10 Strangest Celebrity Comics Cameos, Ranked

The comic book industry has long been known for quirky and unique takes on pop culture. One such creative take is infusing celebrities into the world of comics. Some cameos are part of a larger theme, giving a more intentional feel, while other celebrity cameos seemingly come out of left field. When it comes to larger worlds such as Marvel or DC Comics, the inclusion of celebrities may feel grounding, given the parallels between universes. Alternatively, when the cameo isn’t padded by careful storytelling, it can be a jarring interruption of an otherwise compelling story. The simple truth is that celebrity cameos in comics run the gamut.

The entertainment industry has largely desensitized people to cameos, as they are common in television and movies. Take Stan Lee appearing in as many Marvel productions as possible – after a certain point, it was expected and even felt natural. This expectation doesn’t translate as well into the comics, where cameos tend to stand out as little reminders of the creative industry behind popular comics. Here are 10 of the strangest such cameo appearances in comics to date.

10) Anderson Cooper in Black Widow #12 (2014)

Black Widow has been in Marvel Comics for decades, and during that time, she has developed a bit of a reputation. It shouldn’t be surprising that her escapades would reach the news, as not every mission can be perfectly stealthy. Enter Black Widow #12, during which Natasha and the Howling Commandos team up for a spectacular mission that gets more attention than intended. When their adventures hit the news, the one and only Anderson Cooper can be seen questioning Black Widow’s allegiances on live TV. It may not be the most groundbreaking cameo of all time, but it is appropriately placed and timed, which makes it all the better. Ultimately, this cameo isn’t exactly strange, just perhaps a little unexpected for readers who might not have anticipated Cooper on the pages of a Marvel comic.

9) Stephen Colbert in Amazing Spider-Man #573 (2008)

It may seem natural to assume that any cameo of Stephen Colbert may stick the celebrity inside a television, reporting comedically on some superhero’s adventures. Amazing Spider-Man #573 shuts those assumptions down, putting Colbert front and center alongside the famous web-slinger. In this issue, it comes down to Stephen Colbert and Spider-Man to save the day, the latter reluctant to let a civilian help. Together, they take on Grizzly while carrying on a delightful set of banter that one could only dream of from this pair. What makes this cameo so unusual is the persistent fan belief that Colbert was involved in writing it. The whole story is strange yet humorous, and while Colbert doesn’t have any writing credits for the issue, it’s very much in the vein of what fans of the entertainer might expect and, thus, understandable for fans to believe he had a hand in it.

8) Orson Welles in Superman #62 (1950)

When most people think of Orson Welles, they think of The War of the Worlds—more specifically, the overly convincing radio drama narrated by Orson Welles. In other words, Orson Welles soon found himself inexorably linked with aliens in the public’s minds. So it’s no surprise that Welles found himself on an alien planet in Superman #62. This issue brings the man to the Martians, and he responds accordingly – by trying to send a warning message to Earth. Unsurprisingly, most chose not to believe the warning, given what happened last time. As a true hero, only Superman appears to investigate, saving the day again.

7) Jay Leno in Amazing Spider-Man #332 (1990) and again in Jay Leno and Spider-Man: One Night Only! (2002)

The web-slinger known as Spider-Man tends to meet with the world’s celebrities, a fact J. Jonah Jameson certainly has opinions on. Years before Peter met Stephen Colbert, he came across Jay Leno. In truth, these two have met twice. The first time was in Amazing Spider-Man #332, released in 1990. Then the two met again in Jay Leno and Spider-Man: One Night Only! The first story is merely a quick cameo for readers to enjoy before moving on. However, as the title likely indicates, the second cameo was much more extensive, as Jay Leno and Spider-Man battle a group of ninjas for survival. All while throwing out quips, of course. It’s a wild pair of cameos when you take a step back. After all, who would really expect to see Jay Leno meet up with Spider-Man?

6) Freddie Prinze Jr. in Ultimates #4 (2002)

Freddie Prinze Jr. is an actor famous for many things, including I Know What You Did Last Summer and She’s All That, but maybe he should be famous for his appearance in Marvel Comics. That’s right, this actor earned a cameo in Ultimates #4, and boy, does it not go the way readers expect. It starts reasonably enough, with Betty Ross meeting up with a famous actor, Freddie Prinze Jr., to convince him to play the role of Iron Man in a movie trilogy. Yep. Go ahead and laugh it out. We can wait. Since this is a comic book, things don’t go according to plan, with Betty’s ex-boyfriend, Bruce Banner, accidentally transforming into the Hulk nearby, resulting in chaos, mayhem, and a few bruised egos. To Freddie’s credit, it’s not every day an actor can say they survived an attack by the Hulk.

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5) JFK in Superman #170 (1964)

Sometimes, events can ruin even the best-laid plans. Countless real-life events have altered the public’s reception of movies, shows, and even comics. Superman #170 is a complicated issue, as it features John F. Kennedy less than a year after his assassination. There are a couple of vital facts to keep in mind. First, the issue had been planned before the assassination, and DC immediately pulled it from the schedule following the tragedy. It likely never would have seen the light of day had Lyndon B. Johnson not requested DC go ahead and publish the issue. It still shocked readers, especially those unaware of the drama unfolding behind the scenes.

4) Princess Diana in X-Statix #13 (2003)

At this point, it may feel natural to assume that all celebrity cameos in comics are just that – comical. However, the events of X-Statix #13 prove that theory wrong. This issue initially intended to include a cameo of Princess Diana. Let’s start with the obvious: X-Statix #13 was released in 2003, six years after Princess Diana’s death. Including any recently deceased celebrity will always be an odd choice, no matter the context. The story gets stranger, as it intended for Princess Diana to not only return from the dead but get superpowers in the process (this is the world of Marvel Comics, after all). The news was met with an immediate backlash, but instead of scrapping the project altogether, the creators changed a few details to make the cameo less obvious, but there was no putting the cat back in the bag for this adventure.

3) Eminem in Eminem/The Punisher #1 (2009)

For anyone who actually read the title of this issue, it probably felt less of a surprise. Since Eminem has a habit of mentioning Marvel in his songs, it makes a strange sort of sense for Marvel to return the favor. Eminem/The Punisher combines these two unlikely personalities in pure, dramatic fashion. It all starts when Punisher targets Eminem’s retinue by mistake, killing everyone but the famous rapper. Acknowledging the error doesn’t rewind time but does result in a strange team-up. After a bit of a scuffle (because, again, Punisher killed Eminem’s people), the two go after a group of villains, the people the Punisher had been after this whole time.

2) Muhammad Ali in Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali (1978)

If there’s one thing mega-fans love to do, it’s get into heated debates about which superhero would come out on top in a theoretical fight. And at the end of the day, what are comic creators but the world’s biggest fans? This perspective can help explain how Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali came into being. As the title implies, this issue pits the famous Superman against the world’s most famous boxing champion. It’s pretty strange, no matter how one looks at it. While the fight is interesting, albeit unexpected, the plot feels more like a flimsy justification for a fight, as it all begins with an argument about who Earth’s greatest champion is. It’s hard to believe that somebody like Superman would get so petty about a title like that.

1) Justin Trudeau in Civil War II #5 (2016)

They say that art imitates life. In comics, that usually means that the characters within can reflect their real-life counterparts. We’ve already seen Anderson Cooper continue his news reporting in Marvel, and at least one politician is now confirmed to exist between the two worlds. The events of Marvel’s Civil War II were undeniably heavy, with a heated (and fatal) debate about policing crimes before they occurred. So it kind of makes sense that the creators wanted to help lighten the mood, if only for a moment. The result was a moment in Civil War II #5, in which Tony Stark had a friendly sparring session with Justin Trudeau. Yes, that’s right, Canada’s Prime Minister. Okay, that wasn’t the only reason Trudeau made a cameo, as he also weighed in on the legality of using an Inhuman profiler to prevent crime (he was against it, for anyone wondering).

What do you think the strangest celebrity cameo in comics is? Let us know in the comments!