Brandon Sanderson is borrowing a beloved part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the Apple TV adaptation of Mistborn, and his twist on the story motif is glorious. The MCU is one of the most celebrated interconnected universes onscreen, and its influence on pop culture is immeasurable. This might be best recognized with other movie and TV projects, but also extends to the writing world.
Prolific fantasy author Brandon Sanderson isn’t as far removed from the MCU as one might think based on his books. He has respect for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and uses it as a cultural touchstone when explaining his Cosmere universe (via Dragonsteel). He criticizes some of their choices, like the way they depict MCU antiheroes, which is frankly warranted. At the same time, he also recognizes the way that the MCU changed fantasy forever, opening the door for interconnected book universes.
Additionally, he previously shared on his Intentionally Blank podcast that he’s taking the approach of Marvel and DC director James Gunn when creating the movies. “Fantastic script, no reshoots.” He also said he’s intimidated by the fact that he has “to be the Kevin Feige or whatever to shepherd the Cosmere.” Now, the connections to the MCU are going to go deeper. Sanderson is pulling a Stan Lee in his upcoming adaptation of Mistborn, but he’s adding a morbidly comedic twist.
Brandon Sanderson Plans To Have Cameos In His Movies Just Like Stan Lee Did In The MCU
During the Mistborn 20th anniversary celebration stream on YouTube, Brandon Sanderson was asked a few times if he would take a page out of the Stan Lee playbook and write cameos into the movies. In the live chat, fans were enthused by the idea of the author pulling a Stan Lee and appearing in all the Mistborn movies. Contractually, he’s allowed to have a cameo if he wants one, according to his Brandon Sanderson FAQs website.
Now, the author joyfully shared more information about the specifics of the planned cameo. Sanderson excitedly shared that he’d already written himself into the first one with an absolutely amazing name, and it’s going to be hilarious. He said:
“In a screenplay, you write down, when a character first appears in a screenplay, you give them a name or whatever. And this is usually the name that ends up in the credits. You see ‘Doctor #1.’ That’s because they were named Doctor #1 in the screenplay…There is a character that’s named ‘Guy Who Looks Suspiciously Like Brandon’ as the name. I don’t know if that will go all the way through. I don’t know if the cameo will even end up working, but I have written in a cameo for myself. [It will be] different from the Stan Lee cameos. My cameos are going to be me dying. I’m going to be the Kenny of the Cosmere. Me dying in every movie is the plan. Revenge…”
While this may seem like a joke at first glance, he happily reiterated his cameo plan, stating, “I think the goal is to have me die in every project.” He elaborated that the cameos would be like Peter Jackson’s in Lord of the Rings, “where he gets shot full of arrows. I think that’s kind of fun.” Additionally, he explained that he only thought his repeated onscreen deaths were fair. “Like I said, karmic justice for me killing characters is that they get to kill me back sometimes.”
Brandon Sanderson’s Cameo Idea Fits Perfectly In Mistborn
While Mistborn is primarily known as a heist thriller, the series also has a sense of humor that deserves more appreciation. The group dynamics help add levity, making it easier to cope with the dystopian, dark world. The characters exchange dark-humored banter and insults. Kelsier, in particular, uses humor to defuse heavy, tense moments. The comedy might get a little more prevalent in Era 2, but it’s still a meaningful part of Era 1.
With this in mind, Brandon Sanderson’s cameo plan feels like a perfect fit for the Mistborn movie adaptation. If Kelsier existed in the real world, I could easily see him laughing alongside Sanderson at the wonderful irony in the characters killing the author who created them. Additionally, it adds a little bit of humor to the onscreen version of Mistborn, which should represent everything that makes the book series great, including the humor.