Superheroes: they’ve been around a long time, but only recently became so massive that they’re pretty unavoidable. While they started getting really big in the early 2000s, they exploded a decade later, with Marvel’s The Avengers essentially acting as a statement that these types of movies are here to stay.
What has also been around for quite a long time are cameo appearances in film. While directors like Alfred Hitchcock were well known for showing up briefly in their movies, actors and other familiar faces have made cameos in film - whether they be musicians, comedians, other actors, or global icons outside the entertainment industry. It should probably be no surprise that superhero movies have had their fair share of cameos.
Each of the entries on here is a familiar face for audiences to stop and notice, to the point of distraction. While some of these entries can count as actual roles in the movies, they’re minor enough to basically count as cameos, or at the very least, extremely bit parts, credited or not.
We hope you don’t get too distracted by these 16 Jarring Cameos That Take Us Out Of Superhero Movies.
Lou Ferrigno (Hulk)
Before superhero movies were the juggernaut, unstoppable, unavoidable presence they are in the 21st century, superhero television shows were, more or less, the only adaption of comic books around. Some of the now famous ones included Batman from the 1960s and Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk form the 1970s.
The Incredible Hulk made a star out of Lou Ferrigno, who played the titular “beast” whenever David Banner (Bill Bixby) got angry. While it’s easily his most iconic role, Ferrigno is also well known as a body builder, so if you didn’t know him from the show, you’ve probably seen him pumping iron.
Ferrigno shows up in Ang Lee’s Hulk as a security guard for a brief few seconds, and anyone who’s familiar with the man will immediately recognize him.
Danny Pudi (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
If you’ve seen Community, then you’ll know actor Danny Pudi. While a major comedic force on the show, Pudi has also dabbled in other television programs, most notably the canceled superhero television show Powerless and as the voice of Huey in the most recent DuckTales series. As you can guess, he’s mostly seen as a comedic actor.
Due to Captain America: The Winter Solider being directed by Community alums the Russo Brothers, Pudi had himself a small cameo in the aforementioned movie. His character doesn’t really have a name (Com Tech #1) and he only has a few lines.
In short, it definitely counts as a small cameo, but anyone who knows the actor very well might find it distracting. Everyone else won’t notice or simply ask “Haven’t I seen that guy somewhere?”
“Macho Man” Randy Savage (Spider-Man)
Anyone who has been, or currently does, follow professional wrestling will know the name Randy Savage. Also going by the name “Macho Man,” Randy Savage stands as one of the biggest and most popular figures in wrestling, being an iconic figure within the WWF and WCW.
Whether it was his catchphrase, his look, his showmanship, or all of the above, he remains a beloved piece of the world of wrestling and greater popular culture.
It’s no surprise he’d make a cameo as a wrestler in a movie, but his appearance in the first Spider-Man film was undeniable jarring. Playing the role of Bonesaw McGraw, Savage embodied a new character that channeled his Macho Man persona to deliver an overly memorable and catchphrase-dependent character.
Patrick Stewart (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
Long before taking the wheelchair seat of Charles Xavier, Patrick Stewart was a noted Shakespearean actor, and then a major icon in the role of Captain Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, he’s probably now most known for his role as Professor Xavier, even though he continues to show up on television programs, including American Dad!
X-Men Origins: Wolverine came out in 2009, and even though it was a financial success, it’s generally seen as one of the worst films in the X-Men series, if not the worst. At the end of the movie, an escaped group of mutants come across a certain someone standing on his legs, though still bald.
As you can guess, it’s Stewart’s Xavier, and it comes out of nowhere.
Joel McHale (Spider-Man 2)
The name Joel McHale might bring up images of a handsome, if rugged, suit wearing man making fun of shows on the E! network. If not, then the name reminds those of an equally handsome, still rugged, man wearing dress shirts on a show that featured Chevy Chase.
In any case, the one and only McHale has a brief appearance in the second Raimi Spidey flick, Spider-Man 2. His role is quite memorable, as he plays a jerk bank manager known as Mr. Jack, who denies Aunt May’s loan and “free” toaster.
At the time, McHale was (most likely) not well-known enough to make people stand up and say “That’s Joel McHale!” However, in the years since, his appearance will likely make people take a closer look and ask out loud “Is that Joel McHale?” to which the answer will always be “That’s Joel McHale!”
Donald Glover (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
There are various ways one can learn and hear about Donald Glover. Maybe you know him as Troy Barnes on Community, or his role on the acclaimed FX series Atlanta, or from the 2009 movie Mystery Team. There’s even a chance you know him as Childish Gambino (his hip-hop stage name).
When Glover was announced to appear (in some fashion) in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, it was a bit of exciting news among fans of the actor/artist. Thus, when he shows up in just two scenes as Aaron Davis, fans of the actor will have trouble not just seeing Glover on screen, especially with how minor his role in the film is. At least his character has a connection to the greater Spider-Man universe as Miles Morales’ uncle, but nothing has come of it so far.
Howard the Duck (Guardians of the Galaxy)
If you saw Guardians of the GalaxyVol. 1 and 2, you may have seen an anthropomorphic duck wearing a burgundy suit, either sipping on a drink or chatting with a woman. You may have asked one of two questions: “Who is that?” or “Is that Howard the Duck?”
Howard the Duck was created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik in the early 1970s. While comedic in nature, the character and series were highly existential, with the idea being that “serious” and “dumb” moments in life “are often distinguishable only by a momentary point of view.”
However, many only know about Howard because of his critically panned 1986 movie (which completely missed the point of the character), rendering his appearance in the two Guardians movies awful and distracting to some - even though he’s part of the Marvel (and now Marvel Cinematic Universe) canon.
Matt Damon (Thor: Ragnarok)
This one’s weird because it sort of exists to be jarring, especially for the audience. In the movie Thor: Ragnarok, Thor returns to Asgard to find a lot of iconography about his brother Loki. He then sees a performance featuring actors playing characters like Odin, Thor, and Loki.
Anyone with a keen eye will notice the real life actors playing the actors in said performance: Sam Neil as Odin, Luke Hemsworth (Chris Hemsworth’s brother) as Thor, and Matt Damon as Loki.
Anyone who saw this movie likely saw Damon and thought to themselves “Is that Matt Damon?” before either accepting it was or doubting it entirely. This cameo didn’t go over so well with some moviegoers, but it certainly added to the film’s weird brand of comedy.
Jim Rash (Captain America: Civil War)
How many times has Community been mentioned on this list? Well, we have another Community-Russo connection here with actor/comedian/screenwriter Jim Rash. Other than being known for his role as Craig Pelton on Community, Rash also won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the 2011 film The Descendants, which he co-wrote with Nat Faxon and the film’s director Alexander Payne.
He has a brief cameo in Captain America: Civil War as the dean of M.I.T., where Tony Stark is having a presentation and donating a lot of money to the school. Rash’s character is enthused, and anyone who knows him will find his appearance surprising, distracting, entertaining, or all of the above. Those not familiar with Rash might still be a bit put off (or amused) with how energetic he is in his one and only scene.
Elon Musk (Iron Man 2)
In the last decade or so, Elon Musk has risen from a well-known science and tech mogul to a global icon of technology and the possibilities we as a species can achieve with it. Outside of establishing Tesla and SpaceX, Musk has also encouraged such things as planetary expansion for humanity, so that we won’t have to claim Earth as our only home. With his wealth and love for tech, it’s no surprise some nickname Musk “Tony Stark.”
Musk appears in Iron Man 2 for a brief few seconds, talking to both Pepper Potts and Stark (“I have an idea for an electric jet”). While those who don’t know Musk may brush aside this moment, those who do know won’t be able to forget that Robert Downey Jr. consulted with Musk when developing Tony for the screen.
Neil deGrasse Tyson (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
Neil deGrasse Tyson has been in the business of science for a while. Having studied at a few esteemed institutions, Tyson became the director of the Hayden Planetarium in 1996, and was awarded a NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal in 2004. His hosting of Cosmos: The Spacetime Odyssey brought him a greater audience and wider attention. His Twitter, where he gleefully points out scientific inaccuracies in sci-fi films, has also brought him more attention.
This is likely why he shows up in the film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, talking on TV about Superman and what his existence means to the people of Earth and the universe. Due to Tyson’s rise in popularity, this cameo was a jarring moment for many, becoming another bit of criticism laid upon an already controversial movie.
Macy Gray (Spider-Man)
In the late 1990s early 2000s, singer-songwriter Macy Gray was at the height of her popularity. She had a huge international hit single with “I Try” off her massive selling debut album (both released in 1999), and she even showed up in the 2001 film Training Day, among some other movies.
One of those others movies is the 2002 Spider-Man film, where Gray doesn’t play a character. No, she actually plays herself, and is even named in the movie by an announcer, introducing her at the World Unity Fair, as seen part-way through the film.
Macy Gray being an actual artist who people would know about back in 2002 is jarring enough, but a decade and a half later, it’s likely to either be seen as a dated moment in the film or just a bizarre one for those who have never heard of the singer.
Harry Dean Stanton (The Avengers)
A man who has been in many, many, many movies, Harry Dean Stanton was an actor who, anyone who watched enough movies, would eventually know by name. It’s likely he’s shown up in a movie or five and you didn’t even know it. It could be Ridley Scott’s Alien, John Carpenter’s Escape from New York, Alex Cox’s Repo mMan, or even an episode of the cult TV series Chuck (where he reprised his Repo Man character) or the third season of Twin Peaks.
Unbeknownst to some, but definitely noteworthy to others, Stanton makes an extremely brief cameo in 2012’s The Avengers. When the Hulk runs away from S.H.I.E.L.D. and lands in some random building far and away from the Avengers, he finds himself alone and without much in the way of clothing. But he is found by a random security guard… played by Harry Dean Stanton.
Tim Heidecker (FANT4STIC)
This is a weird one for more reasons than one. Tim Heidecker is most known for being the other half of Tim and Eric, a duo who are responsible for such surreal properties as Tom Goes to the Mayor and Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!For the most part, Heidecker is a guy who is known for things so surreal and out there, that it’d be a shock to see him in anything that wasn’t bizarre and possibly unappealing.
Yet, for almost five whole seconds, Heidecker is in the 2015 film Fantastic Four (aka FANT4STIC). He plays Reed Richards’ dad, Mr. Richards, though apparently he’s his step-dad. The only thing we see Mr. Richards do is sit on his couch, watching football, when his TV set starts acting wonky due to an experiment by Reed elsewhere in the house.
Joan Rivers (Iron Man 3)
While in more recent years she’s been seen as the host of Fashion Police, as well as appearing in different programs, and generally insulting people, Joan Rivers was a ground-breaking comedian, especially at the time when she first hit the scene in the 1960s.
Even in the 21st century, there have been few comedians to rival Rivers in her rapid fire style or acerbic wit. Fashion Police allowed her to do what she did best: make fun of people.
During the segment in Iron Man 3 reintroducing War Machine as the Iron Patriot, fellow comedian Bill Maher makes an appearance mentioning the new look, before Rivers shows up on her show and mentions the look and how he’s now called Iron Patriot (“just in case the paint was too subtle”).
Stan Lee (every Marvel film he’s ever been in)
The most famous face from Marvel that isn’t an outright fictional character, Stan Lee is the co-creator of many Marvel titles and characters, and has worked with legends such as Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.
Often seen sporting sunglasses, Lee has shown himself to be a very charismatic guy, along with having a pretty recognizable voice. There’s also a thinly veiled comic book version of himself in Funky Flashman, who was created by Kirby for the series Mister Miracle in the 1970s; it’s not flattering.
Since X-Men in 2000, Stan Lee has made cameo appearances in just about every Marvel film, including non-MCU ones, like Big Hero 6. While his cameos are often amusing, they’re also anticipated. Anyone who’s a major fan of the man will be looking for him in whatever newest Marvel film is coming out, taking us out of the story entirely when he appears.
Did we miss any jarring superhero cameos? Let us know in the comments!
