The death of Stan "The Man" Lee rocked the comic book community across the globe when he passed in late 2018. It was November when the 95-year old comic publisher, writer, and editor was lost to the world, and less than a month later, audiences were able to see him in an animated cameo.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse hit theaters in December of 2018, and audiences got to see Miles Morales interacting with Stan as a comic shop owner, which is quite fitting. Not only that, but The Man was responsible for selling Miles his first spidey suit.
We recently had the chance to speak with Peter Ramsey (Rise of the Guardians,) who directed the film. Peter also helped the movie receive the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, becoming the first African American to win the award in the process.
When we spoke, we had to ask about Stan's cameo, as it was one of the last events that took place in his life. We were surprised to learn that when recording the different cameo shots for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the team had to travel to Stan's office because, at that point, the Marvel legend's vision was already failing.
To hear our full conversation with the director and storyboard artist Peter Ramsey click the podcast player below. Otherwise, scroll down for the transcript!
Literary Joe: Were you involved with the Stan Lee scene at all, and can you tell me about that? I know that was one of the last things that he was involved with.
Peter Ramsey: Yeah, it was kind of wild. We had a couple of different versions of the scene, and we were all happiest with the version that was closest to the exchange that ended up in the movie.
And we went to Stan's office to record them. I can't remember when in the year it was, but it was relatively late in making the movie. Yeah, it was really wild.
I mean, Stan Lee, that was the first time I had never met him. So that was like, Oh my God, I can't believe it's Stan, the Man! This is great.
Literary Joe: And he was there for your movie, too!
Peter Ramsey: And that blew my mind. That really took me back to being like 12 years old and looking at Stan's Soapbox in the comic books. It was just, wow, he was so nice, man. He was just a nice, kind guy.
It was close enough to the end for him that he was having real trouble seeing. So, that was kind of difficult. But, he was still up and around.
And he was talking and shaking hands. It was just a joy. He was a sweetheart.
*This interview has been edited for clarity. Audio is co-hosted by Nick Brooks (Toonado).
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creative minds behind The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street, bring their unique talents to a fresh vision of a different Spider-Man Universe, with a groundbreaking visual style that’s the first of its kind.
Spider-Man™: Into the Spider-Verse introduces Brooklyn teen Miles Morales, and the limitless possibilities of the Spider-Verse, where more than one can wear the mask.
If you're interested in watching Peter's Faceplant episode, you can check it out here.