Excessive Cameos Could Be Hurting Our Favorite Franchises

“Tawky Tawny, the talking tiger, has absolutely nothing to do with this story — but we thought you might like to see him anyway!” These words can be found in an editor’s note from 1975’s Shazam! #17, and more recently in 2022’s DC’s Saved by the Belle Reve #1, justifying an unexpected appearance from the titular character’s tiger sidekick. This whimsical justification could serve as a commentary on modern media’s obsession with cameos.

Movies and TV series today seem almost designed to include cameo appearances, whether it’s a legacy actor, an established character from another narrative corner, or a new character hinting at future importance.

Just this week, two major instances highlighted this trend. The season finale of Star Wars: The Acolyte presented brief appearances of two well-known Star Wars characters, stealing most of the conversational spotlight from the episode’s main events. Similarly, the “final trailer” for Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine showcased a cameo, generating widespread discussion across media platforms. The motivations behind these reveals vary, but overall, they illustrate an overreliance on cameos, often overshadowing the primary storyline.

However, this doesn’t mean cameos should be eliminated entirely. They have existed as long as recorded media, from auteur films to sitcom episodes, and they remain popular for a reason. A well-executed cameo can enrich a story, pay homage to its history, or bring genuine joy and surprise to the audience. Recent examples include Stan Lee’s numerous cameos in Marvel films, which helped popularize the trope, and the unexpected return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The Season 2 finale of Star Wars: The Mandalorian epitomized the trend, featuring a surprise appearance by a CGI-crafted young Luke Skywalker. While this delighted fans and made narrative sense within the episode, it inadvertently set a high expectation for future installments.

Similarly, WandaVision hinted at a “Luke Skywalker moment,” a tease that both did and didn’t deliver. Evan Peters joined the cast mid-season, but his character’s significance flipped into a comical revelation, leading some viewers to feel misled.

As a result, cameos started to become the hallmark of new stories, driven either by fan expectations or strategic marketing. James Gunn, creator of Peacemaker and current co-CEO of DC Studios, even voiced his concerns about the trend, stating that characters should exist within a film for a reason. Recent examples like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and The Flash presented cameos that ignored the story’s main plotlines to varying degrees of success.

While audiences often respond positively to surprise appearances—so much so that some films now include “applause breaks”—the pursuit of these moments can overshadow the core narrative. For instance, the anticipation of Charlie Cox’s Daredevil in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law led to weeks of fan debates and frustrations, even though his appearance didn’t happen until later in the series. WandaVision faced similar issues, with fans erroneously predicting the arrival of a demonic villain or a significant Marvel hero, overshadowing the show’s actual plot.

Up until now, marketing for Deadpool & Wolverine had primarily focused on its title characters, leaving a cloud of speculation about other potential appearances. With the movie set to release soon, it remains to be seen how these rumored cameos will impact the overall narrative.

Marvel’s upcoming adaptation of Avengers: Secret Wars , scheduled for release in 2027, may mark the climax of this cameo-driven storytelling trend. Fans already imagine a massive multiversal crossover, regardless of its narrative relevance. The critical question remains: will these anticipated appearances genuinely serve the story, or just the audience’s desire for nostalgic cameos?

Deadpool & Wolverine will be released exclusively in theaters on July 26th.

Source: ComicBook