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Warning: spoilers ahead for The Fantastic Four: First Steps

I don't know about you, but I try to find a bit of Jack Kirby wherever I can in this world. Imagine my surprise, then, when I saw a familiar figure in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Marvel Studios's latest outing that serves as the introduction of the Fantastic Four to the larger MCU. As it turns out, it looks like Jack Kirby makes a cameo appearance in the film, alongside Stan Lee.

What do I mean when I say "Jack Kirby makes a cameo appearance in the film?" Well, when Julia Garner's Silver Surfer floats into Earth-828's Times Square, which we already know houses Timely Comics, the name of the company that would eventually rebrand itself as Marvel Comics, a stout man with distinctive eyebrows and a short haircut peers outside the windows of his office at Timely, next to a mustachioed man. Upon seeing Silver Surfer, he says, "Would you look at that?" We then cut to another shot of two men from behind, and see that the walls of his office are lined with comic book art. It's another "blink and you'll miss it" moment, but my brain registered the art we see in the brief cutaway as Kirby art. 

There's also the matter of the fellas themselves: they just looked a hell of a lot like Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. The Kirby actor had the same haircut as Kirby in the 1960s, wore high-waist trousers like Kirby, and he may have also been smoking a cigar, but I am not entirely sure on that - there was a lot going on. Kirby was known to be a cigar smoker. And let's also be real, Jack Kirby would've probably said something along the lines of "Would you look at that?" if he had seen an alien lady on a surfboard appear in Times Square. 

This isn't the first time that a nod to Kirby has been made in a Marvel movie. In fact, director and under-recognized savior of Daredevil comics, Kevin Smith, played a coroner named Kirby in the 2003 Daredevil movie. Considering how well known Stan Lee is to Marvel movie fans, thanks to years and years of cameos, it's about time Marvel Studios give some love to Jack Kirby. 

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in theaters now. 

Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:

• All the upcoming MCU movies, TV series, and specials on the horizon
• How to watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe in release or chronological order
• The best Marvel Comics stories of all time
• All the MCU movies ranked from best to worst