{"id":67,"date":"2019-04-28T18:09:49","date_gmt":"2019-04-28T18:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/historyguy.com\/comicshistory\/superheroreviews\/?p=67"},"modified":"2019-04-28T18:24:16","modified_gmt":"2019-04-28T18:24:16","slug":"stan-lee-dear-mr-fantasy-avengers-endgame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/historyguy.com\/comicshistory\/superheroreviews\/stan-lee-dear-mr-fantasy-avengers-endgame\/","title":{"rendered":"Stan Lee and the song “Dear Mr. Fantasy” from Avengers: Endgame"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Avengers: Endgame<\/em> is the culmination of over ten years and 22 movies in the amazing Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In Endgame<\/em>, we are treated to a classic rock song as the Marvel logo makes its appearance, and the song we hear as the logo shifts with images of Marvel characters and icons, is a throwback to the \u201chippie\u201d era which is referenced a few times in the film. The song is \u201cDear Mr. Fantasy<\/em>,\u201d by Traffic. Some \u200banalysts and critics\u200b<\/a> think the inclusion of the song refers to Tony Stark and his journey in the MCU, but I argue that this song is a reference and an homage to the Fantasy Man himself, Stan \u201cThe Man\u201d Lee<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Stan
Stan Lee Cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First of all, remember, Stan Lee died in November of 2018, about six months prior to the release of Avengers: Endgame<\/em>. This movie also features the last of the Stan Lee cameos filmed prior to his passing. How is it more likely that the song refers to Stan than to Tony as the Fantasy Man? Tony Stark is a man of science. He has little use for fantasy; in fact, Tony frequently, in recent movies, rejects pop culture and fantastical ideas from his cohorts (telling Peter Parker to stop referencing old movies for his ideas, for instance). No, if the opening song were \u201cMr. Roboto<\/em>\u201d by Styx, or \u201cShe Blinded with Science<\/em>\u201d by Thomas Dolby, I would say it would be a reference to Stark.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what is the evidence for Stan Lee as \u201cMr. Fantasy?\u201d Let\u2019s look at the lyrics (written by \u200bSteve Winwood, Chris Wood, and Jim Capaldi\u200b) of the song:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear Mr. Fantasy play us a tune Something to make us all happy Do anything, take us out of this gloom Sing a song, play guitar, make it snappy  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are the one who can make us all laugh But doing that you break out in tears Please don’t be sad if it was a straight mind you had We wouldn’t have known you all these years  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear Mr. Fantasy play us a tune Something to make us all happy Do anything, take us out of this gloom Sing a song, play guitar, make it snappy, yeah yeah  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear Mr. Fantasy play us a tune Something to make us all happy Do anything, take us out of this gloom Sing a song, play guitar, make it snappy  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are the one who can make us all laugh But doing that you break out in tears Please don’t be sad if it was a straight mind you had We wouldn’t have known you all these years <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look at Stan Lee\u2019s career: his work (both in the comics, as well as TV and the Marvel movies) \u200bmake us happy\u200b<\/em>, \u200btake away our gloom\u200b<\/em> (by transporting us to his \u201cfantastical\u201d made-up worlds), and, as a major force of creativity (and marketing) for Marvel, he is \u200bthe one who can make us all laugh, \u200b<\/em>and, if he was not so darn creative (especially in the 1960s when he co-created most of the main Marvel characters and worlds), as in not having a \u200bstraight mind, We wouldn’t have known you all these years.  <\/em>If Stan were not so darned creative, and had a \u201cstraight mind,\u201d we would not have known him, or Tony Stark, or Peter Parker, or Thor, etc. \u201call these years<\/em>.\u201d  Using the song \u201cDear Mr. Fantasy<\/em>\u201d to open Stan Lee\u2019s last Marvel movie is clearly an homage to the most important person in the Marvel Universe, Stan \u201cThe Man\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n