I’ve had it with the Stan Lee cameos in the super hero movies. It’s getting tedious to go to a movie based on a Marvel comic book hero and play spot the Stan. The most recent is Ironman. The movie is absolutely brilliant except for that fifteen seconds where Stan Lee, playing the role of Hugh Hefner, makes his obligatory screen splash. Leave it. Be happy with your legendary status a comic book icon and make some live appearances at a few conventions.

Movie cameos were made famous by director Alfred Hitchcock. He would insert himself as a hapless background character that, unless you were looking for him, you would most likely miss. Mr. Lee’s presence is more obnoxious and ill timed. Unlike Mr. Hitchcock who runs in and out within the first two minutes of the movie, Mr. Lee sees it fit make himself a part of the action. It’s annoying to get caught up into a story and character only to have the suspension of disbelief shattered by an “oh look, there’s Stan Lee” moment.

I like the line that separates the people in the front of camera from the people behind the camera. It makes for good film making. Could you imagine the Coen brothers doing a cameo in “No Country for Old Men”?

And before you all start flooding my comments list, I know Ironman director John Favreau plays a minor role in the film. But he’s an actor playing a character. Mr. Lee is neither.