Joe Johnston On Captain America Modern Day Bookends; Reveals Stan Lee's Cameo!

After Stan "The Man" Lee prematurely revealed his cameo in 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man and recent spoiler filled opinions on the movie focusing more on the after-credits teaser for The Avengers, it seemed as if the legendary comic book creators appearance in Captain America: The First Avenger might just stay a secret. Until now that it. Detailing what it was like to have Lee on the set, director Joe Johnston lets slips some specifics, as well as some new info on the present day bookends. Many thanks to Comic Book Resources for the following excerpts. Be sure to head on over to the site to hear even more revealing details from the Captain America: The First Avenger director.

Captain America," while a standalone period movie, has the dual task of paving the way for the "Avengers" movie, directed and written by Joss Whedon and due in theaters in 2012. Despite this, Johnston said he did not feel any added pressure to create the template for who Captain America is for future movies.

"All I had to do was bring [Captain America] back to life, bring him back in contemporary 2011 and have him look around and go, 'Oh, no,'" said Johnston, who points to the filming of the recently leaked epilogue scene as the most work he had to do to set up "Avengers." That modern day scene also gave the director his second favorite moment of the movie, when Rogers realizes that his love interest, Peggy Carter, is gone.

"After being told he's been asleep for 70 years, there's a thousand questions he could ask -- but to have him say 'I had a date,' in a way sums up the romance," said Johnston. "He sacrificed his romance for saving the world."

In the end, the biggest challenge for the veteran director was not special effects or translating the comic book to screen, but directing Marvel Comics Godfather, Stan Lee, in his cameo appearance. As we wrapped came to the end of our discussion, the director's eyes lit up again when asked about his experience, and he began quietly laughing as he recalled Lee's first and only visit to set.

"[Stan Lee] comes in, and he's memorized his line. In this one scene, he plays a general. It was very funny because Stan said, 'Can I make my line longer?'"

The line was originally Lee turning to another general after seeing Steve Rogers and remarking "That's him? I thought he'd be taller."

"[Lee] said, how about I make it longer by saying, "That's Captain America? I thought he'd be taller,'" said Johnston. The director agreed -- but after they shot the line Lee asked to do another take. And another. And another.

"And every time he did it, he added a word! He'd say, 'That's Captain America? I really thought he would be taller!' 'So, that's Captain America? I thought he'd be taller!'" Johnston laughed. "Eventually, we ended up cutting it down to just 'I thought he'd be taller!'"