Part three of Stan Lee, Cameo King is the last installment on this list of Stan Lee’s appearances in Marvel movies and the MCU. Stan has been appearing in live-action Marvel movies since 1989 and has played such a variety of roles but we hope to carry on seeing him for a long time to come. The last entry on part two was Lee’s appearance in X-Men: Apocalypse, and that is where we will kick this list off. Doctor Strange (2016) Doctor Strange was a much-awaited title from Marvel fans everywhere, as he wasn’t really mentioned anywhere up until now, despite being an integral component in the MCU. It was a truly amazing film that felt fluid and neat. Not to mention the CGI was beautifully crafted. Stan can be seen reading a copy of The Doors of Perception on a bus, which Strange and Mordo slam into while being chased by Kaecilius. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 brought us a more emotional story than the first, as Starlord meets his father, Ego, for the first time. However, he is still being hunted by Yondu, and when he finally catches up to Starlord, they share their touching story of how Yondu was the father that Starlord always yearned for. Stan can be seen twice in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and in both times, you see him sitting on an asteroid in a space suit, talking to Watchers. The interesting point here is that Lee helped create the Watchers when he was still a comic book writer. It also confirms a long-time fan theory that Stan Lee is, in fact, a Watcher himself, and he is reciting all his adventures of leaping through the Marvel universe. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) I will admit, this is one Marvel movie I have yet to see. Spider-Man is off on his adventures when he spots a man trying to break into a car. However, upon inspection, Spidey learns that the man is actually just trying to leave without disturbing his neighbours. One of those neighbours happens to be Lee, as he shouts at Spider-Man to keep it down when the car alarm goes off. Thor: Ragnarok (2017) So, um, Thor gets a haircut, loses his hammer, and fights the Hulk on a space rock/battle arena. I was almost in tears when Hela shatters Mjolnir. Apart from Deadpool, Thor has been the most interesting character to follow, but that could also be because of my love of Norse mythology. I thought Greek mythology was weird, do you know how Odin’s eight-legged steed comes to be? Go look it up. Anyway, moving on, Stan is the reason for Thor’s new hair-do, as he plays a shaky-handed cyber barber. Lee’s appearance, with the red glasses and body armour/coat he is rocking, is a sharp reminder of why I am happy that I wasn’t around during the 80’s. Thank goodness. Black Panther (2018) This is the last entry for part three and the final entry for the list of Stan Lee cameos to date. Black Panther had me worried, I won't lie, because I get worried when a brand new character, and especially one as significant as Black Panther, is introduced into the MCU. Not that they have had many problems with that in the past, but there is always that worry of ballsing it up. However, can we just take a moment to appreciate the sheer authentic sound of Andy Serkis’s South African accent? I mean, I know we don’t all sound like that, but he definitely got that particular dialect on point. Stan appears as a high-flying casino gambler when T’Challa, Nakia, and Okoye go undercover to try to capture Ulysses Klaue. Lee steals T’Challa’s winnings when T’Challa goes into full combat. I mean, why not, it’s not like T’Challa really needs it back in Wakanda. Waste not, want not. There we have it. All of Stan Lee’s beautiful and odd cameos throughout the Marvel movies and MCU so far. What has been your favourite cameo of Mr. Lee so far? Are you hoping for a supreme cameo in Infinity War, and what do you think he will play? Let’s hear your comments below.

Due to the enormous box office reception that the film has garnered, I assume many have already seen this year’s Marvel film, Black Panther. Immediately upon release, not only did it become Marvel’s most commercially successful film to date (though Avengers: Infinity War threatens to topple that), but also their most critically acclaimed film. This is in no small part to the multitude of things that the film simply gets very right. However, with enough time passed since the release of the film and the hype slowly dying down, now is a great time to also look into where Black Panther also stumbled as a film. Side note: Keep in mind, all of the opinions expressed in this feature are entirely my own, and do not reflect any general consensus. Also, there are major spoilers ahead for those who have not seen it yet. The Good Black Panther was easily one of my most anticipated upcoming Marvel films after the character made an incredible first impression in Captain America: Civil War. Leading up to the film’s release, though, there seemed to be more hype behind it than your usual Marvel film. This is, in part, due to the film arguably being the first to feature a strong representation of African culture in a superhero film, and of course, this was a groundbreaking achievement for Marvel and mainstream superhero films. It's extremely commendable, given director Ryan Coogler’s extraordinary vision for the film that honours its fictional African setting, characters, and culture unlike anything we’ve seen before in Marvel. The film also tackles relevant social issues that are superbly reflected in the film’s central villain, Killmonger. Played spectacularly by Michael B. Jordan, Killmonger is one of the most developed and intriguing villains that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever seen. In my opinion, the best villains in comic book movies are the ones that force the heroes to reflect upon themselves, and therefore make a change within, in order to come out victorious. Director Christopher Nolan has nailed this formula, from The Dark Knight’s Joker to The Dark Knight Rises’ Bane. Killmonger can proudly sit next to those iconic antagonists as one of the best in comic book film history. The Great What makes Killmonger the backbone of the entire central conflict in the film is his ideology. His arrival forces King T’Challa to truly question his place as royalty, and in turn, create an astonishing moral dilemma for our hero. Meanwhile, Killmonger’s stern set of beliefs challenges T’Challa’s own, but the reason this works is because it poses divisive but extremely believable reasons as to why the villain is motivated to do what he does. Due to his troubled past that saw his father killed at the hands of King T’Chaka at the time, Killmonger’s motivations are almost justified, and like The Joker, you can often side with it. When Killmonger finally arrives in Wakanda, he is completely aware of the countries hyper-advanced technology as well as its rich vibranium resources. Instead of taking over the country like any typical villain would, however, Killmonger simply demands that Wakanda rule as the dominant empire of the world due to their potential power – and they could if they wanted to. I know it seems like I’m gushing over Killmonger, but this is truly one of the best-written villains I’ve ever seen in a comic book film, and I can’t give enough praise to Black Panther for pulling this off. The Bad Unfortunately, a lot of what makes this film great is lumped into the second half of the movie, when Killmonger actually begins to turn the cogs in the machine. Before that, this is where Black Panther’s shortcomings are far more noticeable. The first hour of the film sadly plays the superhero origins story close to the chest. Despite the script going in several interesting directions in the second half, the first half feels like the writers were simply going through a checkbox of character set-up and world-building that’s par for the course in a superhero film, albeit with a greater fictional setting in Wakanda. A huge part of what makes Black Panther work is T’Challa himself. Chadwick Boseman does a great job as the character, but he has very little to show in the way of meaningful character development until Killmonger shows up. He tries his best to make T’Challa interesting, but he gives us very little reason to be emotionally invested in him (yet). What Captain America: Civil War did so well is introduce us to T’Challa and immediately, through the shocking death of his father, invest us in his plight. Here, the film seems to stumble around a lot before it can find its footing, and T’Challa comes off as one-note until the actual inciting incident happens… a whole hour into the film. Sure, there’s some stuff going on with S.H.I.E.L.D., Ulysses Klaue, and stolen vibranium, but this entire arc, if you want to call it that, feels unfocused and ultimately diminishes the film as a whole. We get one or two action sequences that are admittedly quite fun and well directed, but for the most part, there’s not much going on and it clearly lacks any high stakes. So when Killmonger shows up and things get exciting, it almost feels like two completely different movies, and I’m not sure the film wants you to remember anything before Killmonger’s intervention, which is such a spectacular run up to the awesome finale, that you almost forget how uneventful the first act and a good majority of the second act are. Overall, Black Panther is still a good, if not great, Marvel movie and a standout achievement in superhero film history, but it’s also not a movie without its flaws. For many, Black Panther is considered as their favourite Marvel movie to date, and I can see why since it champions a more culturally diverse ensemble that lends itself to the brilliant storytelling and world-building, and the action sequences are very well-directed to boot. However, Black Panther, as a superhero film, pales in comparison to what other heavy-hitters in the MCU brought to the table, including (and especially) Captain America: Civil War. These are just my feelings of the movie, though. What did you think about Black Panther?

Those who decide to pre-order Marvel's Spider-Man on PlayStation 4 will get the Iron Spider suit upon the game's release. This mechanical suit is inspired by Marvel's recent hit movie,Avengers: Infinity War. Just like the Spider-Punk suit, the Iron Spider will not be exclusive to those who pre-order Insomniac Games upcoming game. It only means that you will be able to change into the suit as soon as you unlock the option to change suits in the game. Those who do not pre-order will be able to craft the suit at some point during the game. Spider-Man is set to release on the 7th of September and is a PlayStation 4 exclusive. In case you missed it, check out the two villains that will be present in the game here

What’s Big in Japan right now? The crazy sales PSN is having on Japanese styled or produced games and DLC! The discounts are numerous at the moment and it’s across the board, meaning not only PS4, but PS Vita and PS3 too. People may be wondering what numerous is; on PS4 that’s thirteen pages of discounts, 729 items in total, both games and downloadable content. Some of the deals to keep an eye out for if you haven’t gotten around to them are definitely the following: - Nier Automata – R549 - Monster Hunter Worlds – R699 - Shadow of the Colossus – R399 - Tekken 7 – R469 - Persona 5 - R469 - Bloodborne GOTY – 329 - NIOH Complete Edition – R469 - Dark Souls III – R329 - Dark Souls II - R159 There is so much more on special, from JRPG’s like the Tales franchise to the anime games such as Naruto and Sword Art Online. PS3 has some surprising specials with 425 items on offer we see some rare discounts, in fact a game that’s never been on sale on the South African PSN store has joined the ranks of discounted items! Some highlights are: - Persona 5 – R329 - Odin Sphere - R169 - Ar No Surge: Ode to an Unborn Star – R175 - Drakengard 3 – R159 - Persona 3: Fes classic – R69 - Zone of the Enders HD – R89 - Catherine – R89 With far more on the list, that’s just a sliver of what the PS3 tab has to offer. PS Vita, which has 431 total items, is tongue and cheek galore. Let’s jump straight in: - A Rose in the Twilight – R129 - Berserk and the Band of the Hawk – R329 - Valkyria Revolution – R299 - Steins;Gate 0 – R129 - Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization – R189 - Valkyrie Drive Bhikkhuni – R169 - Grand Kingdom – R205 - Persona 4: Dancing All Night – R129 - Freedom Wars – R109 If you’re hesitating about using your credit card and over spending, consider grabbing a voucher from the Nexus, they come in R50, R200, R500 and R1000 cards but you can mix and match to get any specific value if you want!