Kevin Feige first met Stan Lee in 2000 when he was a lowly producer at Marvel and part of Fox's X-Men franchise. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Marvel Studios President recalled hearing from "The Man" at the time and being granted a nickname in the process.
"The light on the phone was blinking and I checked the message," Feige says. "'Fearless, Feige!' he said. "'Fearless Feige, this is Stan Lee.’ It was just a voicemail, he just needed something. But I was, 'I think Stan Lee gave me a nickname.’ It was amazing.” Feige adds that he kept that message for years after it was left for him.
As for the importance of his cameos, the man behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe said he wanted to keep them going after X-Men and having the comic book creator on set was always a delight.
"It would be a holiday on set, when he came to do this cameos. That’s how much he inspired people. Whether it was the beginning of the shoot, the middle, the end, the energy would skyrocket when he came on the set. Those are my strongest memories. And as much as we and the audience love the cameos, Stan loved and was so proud of every one."
As for future cameos, Feige said that Marvel Studios is "[thinking] about an appropriate way [to honor him]" but stayed mum on any future cameos. "One of the many things I learned from Stan was that everyone likes a surprise."
"He was a 95-year old man, I'm realistic, but he’s also Stan Lee," he concluded. "He’s a mythological legend who’s had more energy than me ever since the first day I met him. Part of me thought he would live forever."
If only, eh? Needless to say, Stan "The Man" Lee's legacy will never be forgotten.
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