The MCU has been dominating pop culture for over 15 years now. So, naturally, big names have wanted to take part. But, sometimes, recognizability isn’t always the best thing in the world for a movie. Sometimes it can prove to be an outright distraction.
This describes the cameos that follow. It’s not to say they’re bad, just somewhat distracting when watching the film. Note that, save for one example that received a ton of publicity prior to its respective film’s release, credit scene cameos largely won’t be included, just those that distract from the ongoing flow of the film’s narrative.
10 Elon Musk
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Widely considered the weakest entry of Phase One, Jon Favreau’s Iron Man 2 receives a lot of undue hate. It’s not as thematically strong as the franchise kickstarter, and it can be overstuffed at times, but the later phases’ poorest movies have allowed its status to be somewhat reevaluated. But Elon Musk’s cameo is certainly one element that’s gotten worse, not better.
But, Why?
Musk has, of course, become more of a controversial figure in recent years than he’s ever been. So, even those who didn’t know who he was back in 2010 certainly know now. And, when they rewatch this sequel, his cameo is going to stick out like a sore thumb.
9 Bill Maher & Joan Rivers
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Just as Iron Man 2 was underrated, Iron Man 3 was overrated. The villain’s fire-breathing scene really alleviates the bizarre effect of Whiplash’s bird obsession. But it does have a more concrete identity, even if that identity is yet another Shane Black Christmas-set movie (just one set in the MCU).
At Least the Rivers Cameo Makes Sense
The only time it loses a bit of that identity, as a singular director’s unique vision for an MCU movie, is when Bill Maher and Joan Rivers show up to talk about Don Cheadle’s Iron Patriot. It’s a case of “Wait, does the MCU have the same celebrities as our reality?” And that case is not a one-and-done on this list. Though, to its credit, having the late Rivers talk about Iron Patriot’s gaudy design is on the money.
8 David Hasselhoff
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2‘s Ego the Living Planet is an MCU villain who needs to return in some way, if only because Kurt Russell is such a likable performer. But, even if he doesn’t, at least he made a memorable impression in this sequel. There’s much merit to a villain with a personal connection to the protagonist like, say, being their father who wants to harvest them for the sake of his own power.
A Solid Callback
And, even though he’s been out of Peter Quill’s life for its entirety, Ego sure knows how to get under his skin. For instance, turning himself into Quill’s childhood hero: David Hasselhoff (Zardu Hasselfrau). Given Quill’s love for the ’80s and Ego’s logical ability to alter his own appearance, it’s a cameo that both works within the film’s logic and is clever, but for a moment it is technically a distraction.
7 Matt Damon & Sam Neill
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
A breath of fresh air for the MCU courtesy of Taika Waititi, Thor: Ragnarok is the Marvel franchise and Waititi’s sensibilities firing on all cylinders. This includes the clever notion of having a famous actor playing a famous Asgardian actor. Well…semi-famous Asgardian actor.
At Least It’s Funny the First Time
Having Matt Damon play a stage version of Loki was pretty funny, just as was having Chris’ Hemsworth’s own brother, Luke, play Thor. But the Coup de grâce is the casting of Sam Neill (who worked with Waititi on the previous year’s wonderful Hunt for the Wilderpeople) as the play’s narrator. Perfectly fitting, and a hilarious minor distraction from the film’s narrative (instead serving as a summarization of the previous film’s).
6 Joe Russo
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
A big-screen extravaganza the MCU will likely have a hard time ever topping, Avengers: Endgame is nevertheless not without its faults. For instance, the Joe Russo cameo. One of the two brothers who have graced the MCU not just with some of its biggest hits but its best films (including Endgame), Joe is an integral part of the Universe, but his cameo is just an attempt to bolster the film’s LGBTQ inclusion, and he’s married to a woman.
A Clunky Inclusion
His cameo takes place during a therapy session led by Captain America. They’re discussing people they’ve lost in “the Snap” and Joe’s character mentions a man he’d been seeing. One just wonders why the Russos didn’t just hire a member of the LGBTQ community to inhabit the role.
5 Wong & Abomination
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
A highlight of Phase Four’s cinematic output, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is at its best when it focuses on family. It’s also an important movie, considering it’s the first Marvel Studios film featuring primarily an Asian cast. And, really, this seems to explain the presence of Doctor Strange‘s Wong more than any sort of necessity in the flow of the narrative.
Basically Just There to Set Up She-Hulk
Naturally, more Benedict Wong is never a bad thing. And Wong’s an entertaining character. But his several scenes in Shang-Chi don’t exactly propel the narrative, and his fight with Abomination is more of a setup for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law than it is a scene valuable to the film in which it’s featured.
4 Harry Styles
Eternals (2021)
Eternals seemed to find itself trending more before it came out than on opening weekend. There was even talk of it being the MCU’s second Academy Award for Best Picture contender. Right up until it scored the franchise’s first “Rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. There was also talk of some notable cameos, including pop star turned actor Harry Styles.
And It Still Became the MCU’s First True Box Office Disappointment
For those who bought a ticket just to see Styles, they had a long wait. He didn’t show up until a post-credits sequence (as Eros, Thanos’ brother), and it wasn’t a particularly memorable one. Not to mention, it’s a credit sequence that hasn’t gone anywhere and, given Eternals‘ failure, is unlikely to.
3 Matt Damon, Sam Neill & Melissa McCarthy
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Just about everything Thor: Ragnarok does right, Thor: Love and Thunder turns up to 11 and ruins. And, if it weren’t for Melissa McCarthy’s talent, the sequel’s Asgardian actor scene would fit into that ruination. But, fortunately, her brief time as Hela works more than it doesn’t.
Too Much of a Good Thing?
Still, it’s not as if a Thor movie needs a cameo. Especially once it’s already gotten off the ground and started running. One thing Love and Thunder does overdo is the return of Matt Damon, who’s a nice face to see, of course, but the movie makes his (and Luke Hemsworth’s) Asgardian actors pretty much full-on characters. Too much of a good thing.
2 Anderson Cooper
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
It was hard to know where the Black Panther franchise would go after the untimely passing of the great Chadwick Boseman. But Black Panther: Wakanda Forever put fan worry to rest with its serious tone and respect for the departed performer. It wasn’t all dreary, though the scene with CNN’s Anderson Cooper was not a light one.
DCEU Meets the MCU
Cooper followed in the footsteps of many an anchor, e.g. Wolf Blitzer in Mission: Impossible – Fallout and Larry King in Ghostbusters, by playing himself doing what he does best. It’s brief, but it makes one question if the MCU’s reality is our reality. And, for that matter, if the MCU and the DCEU coexist, considering Cooper played himself in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Best not to overthink these things.
1 The Illuminati
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
A mess of a movie saved only by some neat visual effects and Elizabeth Olsen’s game performance, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was nonetheless a major hit for the MCU’s fourth phase. Financially, at least. In terms of fan reception, it was much more of a mixed bag.
Here and Gone
It’s not a surprise the movie was such a financial success, though. Its core concept promised cameos from fan favorites just as much as Avengers: Endgame did. But one should be careful what they wish for, as the Illuminati (Patrick Stewart’s Professor Charles Xavier, John Krasinski’s Reed Richards, Lashana Lynch’s Captain Marvel, Anson Mount’s Black Bolt, and Hayley Atwell’s Captain Carter) didn’t do much besides expound a ton of exposition and die swift deaths.
The MCU’s latest entry,
Deadpool & Wolverine
, is full of cameos and currently playing in theaters. Check out the trailer below:
