Seeing Spider-Man: Far From Home, we noticed the one thing that was not common with any other MCU film. It was the Stan Lee cameo which was missing. The legend died last year and we always knew that this day would come. Avengers: Endgame was his final cameo and we’re satisfied that his tenure ended with the biggest film in the franchise. But there’s a new theory out there which suggests that it was Old Man Rogers who was posing as Stan Lee and giving us all those fun cameos over the years.
Reddit user MemTheDurgen has posted this theory stating that Steve Rogers was keeping a check on everything, appearing in different situations throughout time. Here’s what he wrote in his theory:
“In the end of Avengers: Endgame we see Steve go back in time to live out his life with Peggy, but we can assume he lays low as to not interfere with the future. But surely he would want to check and see how things were? And which old man has been in the background of every Marvel movie ever made, keeping to himself? Stan Lee. It may not have been from the beginning, but somewhere along the way Marvel planned to have Captain America go back in time for his happy ending and be played by Stan Lee in all of the movies, finally revealing himself in Endgame. Unfortunately, we lost Stan Lee last year, and the directors didn’t want to dishonor his legacy with a CGI clone playing such an important scene so they had Chris Evans play the role as old Cap instead.”
While we were all led to believe that Steve managed to go back in time, clip all the branches created by taking the stones away, return Mjolnir, live a happy life with Peggy, and then return to the prime timeline to give Sam the Shield and the mantle of Captain America. So, can’t we also assume that it was Old Man Rogers who morphed his face as the old Stan Lee and kept on appearing at different points in time throughout the Universe using the Pym Particles?
Well, it would be pretty cool if this were the case, but there’s just one problem with this and the Reddit user has addressed it. He continues:
“Professor Hulk pointed out, time travel doesn’t work like it does in other movies. You can’t go into the past to change the future, so why would Steve have to tiptoe around the Avengers for over 11 years? This is also a problem fans have had with Steve going back in general. But, recently, the directors stated that Steve went back and lived his life in an alternate timeline before coming back to talk to Sam. Let’s say this is true, because it follows closely to what I already believed about the Marvel Cinematic Universe actually being the alternate universe Steve went to. If Steve was in an alternate timeline because there were two hims and that automatically alters the timeline, he would want to avoid altering it any further so that the Avengers of this timeline are guaranteed the mostly happy ending they get in the Avengers got in his original timeline.”
The further examples presented for this theory are the various cameos that happened in so many MCU films:
“Captain America: First Avenger This cameo would have been Steve later on wanting to visit himself in the past, perhaps for nostalgia, when he sees who he thinks is Captain America he says “I thought he’d be taller” because he thinks he’s looking at a younger him.
The Avengers Stan’s line “Superheroes in New York? Give me a break” could be Steve ridiculing the pastel look of the Avengers now compared to their gritty incarnation in Endgame, or just a remark of how inexperienced they were then.
Avengers: Age of Ultron Stan appears as a World War II veteran, just like Steve.
Captain America: Civil War “Tony Stank” is just Steve playfully jabbing at his old friend
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Steve is telling the watchers about the great time he’s had messing with the Avengers over the years.”
It would actually be awesome to believe Steve Rogers was having fun with his old age. And all the Stan Lee cameos would also feel connected at the same time!
