Kevin Smith Reveals How He's Returning The Favor After Stan Lee's 'Mallrats' Cameo In 'Captain Marvel'
Director Kevin Smith was moved to tears after seeing Stan Lee's touching tribute to him during his Captain Marvel cameo.
Now Smith is planning his own for the upcoming Jay and Silent Bob movie.
Any Marvel fan knows that if you're watching a Marvel superhero movie you can expect a cameo from the godfather of the MCU himself: the one and only Stan Lee.
What director Kevin Smith did not expect though, as he watched Lee's latest cameo in Captain Marvel, was a shout out from Lee that would bring him to tears.
The film, which is set in 1995, features Lee in his trademark cameo while Air Force pilot Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel) is searching through a passenger train for a shape-shifting Skrull.
Danvers runs into Lee sitting in one of the cars, rehearsing the line "Trust me, true believer" from a film script as he prepares for his cameo in Kevin Smith's 1995 cult classic Mallrats.
When Danvers reaches Lee she lowers the script to make sure he isn't a Skrull, smiles to herself, and walks away. Talk about meta.
Here's Lee's cameo in Mallrats.
Mallrats (7/9) Movie CLIP - Stan Lee Dating Wisdom (1995) HDwww.youtube.com
Fans who caught the movie appreciated the subtle nod, but for Smith it was a much more poignant moment.
After seeing Lee's cameo, Smith who was a "blubbering mess," posted his tearful reaction on Instagram.
He captioned the post:
"After a lifetime spent referencing the movies, the movies just referenced me!"
Smith added:
"Many thanks to @marvelstudios, #ryanfleck, #annabodin, and to my friend @therealstanlee for the cinematic shout-out!"
Smith followed up with an interesting question since he is now a part of the Marvel Comic Universe.
"But if I'm now part of the @marvel Universe, I have only one question: Did I survive The Snap?"
The tribute has inspired Smith to add a shout out of his own to his upcoming Jay and Silent Bob reboot.
On Monday Smith posted a still from Jay and Silent Bobon Twitter and Instagram showing Jason Lee reprising his role as Brodie Bruce picking up a Captain Marvel comic book — Smith's shout back to the movie and of course Lee who created the character along with Gene Colan.
Me and Mallrats got a shout-out in @captainmarvel, so me and Mallrats are shouting back in #JayAndSilentBobReboot! https://t.co/E3AObgH30W— KevinSmith (@KevinSmith) 1553556190
Fans of Marvel and Smith's "ViewAskewniverse" were completely in love with both of the subtle tributes.
@ThatKevinSmith @captainmarvel https://t.co/QfkBFqytqW— Luke Smithson (@Luke Smithson) 1553635143
@ThatKevinSmith @DKroenung @captainmarvel I loved that part of the movie! https://t.co/0ppTuG02c6— Kelly O'Brien (@Kelly O'Brien) 1553556571
@ThatKevinSmith @captainmarvel https://t.co/jLlsRknCEG— Sara Boozer (@Sara Boozer) 1553556685
@ThatKevinSmith @captainmarvel That there is what's called 'good karma'. https://t.co/JaTZ65O69L— Cory D. (@Cory D.) 1553556416
@ThatKevinSmith @captainmarvel https://t.co/VGltVDez0F— CALI RASTA MAN (@CALI RASTA MAN) 1553556432
As far as shout-outs go, this is about as meta as you can get.
@ThatKevinSmith @captainmarvel And I thought this was meta lol https://t.co/Hd0TmR3CiM— Jay (@Jay) 1553558011
@ThatKevinSmith @captainmarvel https://t.co/yTKBVh0B6I— Dad_Nurse (@Dad_Nurse) 1553556467
@ThatKevinSmith @captainmarvel https://t.co/Jlcd4ewuyC— Nayeli (@Nayeli) 1553556457
But it was a bittersweet reminder for fans of just how much we lost with Stan Lee's passing in November last year.
@ThatKevinSmith @captainmarvel Just saw Captain Marvel tonight. That was the best Stan Lee cameo. The shared sweet… https://t.co/nW0OqAqAhq— Cliff Hensley (@Cliff Hensley) 1553572914
@russburlingame @ThatKevinSmith @captainmarvel https://t.co/5UtyNIlJ6q— Phillip C. Butehorn (@Phillip C. Butehorn) 1553560444
@ThatKevinSmith @captainmarvel https://t.co/PsSGPKpcRQ— Xeno is Tarnished 💍 (@Xeno is Tarnished 💍) 1553556262
@ThatKevinSmith @captainmarvel https://t.co/97NKhB03Yg— freshwater astronaut 🇵🇹❤🇺🇦 (@freshwater astronaut 🇵🇹❤🇺🇦) 1553556941
@ThatKevinSmith @captainmarvel Seeing your reaction to Stan’s farewell cameo was moving and knowing he was thinking… https://t.co/ve4vURHrnw— Jack Harper (@Jack Harper) 1553600535
Though Stan Lee is no longer with us, the comic legend filmed several of his signature cameos so there are still a few more fun and poignant moments left to look forward to.
Smith's classic film Mallrats is available here.
@ThatKevinSmith @captainmarvel https://t.co/S1kF5c5bsn— John Watson Illustration (@John Watson Illustration) 1553556321
Kevin Smith Was A 'Blubbering Mess' After The 'Mallrats' Reference In 'Captain Marvel'
Kevin Smith took to his social media accounts to share a photo of himself crying after he saw Captain Marvel. The film, set in the '90s, contained a great Easter egg referencing the nerdy filmmaker and one of his early movies.
This is your spoiler warning. Turn back if you haven't seen the movie yet and don't want to know about parts of the film.
SPOILER ALERT!
There is a part of the film where Captain Marvel is searching for the shapeshifting alien Skrull on a train. As she moves from car to car, she looks over each passenger, stopping on a kind old man hidden behind a movie script. He winks at the hero and goes back to trying to memorize his lines.
That man is Stan Lee in one of his well-known cameos.
And the script he's reading is Mallrats.
Smith, a massive Marvel fan, was understandably touched by the moment.
The photo shows Smith with tears in his eyes, presumably having just seen the film.
He says in his caption,
"I am a blubbering mess. After a lifetime spent referencing the movies, the movies just referenced me!"
Smith is widely known for movies such as Clerks and the aforementioned Mallrats which have characters that make references to pop culture and comics often. Smith, himself, is a massive comic nerd.
Followers on Instagram were very supportive of Smith's fortune.
Mallrats was a film by Smith which followed slacker friends on an adventure through a mall. At one point in the film, one of the main characters runs into Stan Lee, who gives him romantic advice.
Captain Marvel didn't just have a tribute to Kevin Smith, but to Stan Lee himself.
Captain Marvel is the first MCU film since the passing of Stan Lee. At the start of the film, when the Marvel Studios logo comes on screen, the scenes of Marvel films are replaced with Stan Lee's beloved cameos.
The two tributes are enough to bring a tear to your eye.
@ThatKevinSmith @captainmarvel @MarvelStudios @TheRealStanLee @Marvel I screamed in the theater!!!! BEST Stan Lee c… https://t.co/AavFxZ8KQb— Michele (@Michele) 1552113027
So Awesome for @ThatKevinSmith Well deserved. https://t.co/1uJ6hHGoOk— Chip Boyes (@Chip Boyes) 1552286615
One of Stan's last cameos is in #CaptainMarvel + to hit it home that it was the 90's, aka my angsty teen years, he'… https://t.co/Liyi5OIMcY— Kelly (@Kelly) 1552143230
However, Smith's post ends with an important question.
"But if I'm now part of the @marvel Universe, I have only one question: Did I survive The Snap?"
That is a good question. However, the content of Mallrats being in the MCU leads to other difficult questions.
@ThatKevinSmith @captainmarvel @MarvelStudios @TheRealStanLee @Marvel Wait so if you exist within the MCU does that… https://t.co/S8qv0XKNK6— Jazzyruf (@Jazzyruf) 1552173532
@Maverickjake @ThatKevinSmith @captainmarvel @MarvelStudios @TheRealStanLee @Marvel Oh my God I hope so— Teela79 (@Teela79) 1552094948
@ThatJunkman @ThatKevinSmith @captainmarvel @MarvelStudios @TheRealStanLee @Marvel No it’s an alternate universe wh… https://t.co/UKJiUgabfF— Henry Feil (@Henry Feil) 1552147876
I was myself in a marvel show that takes place in the MCU, but as background. I often ask the question if who I pla… https://t.co/83TwnwPz5q— shark (@shark) 1552262603
Captain Marvel opened last week to a massive $150 million domestic box office, with a $455 million world wide opening weekend.
The film stars Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jude Law and Lashana Lynch.
First things, first, RIP Stan Lee.
Lee passed in early November in Los Angeles at the age of 95.
However, he did finish filming a couple of his signature cameos before he passed away, such as in Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse and the recently released Captain Marvel.
However, the Captain Marvel cameo is making everybody's heads spin.
Why?
Because Stan Lee's cameo in the timeline of Captain Marvel's story means Stan Lee was playing himself.
Can I just say that Stan Lee’s cameo in Captain Marvel is his best.— 👻 (@👻) 1552020387.0
That Stan Lee cameo on #CaptainMarvel ☺ https://t.co/lLgmCOAu1o— 🇸🇿 (@🇸🇿) 1552111559.0
Stan Lee’s cameo was thee cutest thing on #CaptainMarvel ❤️ https://t.co/WfYjCSgU4D— Ivy🌿 (@Ivy🌿) 1552045095.0
How do we know this?
Well, according to Nerdist, the film takes place in 1995 and Lee is seen reading the script of Mallrats, the movie which came out in 1995. Lee actually had a cameo in that movie.
Usually Lee plays random side characters in the Marvel movies, but here, he is playing himself.
"What's the big deal?" you may ask.
Well, it comes from Mallrats.
Take a look:
Mallrats - Brodie Meets Stan Leewww.youtube.com
He identifies himself as the creators of the Hulk and Spider-Man who are supposed to exist in the same universe as Captain Marvel.
So then is Stan Lee some sort of Marvel Universe omnipresent god, who is writing Captain Marvel's story around her as she lives it?
Also, since Mallrats basically paints comic book nerds as emotionally stunted and incapable of basic social skills, what does it mean when the comic books they are obsessed with are real?
@Vegas82 So, Stan Lee did a cameo as himself in the movie Mallrats which came out in 1995, and so when she comes ac… https://t.co/dUQwe6vuD6— Blake Elliott (@Blake Elliott) 1552021396.0
When Stan Lee and Mallrats are officially MCU canon #CaptainMarvel https://t.co/U103MVlVvQ— 👀 (@👀) 1552090717.0
R.I.P BIG STAN LEE IN THAT CAMEO READING MALLRATS😂— Jae hernandez (@Jae hernandez) 1552109848.0
Stan lee reading the mallrats script is my favorite Stan lee cameo in the marvel universe— 2017 Deron Williams (@2017 Deron Williams) 1552164971.0
The Stan Lee cameo in #CaptainMarvel is one of the best although it’s really hurting my brain thinking about it bec… https://t.co/dxUKSRN1sR— d. mac. (@d. mac.) 1552089204.0
I learned who Stan Lee was thru #Mallrats. I remember my Army buddy going nuts when he saw him and then explained i… https://t.co/fBxKJUaatP— Mike (@Mike) 1552106343.0
#StanLee Mallrats script! #captainmarvel 1995. Although he would have been 24 years younger!— Elliott Brown (@Elliott Brown) 1552147180.0
AHHH OUR BRAINS HURT.
Is Stan Lee still writing our reality around us right now? Why would he write a reality in which he is dead? What does this mean for all of us????
THAT STAN LEE MALLRATS CAMEO WAS CRAZY.— CHRIS (@CHRIS) 1552103558.0
So um yeah... Stan Lee rehearsing his lines for his cameo in Mallrats, might just be the BEST Stan Lee Marvel cameo yet 💖💖💖💖— KingTayvbob (@KingTayvbob) 1552080774.0
Yooo. Was Stan Lee reading the Mallrats script in his Captain Marvel cameo? I am nerding the fuck out.— Thomax Beats (@Thomax Beats) 1552074388.0
I learned who Stan Lee was from watching Mallrats as a teen. So yeah, that was perfect. ❤️💛💙 Thank you @ThatKevinSmith #CaptainMarvel— Jessica Bixby (@Jessica Bixby) 1552162859.0
Went to see Captain Marvel today and the Stan Lee cameo made me laugh. Also made me want to watch Mallrats.— Kieran Docherty (@Kieran Docherty) 1552099968.0
The Marvel Cinematic Universe really got us thinking about this.
So if you take away anything from this, it's that you too may be a Stan Lee creation.
Good for you.