Captain Marvel‘s home release has officially begun to roll out, meaning that many of the film’s most noteworthy moments are finding their way online — down to the film’s opening fanfare. The Marvel Studios intro, which was altered in Captain Marvel to pay tribute to comic legend Stan Lee, has surfaced online. Whether you remember seeing the fanfare in theaters, or you want to experience it for the first time, you can check it out below.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Stan lee version of MCU Opening Fanfare (re-post; the one on the front page has corrupted audio) from r/marvelstudios
Since Captain Marvel was the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film released after Lee’s death, fans went into it hoping for some sort of special tribute to the comic icon and frequent cameo-maker. But as it turns out, even Lee’s cameo within the film itself – where he exchanges a look with Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) while reading the script for Mallrats on a train – took on a different life after his death.
“Instead of just the pure laugh we had, we had a little bit of a smile from Captain Marvel in response to it, and she kind of breaks character for a moment,” Captain Marvel co-director Anna Boden explained in a recent interview. “I think it reflects a little bit of what the audience is feeling, and we allowed that to happen.”
“It’s sad. I mean it feels like one of the first red carpets without him, this being the first Marvel Studios film released without him, you know,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige echoed at the film’s London premiere. “Frankly, we feel like all the films we’ve made are a tribute to his work and we’re always trying to do our best and do right by he and all his co-creators. This one, though, is particularly important since it’s the first one. So, yes his cameo and this film sort of begins as a celebration to Stan and his legacy.”
And although the Lee-themed intro wasn’t used in last month’s Avengers: Endgame, that film brought a bittersweet notion with it as well, as it featured the final cameo Lee filmed before his death.
“This was his final cameo that was committed to film,” Endgame co-director Joe Russo told ComicBook.com earlier this year. “It was always… Again, I grew up as a Marvel fanatic, and watching Spider-Man cartoon show as a kid with his voice in it. I think anything that affects you as a child really affects you as an adult, sticks with you. So when he would come on set, and we’d hear his voice, it’s sort of Pavlovian in a way, where you just become a child again. The whole crew would be like that. People were always… All these movie stars on set every day, and then Stan would show up, and it was just like people were kids all over again.”
Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame are in theaters now. Spider-Man: Far From Home will land in theaters on July 2nd.