With her cameo appearance inShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Megan Thee Stallion has become the latest real-world celebrity to play themselves in theMarvel Cinematic Universe. From twerking with Jen Walters to being impersonated by an Asgardian elf, the iconic rapper gave an unforgettable turn in the Disney+ series. But she’s far from the first famous figure to satirize her public persona in the superhero-infested world of the MCU. From Elon Musk being snubbed by Tony Stark to Bill Maher lampooning War Machine’s rebrand to the late, great Stan Lee rehearsing his lines forMallrats, there are a ton of memorable celebrity cameos in the MCU.
Megan Thee Stallion In She-Hulk: Attorney At Law
Megan Thee Stallion’s appearance inShe-Hulk: Attorney at Lawwas spoiled a few days beforeher episode dropped on Disney+. But it ultimately didn’t feel like a spoiler because the way she was incorporated into the show was wholly unexpected. The beloved rapper wasn’t just playing herself or a fictional character – in a way, she played both. Runa, a shapeshifting Asgardian Light Elf, took the form of Megan Thee Stallion to go on a date with wannabe womanizer Dennis Bukowski and con him out of $175,000.
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This is undoubtedly one of the most creative cameos in the MCU to date. The celebrity guest star isn’t just shoehorned in for a quick laugh; Megan Thee Stallion is a major plot point in a B-story that makes Jen Walters’ arrogant former co-worker the butt of the joke. A trial involving a shapeshifting defendant is a great premise fora legal procedural set in a world full of superhumans.
Bill Maher In Iron Man 3
A few TV personalities make cameo appearances as themselves inIron Man 3. As the Mandarin’s fearmongering sweeps the U.S. media, everyone from Pat Kiernan to Joan Rivers has a take on it. ButBill Maher’s typically sardonic appearanceis the most memorable. The political commentator has a field day with Rhodey’s rebrand.
When the government-sanctioned superhero known as “War Machine” gets a red, white, and blue paint job and changes his name to “Iron Patriot,” theReal Timejokes pretty much write themselves. Maher quips, “I guess Captain America was already taken.”
David Hasselhoff In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
Much like Kevin Bacon inthe firstGuardians of the Galaxymovie, the David Hasselhoff reference inVol. 2ends up transcending the status of running gag and bolstering the poignant themes of the story. When Peter Quill was young, growing up in the ‘80s, he told the other kids that Hasselhoff was his dad and that he wasn’t around because he was busyshooting new episodes ofKnight Rider. After his true biological father, Ego, turns out to be a genocidal maniac, Quill tries to take him out with his Quad Blasters. As Ego angrily chastises Quill for failing to share his murderous vision to reshape the universe, he briefly takes on the form of David Hasselhoff.
Quill brings back the Hasselhoff reference in his heartfelt eulogy at Yondu’s funeral: “Yondu didn’t have a talking car, but he did have a flying arrow. He didn’t have the beautiful voice of an angel, but he did have the whistle of one. Both Yondu and David Hasselhoff went on kick-ass adventures and hooked up with hot women, and fought robots. I guess David Hasselhoff did kind of end up being my dad after all.”
Elon Musk In Iron Man 2
Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk seems to have based his own public persona on Tony Stark. Despite not having a superpowered suit of armor and not being nearly as suave and charming, Musk clearly wants to be known as the real Tony Stark. InIron Man 2, Musk actually met Tony himself in Monaco. Tony went to the French Riviera principality to take part in its annual Grand Prix on the Circuit de Monaco. In Tony’s words, “What’s the point of owning a race car if you can’t drive it?”
When Tony bumps into Musk on the way to the track,the CEO of Tesla Motorsmentions an idea for an electric jet and Tony politely shrugs him off. In the MCU, Tony is one of the only people rich enough to snub Elon Musk.
Stan Lee In Captain Marvel
Prior to his passing, Stan Lee made a cameo appearance in every film in the MCU (and also a bunch of Marvel Comics-based movies before that). But he only played himself in one of them. When he shows up inthe 1990s-set prequelCaptain Marvel, Lee can be seen practising his lines forMallratson the bus.Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2confirmed that all of Lee’s cameos are the same Watcher keeping an eye on the Avengers. Apparently, one of this Watcher’s personas is Lee himself, or at least a legendary comic book writer who inspired Kevin Smith so much that he cast him to motivate Brodie Bruce with some words of wisdom about Marvel superheroes.
Lee can be heard rehearsing the immortal line, “Trust me, true believer!” As Carol Danvers searches the bus forSkrulls in disguise, she gives Lee a knowing smile. This moment was even more bittersweet and moving than it was intended to be, since the movie arrived a few months after the real-life superhero passed away.
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