Kevin Feige shares details about final meeting with Stan Lee

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Two weeks ago today the comic book legend Stan Lee passed away at age 95, and fans all around the world are still paying tribute to the icon (when they’re not arguing with Bill Maher). The world of entertainment would not be the same without his work and influence, and in recent years some of the Marvel movies have become the biggest movies ever made. Spearheading the reign is Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, who recently published some final words about Lee, sharing his last, sweet encounter with the titan.

[SEE MORE]

EW posted Feige’s tribute, where he talked about Lee’s incredible imagination and bravery to do something different in an industry afraid to take risks. He spoke about the humanity in his characters and making sure every story had a message, even if some readers simply wanted splashes of color and action. Towards the end, he shared the details on their final meeting, which was meant to go over what they had in store for the future, but Feige noticed Lee was acting a bit differently than normal.

I went to his house to see him, and he reminisced about the cameos. We were talking about what was coming up, always looking to the future. Did he know that his time was running out? I don’t know. In hindsight, he was slightly more wistful than I’d seen him before. He talked about the past more than I had ever heard him talk about the past. So maybe on some level, he knew.

Still, Lee was ever the charmer.

When I sat down by his chair in our last meeting, the very first thing he said was: “I know you want me to star in the next movie, but I have to just stick to the cameos. You’ll have to leave the starring roles to the other actors. I’m sorry.”

Feige seems to have taken in that final meeting quite deeply, perhaps even knowing at the time that was the last time he was ever going to see his friend. He continued, talking about how Lee didn’t thrust himself into the filmmaking process, looming over every detail to make sure it was right. He just came in, did another one of his famous cameos, and then “let his work speak for itself.”

[SEE MORE]

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has gone 20 movies strong so far with three more next year and many more on the way, and it wouldn't have been possible without Lee. We could continue to talk about Lee in the way everyone has for the last two weeks, but it’s just nice to know that even in his last days he was cracking jokes and looking forward to the futures of the characters he created.