Stan Lee jokes about playing Uncle Ben – But should he actually do it?

In a recent interview with comicbook.com Stan Lee talked about a wide range of things from Age of Ultron cameos, to Spider-Man joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe and he even snuck in a quick quip about going for the role of Spider-Man or Uncle Ben.

Lee made the comment when talking about how he thought both Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire had done a good job as Spider-Man. Although he would go on to add

"“Maybe it’s an easy role to play. I don’t know. Maybe I ought to try out for it. Maybe I could be Uncle Ben.”"

It was meant as a light-hearted joke with no merit whatsoever but would Marvel’s comic book legend and Generalissimo actually make a good Uncle Ben?

Well for starters he’s 92 years old and whilst he’s fit enough and up for the odd cameo here and there throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe I doubt he’d be able to pull of a full-time acting gig like Uncle Ben (unless it was just a cameo). The filming schedules for big blockbuster movies are notoriously tough and hard-work.

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Saying that, maybe he would like a role with more meaning, and what could be more meaningful than the co-creator of the character getting to be the fictional character that inspires their creation. Besides, who am I to say what Stan Lee can and cannot do. If I am half as able and sprightly as he is at the age of 92 I’ll be counting my lucky stars. Honestly, that man is an absolute machine!

Another hurdle could be the age gap. Marvel and Sony are reportedly looking for a teenage Spider-Man aged between 14-16. That would put the age difference between the two characters at a whopping 50 odd years (presuming you age Lee’s Uncle Ben down to a believable 70-something). But that’s still quite the age-gap. Also, logic dictates that if you have a younger Spider-Man, you also have a younger Uncle Ben.

Then there’s the question of whether or not there will even be an Uncle Ben in Marvel’s standalone film at all. They’ve already confirmed that they’re shying away from the traditional origin story so that essentially means that Uncle Ben’s presence isn’t needed. But, and there’s always a but, he could appear in flash-backs etc.

Personally I think there are too many negatives and obstacles for Stan Lee to be Uncle Ben but it would be a fitting tribute for one of the comic book industry’s greatest ever players. As always we want to know what the rest of the Spider-Fans out there think. Would you be happy with Stan Lee playing Uncle Ben in a Spider-Man movie?

You can watch Stan Lee’s full interview on the video below!

[source: comicbook.com]

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