about his Batman Returns missed potential within the feedback.
Need extra io9 information? Try when to count on the most recent Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and all the pieces you might want to learn about the way forward for Doctor Who.
Trending Merchandise