The 14 Most Hilarious Cameos In Superhero Movies And Television

The secret weapon of any superhero story is its characters. Audiences are more invested in Peter Parker than his powers, and are more excited to see a beloved character faithfully realized on screen than any action scene or plot twist. It's little wonder, then, that superhero films and TV shows are flooded with cameos. They're a lightning-fast infusion of character. Sometimes, these cameos are ways to expand the world of a movie. At others, they provide some fan service, or get the audience's blood pumping. But when they're thrilling, well-considered, and hysterically funny? That's the sweet spot.

The funniest cameos in superhero media combine genuine shocks with intelligent storytelling. Yes, they're the source of jokes. Yes, they're sometimes outrageous. The best ones, though, find a way to make these surprise cameos feel organic to the larger world in which the film or show takes place. No matter the scenario, these 14 cameos tickle the funny bone by bringing great characters to life, even if they're mainly deployed for comedic purposes.

It's hard to remember when cameos in comic book movies felt novel, but 2008 was a different time. The appearance of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) in "Iron Man" sent shockwaves through comic book fandom. Hot on its heels, "The Incredible Hulk" offered up a less revelatory but equally fan-pleasing appearance: the original TV Hulk, Lou Ferrigno, as an easily-bribed security guard.

Indeed, pizza is the key to Ferrigno's heart in "The Incredible Hulk," which would be funny enough if the cameo wasn't laden with subtext. For one, Ferrigno also cameoed as a security guard alongside Stan Lee in Ang Lee's 2003 "Hulk," making this a nod to that movie as well, one that highlights the differences between the two films. Where Lee's film is existentially probing and intentionally pulpy, Louis Letterier's "Incredible Hulk" is brawny and funny. Ferrigno's appearance reinforces this. "You are the man," Norton quips before paying Ferrigno off with a pie. Ferrigno smiles knowingly. For fans of classic superhero television, it's a grin-inducing sequence from moment one.

Before we discuss the merits of Hugh Jackman in "X-Men: First Class," let's espouse the virtues of PG-13 f-bombs. Simply put, they're the best. The appearance of even one rogue f-word in a not-rated-R movie can have transgressive power. Think of "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" or the post-credits stinger from "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story." These moments are highlights from their respective films, endlessly quotable and comedically rich.

That's true of Hugh Jackman's cameo appearance in "X-Men: First Class" as well. Jackman had appeared in every "X-Men" movie made up until that point, but "First Class" looked like it was going to break the trend. It concerns a young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassabender), and takes place decades before Wolverine's contemporaries were born.

Thankfully, it didn't. When Xavier and Lehnsherr attempt to recruit mutants for the first X-Men team, they find Wolverine in a bar. Their exchange is short, sour, and entirely on-brand for Logan. "Excuse me, I'm Eric Lehnsherr," Magneto begins. "Charles Xavier," Professor X continues. "Go f*** yourselves," Logan replies.

That's it. No pomp and almost no circumstance, just a transgressive bit of cursing and a subversion of expectations. It's both superhero cameos and f-bombs at their best — and funniest.

X-Force's appearance in "Deadpool 2" may be the single funniest cameo ever to grace a superhero movie. However, if you missed the buildup to the film's release, you might not understand why.

In David Leitch's madcap superhero comedy, X-Force is comprised of Domino (Zazie Beetz), Bedlam (Terry Crews), Shatterstar (Lewis Tan), Zeitgeist (Bill Skarsgård), the Vanisher, and Peter (Rob Delaney). All of these actors are well-established, and each was featured heavily in ads for the film. However, when X-Force skydives into its first mission, each member of the team meets a quick, horrible end. As "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC roars in the background, Bedlam parachutes straight into a bus. Shatterstar hits a helicopter blade, the wind from which sends Vanisher straight into telephone wires (revealing that he's being played by Brad Pitt). Zeitgeist lands feet-first in a wood chipper, but not before his acid vomit kills Peter.

It's "Final Destination" by way of "Looney Tunes." Leitch gets plenty of credit for his action scenes, but his comedic chops are on full display here. More crucially, though, this scene is genuinely surprising. A "Deadpool" movie doesn't work if it simply sends up superhero conventions; it has to shock an audience that's been bombarded with those conventions almost non-stop. That's exactly what the X-Force sequence does. As a series of hysterical superhero cameos, it's heroic indeed.

It wouldn't be right to have a list of the funniest cameos in superhero media without one Stan Lee entry. No other person is simultaneously more important to the rise of the superhero genre and more prolific as a cameo artist. Lee is the root of all Marvel comics. His creations turned capes and cowls into the engine that powers modern Hollywood. However, for all his importance, when Stan Lee shows up in a superhero project, he's usually as funny as all get out.

For my money, Lee's best cameo is in "Spider-Man: Homecoming." He appears at the end of a wonderful sequence in which Spider-Man attempts to foil a car robbery — one that, as it turns out, was actually just the car's owner trying to enter his own vehicle (albeit with a crowbar). When the alarm roars to life, the nearby New Yorkers respond with a specific, Queens-worthy ire ("I'm working nights!" is a particular favorite). Lee then pokes his head out of a window to bellow, "Don't make me come down there, you punk!" before a nearby woman in a separate apartment yells "Hey, Gary!" in Lee's direction. He responds with disarming congeniality.

This is Lee at his best and most truthful. The creator was a born and bred New Yorker who embodied the Big Apple through and through. He was always on his hustle, and was authentically larger than life. His "Spider-Man: Homecoming" honors all of that and induces some laughter, too.

Let's be honest: The phrase "Julie Andrews as a kraken" is inherently funny. Imagining the lead of "The Sound of Music" and "Mary Poppins" as a sea beast who emerges from the deep to wreck ships in strange waters is an act of mental absurdism. Luckily, James Wan and "Aquaman" made it a reality.

Cameos are largely inconsequential. Julie Andrews' in "Aquaman" is not. Andrews' kraken is practically the film's final boss, a Herculean foe that Arthur Curry must best to unite the underwater kingdoms and take his rightful place as master of the seas. Nothing about Andrews' work winks at the audience. She fully commits to the part. This doesn't make it sound like a funny cameo and, on one level, it isn't. It's more hysterical as an idea; the film plays it completely straight.

That's what makes it so wonderful. "Aquaman" is as hilarious as it is awesome, offering action and comedy in equal measure. This is the James Wan way. Few mainstream directors are less afraid of creating tonal dissonance than Wan, who's happy to make films that bridge the gulf between camp and sincerity, or horror and comedy. Julie Andrews' cameo may be more of a conceptual joke than a traditional one, but it deserves a spot on this list because it embodies what makes "Aquaman" great. It's strange. It's fantastic. It's a singular, nonsensical choice that somehow makes all the sense in the world.

Garry Shandling might be one of the funniest people to ever walk the Earth. Anyone who's ever seen "The Larry Sanders Show" knows that this isn't hyperbole; even viewers who only know Shandling from "Iron Man 2" should be able to recognize his talent. Shandling makes comedy seem effortless, and his skill alone would make any cameo by him one of the best. What's particularly great about Shandling's appearance in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," though, is how it pays off the most basic elements of Shandling's extended cameo in what's arguably the most disappointing Marvel movie.

Shandling excels at making his smarminess feel like comic currency. Shandling's Larry Sanders was a case study in the art of making misanthropy both accessible and revolting, and his performance as the conservative Senator Stern in "Iron Man 2" echoed Larry through and through. In the MCU, though, a character as misanthropic as Stern must be a villain — which "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" hysterically confirms when it reintroduces Stern primarily so that he can exit the film with a smugly whispered "Hail Hydra." 

Stern is a traitor at the highest level. His secret allegiances are all the more chilling in the wake of the January 6th attack on the Capitol building, but, as realized by Shandling, they're also as funny as anything in the superhero canon.

We've already written about Seth Rogen's cameo in "The Boys" at length. But you know what? It demands more words. By season 3, Rogen had already appeared as himself a few times in the satirical Prime Video show he co-produces. He didn't have to return, especially not like this: pleasuring himself to Crimson Countess (Laurie Holden) via webcam. 

Everything about this is funny. The reveal that there are superhero porn portals is funny. That Rogen is a customer of this specific portal ("Supe Porn Platinum") is funny. His prominently displayed dispenser of lube is even funnier. However, it's the fact that Rogen's appearance collides with Crimson Countess' murder, and that said act of violence inadvertently leads to the, um, happy ending that Rogen is looking for, is the most shocking and funny moment of all. 

Almost all of the cameos mentioned above compliment the conventions of the superhero genre. By contrast, Rogen's cameo feels like it could only happen on "The Boys," which is determined to skewer superhero stories for everything they're worth. The abandon with which the show does so allows this to be the most outrageous cameo on this list, and easily one of the funniest ever.