Venom 2 trailer includes a Stan Lee Easter egg that you may have missed

Stan Lee Venom 2
(Image credit: ABC/Marvel)

Up until his passing, Stan Lee cameos were as ubiquitous as post-credit scenes in Marvel movies. The co-creator of Fantastic Four and Spider-Man often popped by for some words of wisdom or a cheeky wink and a nod at his storied history. Even though he’s gone, his presence can still be felt – including a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it scene in the new Venom 2 trailer. Excelsior!

The moment in question sees Eddie Brock (and Venom) walk into a convenience store. Brock may be concerned with a chocolate delivery, but Venom notices something out of the corner of his, uhh, tentacle.

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Notice the magazine rack? Stan Lee’s face is adorning the cover of the mags, and Venom straightens the display up. It’s a cute, subtle action that allows Stan Lee to ‘appear’ in yet another Marvel movie.

As WandaVision proved with its license plate-themed tribute to Stan the Man, Marvel is getting increasingly inventive at finding new ways to include Stan Lee in its runtimes. Here’s another – and follows on from one of Lee’s final cameos in 2018's Venom. There, Stan tells Eddie not to give up Anne, becoming one of the few in-universe characters to recognize Venom as its own entity.

Venom 2, meanwhile, isn’t skimping on the extra details that tie it into the Marvel world-at-large. There is a quick reference to Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, while Woody Harrelson’s Cletus Kasady has finally revealed his Carnage form to the world. We'll see what else the Andy Serkis-directed sequel has in store when it hits cinemas this September.

Planning an MCU binge? Here’s a guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.