Stan Lee Previews His Marvel's Agents of SHIELD Cameo

Suffice to say, but any chance you have to hear the iconic voice of Stan Lee speaking to you is a good one. I had the opportunity to talk to the legendary comic book creator about his upcoming appearance on this coming Tuesday's episode of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. In the episode, Lee will continue a tradition he's had for many years now, making a cameo in a Marvel-based property.

IGN TV: My first question with you appearing on S.H.I.E.L.D. is, what took so long?! Were you saying, "Hey, why am I not in the first episode of this show?"

Stan Lee: Oh, I like the way you think! I felt the same way. Why was it not called Stan Lee and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? [Laughs] No, I'm glad that they gave that one little cameo, though. It's a little bit longer than a cameo. It's almost a supporting role. Instead of the usual three or four or five seconds, I think this took almost half a minute.

Maurissa Tancharoen (executive producer), Stan Lee, Elizabeth Henstridge ("Agent Simmons") and Clark Gregg ("Agent Coulson') on the set of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

IGN: You were there for the beginning of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Lee: Well, I'm glad they invited me, because I did the first S.H.I.E.L.D. story in the comics with Jack Kirby. I love the whole concept of S.H.I.E.L.D.. I don't know if you'd remember, but years ago, there was a television show called The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and U.N.C.L.E. was a secret organization and so forth. I got the idea for S.H.I.E.L.D. from U.N.C.L.E.. I thought it'd be great to have an organization like that, but because we were doing comic books, I'd make it bigger and more colorful and more far out. We had a book called Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, which we stopped publishing after awhile. The fans would wonder, "What happened to Sgt. Fury? Where is he now?" So it occurred to me that if I did this group S.H.I.E.L.D., why not put Sergeant Fury at the head of it, except he'd now be a Colonel. So he'd be Colonel Fury and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. -- and that's how it all started. I loved the idea, and I'm so glad that it's a TV series. As it moves along, I hope it just gets wilder and wilder.

IGN: So can you say anything about what part you play on the episode?

Lee: Yeah, I play a guy sitting on a train, and I see Agent Coulson arguing with Elizabeth Henstridge [Agent Simmons]. I don't realize that they're putting on an act for some reason that has to do with this story, but I get very upset about the way he's talking to her -- and I'm sitting with a couple of young ladies. I don't know who they are or why I'm sitting with them, but they were attractive, so I was very happy to do it. So I get up, and I bring the two young ladies with me, and I walk over, and I give Agent Coulson a little tongue-lashing for the way he's been talking to her -- and that's my role! I can't wait to see it when it comes out.

IGN: This is not the only time one of your cameos has included you with some lovely ladies.

Lee: Well, I don't ask for it, but I certainly appreciate it! I mean, it's more fun to be with a lovely lady than a funny-looking man, that's for sure -- or even a good-looking man!

IGN: The show and the films have Coulson as a big player in S.H.I.E.L.D., though he’s not from the comic books. Is it interesting for you to see it branch out like that?

Lee: Well, I guess they felt they had to have some normal people — or seemingly normal people — and certainly Clark is doing a very good job playing the role. I just feel that we also need more colorful characters to be popping up all the time. I don't mean that Clark isn't colorful as an actor, but what I mean is characters who as comic book characters are more colorful.

IGN: They have announced now that Deathlok and Lady Sif will appear, among others from the comics. Are you excited to see some of those characters interact with the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.?

Lee: Yeah, that will be great. I think that's what the show needs. I think people will tune in to see those characters and will enjoy seeing them in the context of being with normal people on a normal mission.

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IGN: Once you did your first Marvel cameo, did it just become a natural thing that they kept asking you to do these appearances?

Lee: I guess so. I guess I was so magnificent as a cameo actor that the word got around quickly. Actually, the first one I remember -- your memory is probably better than mine -- but I it was the X-Men movie where some guy was coming out of the ocean, and I was standing on the beach selling hot dogs. He passed by, and I looked surprised to see he was a super-type of character. Do you remember that one?

IGN: Oh yeah!

Lee: I think that was the first of the cameos, and that surprised me. Bryan Singer, the director, just called and said, "Hey, I'd like you to be in a scene here." So I stood there, and I tried to be the best hot dog vendor I could ever be. The scene only lasted a couple of seconds, but it must have given some other people ideas, because after that a lot of people started calling and asking me to do cameos. Even though I'm very shy in retiring, I did get myself to do it.

IGN: They've announced several more Marvel TV series coming up on Netflix -- Daredevil, Luke Cage, among them -- are you excited both to see more of these TV shows and also by all the cameo possibilities?

Lee: Oh, absolutely! Even if I don't get cameos in 'em -- which of course would be a great mistake on Marvel's part -- but I am very excited to see them. The more of our characters we can get on television, the better. They're doing great in the movies, and they should do just as well on TV.

Stan Lee will make his cameo on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on Tuesday, February 4th.

Eric Goldman is Executive Editor of IGN TV. You can follow him on Twitter at @EricIGN, IGN at ericgoldman-ign and Facebook at Facebook.com/TheEricGoldman.

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