Fear not, true believers. Stan "The Man" Lee may not be with us anymore, but thanks to a new deal his iconic visage will live on in future MCU films. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel inked a 20-year deal with Pow! Entertainment and Genius Brands International to use Stan's image in both TV and film projects going forward, a running gag which was a steady occurrence until Lee passed away in 2018 leaving his final appearance to be in Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Andy Heyward, Genius Brands CEO and chairman, had this to say:

"It really ensures that Stan, through digital technology and archival footage and other forms, will live in the most important venue, the Marvel movies, and Disney theme parks. It's a broad deal."

It is always interesting to see how they insert Stan Lee into the various franchises, much the way Alfred Hitchcock would slip in and out of his own films from time to time - though there have been no announcements as of yet about when the maven of Marvel will return to the MCU.

In total, Stan Lee has appeared in 22 of the 28 MCU films that have been released - not including when he appeared in non-canonical films like X-Men or Spider-Man back before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was branded as such. 

With deep fake tech getting better by the day, the skies the limit for what they can do with Lee's cameos. Most assuredly there will be blowback from some fans, but for the most part, seeing those oversized sunglasses and grandpa-like smirk pop into frame does brighten up even the most dour of movies. (I'm talking to you, Thor: The Dark World.)

Tags: Stan Lee Cameos Marvel Disney MCU Alfred Hitchcock