In a conversation with former president and chairman of Marvel Comics Stan Lee while promoting Avengers-inspired razors by Gillette, Business Insider asked the 92-year-old about his famous cameo roles in the majority of Marvel movies, including "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (opening Friday).

We won’t give away his appearance in the movie (trust us, it’s great), but he did reveal that it won't be his last Marvel movie.

“I’ve since done a cameo for 'Ant-Man,'” he excitedly told Business Insider.

The next film to come out from Marvel Studios on July 17 stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, who is armed with a super suit that gives him the ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength.

“It was the most difficult movie to work on because everyone has to be careful where they’re stepping because they might accidentally crush the leading man,” Lee said jokingly. “But seriously, 'Ant Man' is going to be great. It’s going to be different than any other superhero movie and the fans are going to love it.”

Lee didn't give us any more details about his cameo in "Ant-Man," only promising us, “it’s great!”

SEE ALSO: Stan Lee explains why everyone is spelling "comic book" wrong

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NOW WATCH: Here's Why Stan Lee Says You Should Never Do Something Just For Money

A slight failure in communication almost derailed "Goodfellas."

In 1986, Nicholas Pileggi wrote the book "Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family" about Henry Hill and his mob associates. After the book received positive reviews, director Martin Scorsese tried reaching out to Pileggi. However, there was one small problem. 

“I never thought it was Marty calling,” Pileggi told a crowd at the Tribeca Film Festival. 

Pileggi was still working for "New York Magazine" at this time, and Scorsese kept trying to get a hold of him over the phone. 

"I’d get these little pink slips that would say, ‘Call Martin Scorsese.’ I thought it was David Denby, who was the movie critic at "New York Magazine," so I didn’t respond,” Pileggi said.

Pileggi didn't go into detail about whether or not Denby had a history of pulling off elaborate pranks of some sort. But clearly, Denby had nothing to do with this. 

Somebody from Scorsese's office finally contacted "Sleepless in Seattle" director Nora Ephron, who was married to Pileggi, and she knocked some sense into him. 

"Are you crazy?" Pileggi recalled Ephron asking. "Martin Scorsese is trying to call you and you won't call him back!"

After that, Pileggi finally called him back and work on the project began. 

Pileggi and Scorsese ended up co-writing the script together, which was nominated for an Academy Award for best adapted screenplay. They collaborated once again on "Casino.""Goodfellas" celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

SEE ALSO: Martin Scorsese wasn't allowed back in an Italian restaurant after 'Goodfellas' came out

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NOW WATCH: 70 people were injured while filming this movie with 100 untamed lions

Summer movie season officially kicks off Friday.

While you may have your tickets ready for the "Avengers" sequel, "Age of Ultron" is just the start.

More than 100 movies will be released between Friday and the end of August.

From comedies to big-budget sequels, we've rounded up this summer's biggest movies you should check out.

"The Avengers: Age of Ultron"

Release date: May 1

Why to see it: When Earth's mightiest heroes assemble, you don't need many reasons to head out to theaters. We already know you're planning to see this one. James Spader as a psychotic android uttering the "Pinocchio" theme gives us chills every time we watch this trailer. We're most excited, however, to see Paul Bettany as the mysterious android Vision.

Watch the trailer.

"Mad Max: Fury Road"

Release date: May 15

Why to see it: If you were a fan of George Miller's original 1979 film, Miller is back directing the fourth installment, starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. The film has been in the works for over two decades, so anticipation is high. The newest trailer delivers with a barrage of nonstop action and gorgeous visuals that should excite fans of the series.

Watch the trailer.

"Slow West"

Release date: May 15

Why to see it: A gorgeously shot, quirky Western featuring Michael Fassbender ("12 Years a Slave") as an outlaw guiding a naive lovesick Scottish boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) to his beloved. Fassbender narrates the tale, which our own Brett Arnold describes as occasionally violent, often funny, but always a joy.

Watch the trailer and read Arnold's review.

Don't worry: There are no spoilers ahead.

“Avengers: Age of Ultron” director Joss Whedon was very clear when he told Entertainment Weekly there won’t be an end-credits scene after the film. 

While that may be the case, don’t leave the theater as soon as the movie ends when you head out to see it. 

After an initial credits sequence, there is a very brief mid-credits scene. 

I won’t tell you what it is now, but come back after the film’s release, and we’ll have a full explainer breaking the scene down.

You won’t want to miss it. 

This is the one that really matters, and teases where the future of the Marvel franchise is heading.

Wait. So, there is an end-credits sequence ... sort of?

Yes. 

But, Whedon said there wasn't one?

Yes, technically, that's true. You won't have to sit through the black and white credits that roll for another 10 or so minutes.

So ... I freaked out over nothing?

Kind of. (It's okay. We freaked, too, at first.)

Since 2008, Marvel has been adding these fun tags to the end of its films. Sometimes, they tease something big. In "Iron Man," we saw Samuel L. Jackson step onto the screen as Nick Fury to approach Tony Stark about "The Avenger Initiative." "Thor" was hinted at after "Iron Man 2." You get it.

In more recent years, the end-credit scene became more lighthearted as Marvel started putting out two end-credit sequences starting with 2012's "The Avengers."

The first came midway through the credits (hence mid-credits sequence) and introduced Josh Brolin's future villain Thanos. Some fans may have left theaters afterward thinking that was it! Good show! However, those who stayed around until the end of the film found a fun additional scene continuing the flow of the actual movie where the Avengers gang went out for shawarma.

This didn't become the norm moving forward as "Iron Man 3" still had one end-credit scene. However, the mid-credits sequences started to become more important teasers for viewers than those at the very end of the film.

The only film that really hasn't followed this formula was 2014’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which had two fun end-credits scenes. (Both of the scenes in "Captain America: The Winter Solider" were pretty important to the continuation of the "Captain America" franchise and the larger MCU as a whole.)

The post-credits scene we won't see at the end of "Avengers: Age of Ultron" would have been one of those lighter, more comical tags. Whedon even hinted at this himself when speaking with EW.

Via EW:

Whedon says they tried to come up with something worthy of the end-credits shot but ultimately couldn’t top shawarma. “It didn’t seem to lend itself in the same way, and we wanted to be true to what felt right,” Whedon says. “The first rule of making a sequel is take the best moments and do something else. Don’t do the Indiana Jones gun trick again differently. Just go somewhere else. Don’t try to hit the same highs, because people will sense it.”

So, no need to get worked up. 

“Avengers: Age of Ultron” is in theaters May 1.

SEE ALSO: One of the biggest teases from the "Avengers: Age of Ultron" trailer won't even be in the movie

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NOW WATCH: Disney just dropped another 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' trailer — and it's the best one yet

Ahead of this Saturday's big fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, there's a new movie chronicling the latter's origin story.

"Kid Kalufu" tells the story of Manny Pacquiao's early life as a poor kid living in the Philippines that would eventually become one of the greatest boxers of his generation.

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Comedian Amy Schumer gives an honest interview about the sexual double standards between men and women while promoting her upcoming film "Trainwreck."

Schumer stars the Judd Apatow-directed comedy alongside "Saturday Night Live" alum Bill Hader and NBA player LeBron James. "Trainwreck" will be released on July 17, 2015.

Produced by Jason Gaines. Video courtesy of Associated Press, Universal Pictures, and Comedy Central.

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Stan Lee recently proclaimed himself“the world’s most famous cameo artist.” And it’s hard to argue with him.

The former president and chairman of Marvel Comics is currently best-known for showing up in the majority of the movies released by Marvel Studios since 2008’s “Iron Man.” But he started doing cameos long before there were superhero movies.

Going as far back as the 1960s, Lee’s likeness would be inserted occasionally in covers and inside the pages of the Marvel comics he was overseeing. And from what Lee told Business Insider while promoting Gillette’s new line of Avengers-inspired razors, it was never his intention to pop up in all things Marvel.

“The artists back then would draw me in as a joke or just to have fun,” Lee told BI. “And I would put some dialogue balloons there and it looked as if I intended it. I didn’t try to do cameos in those days.”

Here’s Lee and fellow iconic Marvel artist Jack Kirby showing up on the cover of a “Fantastic Four” comic in the 1960s.

And Lee shows up in this edition of the “Nova” comics in the 1990s.
“Anything that seemed fun and anything that the readers seemed to enjoy we kept doing and those things brought in a lot of fan mail,” Lee recalls. “And we weren’t doing movies or television, our whole existence depended on comic books, so if you see that something is interesting to the fans you stay with it.”

Marvel definitely stayed with it, making Lee the face of the company. Over the decades, the now 92-year-old has also appeared in countless cartoons, TV shows, and movies ranging from Fox's '90s cartoon “Spider-Man” to 1995 comedy “Mallrats" where Kevin Smith used him as a voice of reason. Lee said he particularly likes his cameo in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (in theaters Friday) because “it’s so funny.”

That's primarily why he also has a fondness for his appearance in 2007’s “Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” in which he can’t get into the wedding of Reed Richards and Susan Storm because the bouncer doesn’t think he’s really Stan Lee. “I like any of them that seem a little bit funny,” he added.

Get ready to see more of Lee after "Age of Ultron." He tells BI he’s already filmed his cameo for this summer's adaptation of “Ant-Man.”

See if you can find him when the movie opens July 17.

SEE ALSO: Stan Lee's original cameo was cut from "Guardians of the Galaxy" because it was too edgy

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NOW WATCH: This Was Marvel Legend Stan Lee's One Big Mistake

While "Avengers: Age of Ultron" director Joss Whedon has been running Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe, he's also looking forward to next year's "Batman V Superman" from Warner Bros.

"People with power, who are good, do not always agree and it makes perfect sense for me that [Batman and Superman] would fight," Whedon told Yahoo Movies. "And besides … Batman and Superman are gonna fight! I’m so excited! I’m so excited!"

If you're a Batfan, you may know there's another reason Whedon is interested in a Batman movie. 

Before Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" trilogy became a blockbuster taking in over $2.4 billion worldwide, Whedon approached Warner Bros. with a script for a very different Batman origin story.

A 2012 GQ article described the script, with quotes from Whedon: 

There was a lot more in Whedon’s take, about the orphaned Bruce Wayne as a morbid, death-obsessed kid. There was a scene—Whedon used to well up, just thinking about it—where young Bruce tries to protect this girl from being bullied in an alley, an alley like the one his parents were murdered in. 

“And he’s like this tiny 12-year old who’s about to get the s— kicked out him. And then it cuts to Wayne Manor, and Alfred is running like something terrible has happened, and he finds Bruce, and he’s back from the fight, and he’s completely fine. And Bruce is like, “I stopped them. I can stop them.’ That was the moment for me. When he goes ‘Oh, wait a minute; I can actually do something about this.’ The moment he gets that purpose, instead of just sort of being overwhelmed by the grief of his parents’ death.”

The script also featured a new villain instead of one from the Caped Crusader's vast rogue's gallery. 

"In my version, there was actually a new [villain], it wasn’t one of the classics -- which is probably why they didn’t use it,"Whedon told MTV in 2008. "It was more of a 'Hannibal Lector' type -- he was somebody already in Arkham Asylum that Bruce went and sort of studied with. It was a whole thing -- I get very emotional about it, I still love the story. Maybe I’ll get to do it as a comic one day."

Whatever the reason, his script was rejected, as was a script he wrote for DC's Wonder Woman.

Whedon finally got his comic book movie when he was hired to rewrite and direct the "Avengers," and the rest is history.

SEE ALSO: Joss Whedon has been writing Marvel scripts since he was 12

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NOW WATCH: Disney just dropped another 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' trailer — and it's the best one yet

Since 2008, Paul Bettany has had one of the most important roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but you may not have realized it. 

He's appeared behind-the-scenes in five Marvel movies as the voice of Tony Stark's A.I. J.A.R.V.I.S.

When "Avengers: Age of Ultron" hits theaters May 1, fans will see him for the first time on screen in a very different role when he steps out as the superhero android Vision.

As a result, he'll be the first — and most likely only — actor to play two different Marvel characters on screen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.*

During an interview for "Age of Ultron" with Business Insider, Bettany said if it wasn't for director Joss Whedon, we very well may have seen another actor play Vision on the big screen. 

"They [Marvel] have a rule, that you’re not allowed to play more than one character in the Marvel universe," explains Bettany. "So, they broke the rules … they bent the rules slightly for me because Joss really wanted to bring the Vision into the film world, and he really wanted me to do it."

The 43-year-old actor described the transition from A.I. to a physical presence in the films as a bit of a double-edged sword. 

"Before I used to turn up for two hours and get paid a silly amount of money for … I used to feel like a pirate running off with a bag of cash at the end of the day," jokes Bettany. "Now, I actually have to show up and stuff." 

However, the experience of being on set with the other actors has been a refreshing change from what he was used to previously. 

"It’s really lovely to finally be working with these people that I’ve been working with for 10 years already," says Bettany. "It’s a bunch of really creative, talented, funny people who are all playing at the top of their game, and I don’t just mean the cast — who were incredibly welcoming — but I also mean Kevin Feige and [executive producer] Jeremy Latcham and Joss Whedon. They really know how to make these movies."

Bettany's take as the Android is one of the most enjoyable bits of the "Avengers" sequel. 

"Avengers: Age of Ultron" is in theaters May 1.

*Editor's note: Several readers have pointed out that Chris Evans has also played two Marvel characters in separate films. Before he was Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he played Johnny Storm (the Human Torch) on screen in Fox’s “Fantastic Four.” 

SEE ALSO: "Avengers: Age of Ultron" is great, but it's not better than the original

AND: "Age of Ultron" could beat the highest-grossing opening weekend when it debuts

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NOW WATCH: Marvel Just Released A New 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron' Trailer And It's Incredible

There's no doubt "Avengers: Age of Ultron" is going to have an absolutely massive weekend at the box office.

The question on Hollywood's mind is just how big that weekend will be. 

Its predecessor debuted to $207.4 million in 2012, giving it the highest-opening weekend ever at the box office. "The Avengers" then went on to become one of the highest-grossing films of all time, grossing over $1.5 billion worldwide.

Since then, Marvel's Cinematic Universe has been on a roll with hit after giant hit — "Iron Man 3" ($1.2 billion), "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" ($714 million), and "Guardians of the Galaxy" ($774 million) just to name a few. 

The biggest challenge for "Age of Ultron," which has already made over $200 million from an earlier international release, will be seeing whether it can beat the record-setting weekend the original set in 2012.

"I think it will get there for sure," Phil Contrino, the vice president and chief analyst of BoxOffice.com, tells Business Insider.

The film is responsible for more than 95% of Fandango's weekend ticket sales. According to the ticket service, presales for "Age of Ultron" are equivalent to the presales for all Marvel Studios films combined.

Movietickets.com reports ticket sales on its site are 3.7 times greater than that of "The Avengers."

Currently, box-office predictions for "Ultron" range anywhere from $210 million to a large $230 million.

Contrino says BoxOffice.com's final estimate will most likely be slightly above $220 million.

"In terms of [cumulation], in North America I don't think it's going to beat the first movie just because that often happens with sequels where the rush out is massive and you don't see as much staying power necessarily," says Contrino.

The 2012 film made over $623 million domestically. 

Even if "Age of Ultron" doesn't end up being as massive as estimates are calling for, it will in no way be a big upset. After "The Avengers" incredible $207.4 million opening in 2012, the next largest box-office opening was 2013's "Iron Man 3" with $174.1 million.

"Any dip that happens in North America, in terms of the overall box office, will be made up by these overseas numbers," Contrino adds. "The big territory where I think 'Avengers' will gain the most ground is China ... 2012 the market was much smaller than it even is now." 

Here are the top five largest box-office openings via BoxOfficeMojo:

If you don't already have your ticket reserved for the weekend, you may want to get it sooner rather than later to avoid sell outs. 

This will be an exciting box-office weekend to watch!

SEE ALSO: Our review of "Avengers: Age of Ultron"

AND: Marvel broke its movie rule to let Paul Bettany play Vision in "Avengers: Age of Ultron"

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Marvel Just Released A New 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron' Trailer And It's Incredible

Nick Berardini was in his senior year at the University of Missouri in 2008 and working the late shift at the local TV station when a call on the police scanner changed his life.

Berardini got word of an in-custody death by the Moberly Police Department and was one of the first reporters on the scene.

Witnesses told him 23-year-old Stanley Harlan had been pulled over by the Moberly police in front of his house. Harlan got out of his car, had a conversation with the officer who pulled him over for speeding or drunken driving (it's still not clear why he was pulled over), and was allowed to call his mother. But when other officers arrived all hell broke loose.

"The second officer on the scene didn't understand [Harlan] was allowed to use his phone," Berardini told Business Insider of what witnesses told him that night. "He tried to take it from [Harlan], and Harlan backed up with his hands in the air and said something like, 'Why are you going to tase me?'"

The officer used a Taser stun gun on Harlan's chest three times for a total of 31 seconds, according to Berardini's reporting. Harlan went into cardiac arrest and died on the scene in front of his mother and stepfather.

"That seemed so aggressive to me and such an obvious misuse of force that I became really sympathetic towards the family," said Berardini, who at the time of Harlan's death was 24 years old and aspiring to be a filmmaker.

Six months after Harlan's death, Berardini got the dash-cam video of the incident and saw the entire altercation. It not only verified what the witnesses told him that evening, but it also motivated him to make a film that would show how an event like this could fracture a small community.

The journey in telling that story led him to the doors of Taser International, the multimillion-dollar company that manufactures Tasers for law enforcement in the US.

Suddenly, the film became much bigger.

Berardini's documentary, "Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle" (named after the young adult novel that also inspired the trademarked acronym"Taser"), premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last week and is the first of its kind. Never before had a film looked in great detail at the stun-gun industry, which is dominated by Taser International, and given an objective view of its effect on society and law enforcement.

The film heavily uses archival footage to explore how Taser International founders Tom and Rick Smith created the Taser, which they then sold to police departments across the country with the promise that it was a safer alternative to firearms. (According to Taser International, "suspect injuries have been shown to be reduced by as much as 60% when alternative means of force are deployed.")

In 2012, Taser International said the risk of death from the electrical effects of devices like Tasers had not been "conclusively demonstrated" by a reputable scientific study. (In the US, 17,800 police departments currently carry Tasers.) But with hundreds of apparent Taser-related deaths in the country since Taster International's Taser was created in 1993, criticism of the weapon has grown stronger, and some departments have even decided to stop using Tasers. In 2009, Taser International updated its training guides by stating that officers should not aim for the chest.

"'Tom Swift' highlights the ineptitude not only of Taser International but also of the governing bodies and police departments that have allowed this organization to essentially have a monopoly over the training and safety of the device," wrote BI's Brett Arnold and Amanda Macias in their review of the film.

Here's a portion of the statement Taser International sent to Business Insider in regard to the risk of death by being stunned by a Taser (see full statement at the bottom of this story):

TASER® technology is the most extensively researched less-lethal weapon with more than 500 related reports and medical studies. These studies consistently have found that the TASER is generally safe and effective as a response to resistance option ... However, it is still a 'weapon' and it is not risk free and TASER provides in depth warnings to law enforcement to that effect; including that the weapon may cause death or serious injury.

But it took years for Berardini to realize the story he was telling was not about the awful death of Harlan but about the weapon that killed him.

In fall 2009, Berardini began having a conversation with Taser International about filming one of its executives for his film.

"I was 24, impressionable, didn't know a lot, and potentially had a platform of a 90-minute film," Berardini said of why he thought the company would agree to talk to him.

He also got to Taser International at an interesting time in the company's history.

"They were starting to lose lawsuits for the first time," Berardini said. "And internally, they felt the weight of that and wanted to speak from their own perspective."

Six months of talks with Taser International finally led the company to allow Berardini to come to its headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, in March 2010 and film an interview with the company's vice president of strategic communications, Steve Tuttle. Berardini was also invited to record footage of the factory where Tasers are assembled.

At the time, Berardini was working alone on the project. So he got a cameraman from the Missouri TV station he worked at to come along to shoot and a friend to be his production assistant.

"I think they expected me to come there and be converted by this Orwellian headquarters they have," Berardini said. "Because that is what works for police officers."

Berardini said he didn't have any "gotcha" questions for Tuttle. "I expected them to not play a big role" in the film, he acknowledged. But he was hoping that at least Tuttle would acknowledge that Tasers could be dangerous if used excessively.

That didn't happen.

In the film, Tuttle seems unsympathetic to any of the Taser-related deaths and stays on message with the company motto, "Protecting life. Protecting truth."

Tuttle's firm stance during the interview that Tasers could never cause deaths "honestly blew me away," Berardini said.

Berardini left the Taser headquarters three hours later having grown more suspicious of Taser International. He began to research the company, talking to reporters who had covered it and speaking to lawyers who had taken it to court.

He also brought on producers Jamie Goncalves and Brock Williams. They found that Berardini was essentially editing two films, one on Taser and one on Harlan.

"He was still really focused on telling this story on Stanley Harlan," Williams said. "But the thing that I immediately was drawn to was this bigger [Taser International] story and this great [Tuttle] interview."

Around Christmas 2011, Berardini finally came to terms that the Harlan story could not be the main focus of the movie.

"I met Brock for lunch and we were exhausted, and I said, 'We have to start over,'" Berardini said.

What put him over the edge was all the material he got from his research, including Taser International training DVDs, manuals, and over 120 hours of deposition footage. It all gave Berardini a clearer picture of what he viewed as negligence by Taser International in how it made its device attractive to police departments. He had to make that the focus.

The Harlan story would now be in the film as one of the chilling examples of the excessive use of Tasers by police.

By the time Berardini had a rough cut of "Tom Swift" last October, he said, Taser International was already trying to stop the film from being released.

Berardini said the company attempted to subpoena the film after the Harlans' lawsuit against Taser International. The filmmakers caught a break, however, because the "discovery period" of the lawsuit had passed, meaning Taser International could not subpoena them. The Harlans' suit against Taser International was dismissed by an appeals court in 2014. The officers on the scene of Harlan's death were not criminally liable because, according to Berardini, there was nothing in the Taser International manual used by the police department that would suggest the use of the Taser could cause a fatality. But the Harlans did get a $2.4 million settlement from the city of Moberly.

All the people involved with the film were convinced Taser International would continue to come after them. But according to Berardini, the company has been quiet since the film was announced to play at the Tribeca Film Festival. And to Berardini's knowledge, no one at the company has seen the film yet.

Tuttle issued this statement to Business Insider, which we have included below in full, regarding the risk of death to those stunned by a Taser:

TASER^® technology is the most extensively researched less-lethal weapon with more than 500 related reports and medical studies. These studies consistently have found that the TASER is generally safe and effective as a response to resistance option. In a 5-year TASER safety study by the US Department of Justice 'an expert panel of medical professionals concludes that the use of conducted energy devices by police officers on healthy adults does not present a high risk of death or serious injury.' A US DOJ funded study by the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center found that in 1201 randomly selected incidents, 99.75 percent of individuals subjected to a TASER device as part of an arrest procedure received no significant injury. The American Medical Association assessed that TASER devices are a 'safe and effective tool' and 'can save lives during interventions' when used appropriately. However, it is still a 'weapon' and it is not risk free and TASER provides in depth warnings to law enforcement to that effect; including that the weapon may cause death or serious injury.

Tuttle told Business Insider he had not seen the film.

But screenings of the film at Tribeca may have affected Taser International's bottom line. After the world premiere of the film, the company's stock began to fall. (Though, recently the stock has surged.)

Berardini and his team are shopping offers for distribution of the film. One of their hopes — especially with the influx of recent stories of officers using excessive force— is that they will get the film shown at police departments that use Tasers.

"The police still get the message from one source, Taser International," he said. "Police need to see this film so when they go out on the street they will think about what the consequences are of using the device."

SEE ALSO: Why police sometimes shoot people instead of stunning them

MORE: The director of Netflix's next movie plucked his lead actor from the streets of Ghana

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NOW WATCH: Disney just released a new 'Star Wars: Episode VII' trailer and it's incredible

One of the rare disappointments to come out of the Marvel universe is the 2003 movie, “Daredevil.” And Stan Lee hasn’t forgotten.

“‘Daredevil’ didn’t do as well as everybody hoped,” Lee told Business Insider when asked which Marvel character he hopes will make it to the big screen next. “I think that, unfortunately, they didn’t portray him the right way.”

The film starred Ben Affleck as Matt Murdock, who, after going blind at a young age, becomes a crime fighting superhero with his enhanced remaining senses. While it hit number one at the box office opening weekend with $40 million, by its second weekend, the film dropped almost 60% in sales. 

Overall, it made $179 million worldwide on a $78 million budget. Despite being torn apart by critics, the film sits at 45% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "Daredevil" led to a spinoff, “Elektra,” which bombed two years later.

Among all the Marvel releases, Affleck's take on the superhero currently ranks 28th (wedged between “Ghost Rider” an “Blade II”) at the box office. 

So Marvel dusted itself off and moved on, eventually becoming a juggernaut in Hollywood.The success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has allowed Daredevil to have new life, on episodic television. Through its deal with Netflix, Marvel created a “Daredevil” series which debuted its first season early April. With a grittier tone than the movie, some incredible action, and a great opening credits sequence, the show has found a fanbase (and people like “Avengers” director Joss Whedon pushing harder for a new movie). 

Lee believes it's only a matter of time until another "Daredevil" movie is in the works, and that when Marvel does pull the trigger, it will do right by Murdock.

“Sooner or later there will be another ‘Daredevil’ movie,” he predicts. “And I think it will do very well.”

SEE ALSO: Why comic fans are obsessed with Daredevil and everyone should give him a second chance

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NOW WATCH: Here's Why Stan Lee Says You Should Never Do Something Just For Money

On Monday, news broke that Maika Monroe — an on-the-rise actress from recent independent movie hits like "It Follows" and "The Guest"— had been cast to play the president’s daughter in the upcoming sequel to "Independence Day."

The casting was initially a minor item highlighting how Monroe is climbing up the Hollywood ranks, but the problem for many is the news meant that the actress who initially played the role in the original 1996 film was now getting the boot.

Young actress Mae Whitman played the president’s daughter in the first "Independence Day."

The role launched Whitman's successful acting career, which has included starring roles in hit TV series "Parenthood" and most recently the successful teen comedy, "The Duff," which stands for "Designated Ugly Fat Friend."

Fans of Whitman, now 26, quickly came to her defense after the casting news. People on social media have been calling out Fox, the studio behind the "Independence Day" sequel, for allegedly recasting the role with a more "conventionally hot" actress to play opposite Liam Hemsworth, who will reportedly be the love interest of Monroe’s character.

Even actress Anna Kendrick took to Twitter to voice her displeasure with the recasting:

Whitman has been quiet about the decision, though she did reply to Kendrick with this:

HitFix's Drew McWeeny reports that Whitman didn’t even make the shortlist of actors for the role and he thinks the reason is obvious:

“…the oh-so-cute actors whose names were on the list all seem to be more of a conventionally ‘hot’ type than Whitman, making it look clearly like they were chasing a certain something.”

But over at ScreenCrush, Britt Hayes called out her male colleagues who think they’ve rushed to judgement that the decision by Fox was solely based on looks.

“The prevalent thinking I’m seeing from a lot of my male writers on Twitter is that Whitman is not ‘conventionally attractive,’ and therefore Fox went with someone who is. This thinking is offensive on various levels. First of all, comparing the attractiveness of two women, even in an attempt to rationalize a disagreeable situation such as this one, is awful and perpetuates a competitive culture in which women are forced to examine themselves through the lens of what men find attractive. That this was the first speculated narrative is unfortunate — and whether or not it’s true, it’s depressing to see men I respect insisting that a woman wasn’t hired because she’s just not pretty enough….”

Monroe has also been mum about the controversy. Only tweeting this following the casting news.

Fox has not yet given a reason for why Whitman wasn't considered for the sequel.

SEE ALSO: Liam Hemsworth may replace Will Smith in "Independence Day 2"

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NOW WATCH: Disney just released a new 'Star Wars: Episode VII' trailer and it's incredible

One of the biggest obstacles the "Avengers" sequel had to overcome was introducing, and constantly referring to two new characters, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

In the comic world, fans know the super-powered brother and sister duo as X-Men. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, aka Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, are the children of Magneto, who has been played on screen by Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender, and are one of many characters referred to as mutants for having a gene which allows them super abilities.

Naturally, you would expect to see the two in an "X-Men" film since Marvel licensed 20th Century Fox the rights to use those characters from Marvel in 1993. 

Last year, we sort of did. Evan Peters played a young, rambunctious version of Quicksilver, who quickly became a fan favorite. His sister, Wanda, was hinted at in a brief deleted scene. 

Since the two characters have been a part of the Avengers team throughout the years, however, the two are also allowed to pop up in Disney's Marvel movie "The Avengers: Age of Ultron." 

Disney and 20th Century Fox's shared rights over the Marvel brother and sister allows the characters to appear in both an X-Men and Avengers film played by two different sets of actors.

If that doesn't already sound slightly confusing, here's where things get trickier.

While Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are allowed to appear on screen as "Avengers," they're not allowed to be referred to as mutants, a term which is exclusive to the X-Men. They're also not allowed to have any connection to their famous father, Magneto.

Disney, which owns Marvel publishing, has recently retconned the siblings' comic book origin story to cut their tie with Magneto and the mutants, presumably as a way to promote its own movies ahead of Fox's.

"Age of Ultron" also establishes its own mutant-free origin story.

One thought was that they may be referred to as Inhumans, a group of genetically-altered humans created to make an advanced race.

Marvel head Kevin Feige has said, however, there would be no connection between the twins and the Inhumans, who will be getting their own movie in November 2018. 

Instead, the "Avengers" sequel gives the twins a new origin story.

Some minor spoilers follow.

In "Ultron," Pietro and Wanda Maximoff are of Eastern European descent. To rid of any connection to the X-Men, it's revealed that at the age of 10, their parents were killed in a bombing.

The twins later join up with terrorist organization H.Y.D.R.A. to undergo some voluntary experiments and end up gaining super abilities. Pietro, aka Quicksilver, is lightning fast, while Wanda, the Scarlet Witch, has telekinetic abilities.

Instead of being called mutants, the duo, and anyone with special powers, is referred to as enhanced. 

You can see the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver in "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" out May 1 in the US.

SEE ALSO: Our review of "Avengers: Age of Ultron

SEE ALSO: The mid-credits in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" explained

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NOW WATCH: Disney just dropped another 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' trailer — and it's the best one yet

When the first trailers for "Avengers: Age of Ultron" came out, we were left with way more questions than answers.

Particularly, there were a few mysterywomen in the trailers that had fans buzzing. 

We quickly learned the woman in one of the initial trailers was Korean actress Kim Soo-hyun, also known as Claudia Kim. We won't say much about her role or her character's name.

However, one of the biggest question marks revolved around the character below, who appeared in the second full trailer for the film.

Remember this brief scene?

Fans online have predicted the woman above is related in some way to Marvel's upcoming Black Panther character. The theories are that she's either Shuri, Black Panther's sister, or one of his bodyguards. 

We imagined it would have been one of the big reveals in the film.

Nope!

After heading to a screening of the film April 9, the scene with the above character didn't appear in the finished film.

If you're a big Marvel fan who has been poring over the marketing of "Age of Ultron" for months on end, it will be pretty obvious to you that the scene is missing. 

We figured since Marvel had no issue revealing the full image of Vision nearly a month before the film's premiere that there would be a bigger reveal in the film, such as the one above.

Nope.

Maybe it will be a deleted scene on a Blu-Ray, but that feels like a pretty big reveal to leave out of the film.

"Avengers: Age of Ultron" is in theaters May 1.

SEE ALSO: There will be a brief, mid-credits sequence in "Age of Ultron"

AND: Here's the mysterious character teased at the end of the new "Avengers" trailer

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NOW WATCH: Disney just dropped another 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' trailer — and it's the best one yet

Warning: If you haven't seen "Avengers: Age of Ultron," there are major spoilers ahead! 

If you're heading out to see the "Avengers" sequel this weekend, don't head out right after the movie's over. 

Although there won't be any added scene after the entire credits roll, there is one brief mid-credits sequence which appears right after the initial credits.

If you left early or are confused by what you saw, here's what you should know.

What happens:

The scene opens over an object shrouded in darkness. When it comes into view, we see it's a golden glove — the Infinity Gauntlet. 

We then get another glimpse of Thanos (Josh Brolin), the somewhat mysterious, big, bad villain who we've been seeing teases of since the end of 2012's "The Avengers." He reaches out toward the audience to grab the gauntlet. As he puts it on he says, "Fine, I'll do it myself."

That's it! (We told you it was short.)

In order to explain what this means, let's break this down into a few items.

What you need to know about Thanos

Thanos has a giant grudge against the universe for being born different. He's essentially the Hunchback of Notre Dame of the Marvel Universe, but with a spine. 

Thanos was born into a group of superhumans, the Eternals, who live on Saturn's moon, Titan. However, when he was born, he didn't look like any of the other Eternals. 

In comparison, here's how his brother, superhero Starfox looks:

Also known as the Mad Titan, Thanos became power hungry and obsessed with death. (Not only is he obsessed with killing others, but in the comics, he is actually in love with the embodiment of Death itself. More on this in a bit.)

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he's obsessed with gathering and gaining control of the Infinity gemstones and the Infinity Gauntlet to unleash their power. It's noted in "Guardians of the Galaxy" that Thanos is responsible for the death of Drax the Destroyer's (Dave Bautista) family. He's also the ruler of the Chitauri, the alien race that invaded Earth in the first "Avengers" film. 

What kind of powers does this guy have?

You name it, and Thanos essentially has it. 

Since Thanos comes from the Eternals, he has every ability endowed to them including super strength, endurance, and agility. Marvel describes his skin as being virtually impenetrable. It can withstand "heat, cold, electricity, radiation, toxins, aging, and disease." A psychic attack most likely won't affect him either. (Sorry, Scarlet Witch.)

Thanos can also blast "cosmic energy" from his eyes and hands. 

If all of that isn't enough, Thanos was also granted immortality by Death itself. 

So, yeah, The Avengers sound screwed.

So, what is this Infinity Gauntlet item Thanos is after?

This is what the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been building toward for some time!

Through all of the Marvel movies, there has been an entirely larger story arc told in the background often through the end-credits scenes where Thanos has attempted to secure several powerful stones for the Infinity Gauntlet, which he had crafted. When it's combined with six Infinity gemstones, the person in possession receives, in so many words, infinite power. 

And, what are the Infinity stones?

We've already been introduced to most of these throughout the Marvel movies. The stones on film appear to differ slightly from the ones introduced in the comics, which have varied over time.

Benicio del Toro's character The Collector describes the origin of the stones in 2014's "Guardians of the Galaxy":

"Before creation itself, there were six singularities. Then the universe exploded into existence, and the remnants of these systems were forged into concentrated ingots. Infinity Stones. These stones, it seems, can only be brandished by beings of extraordinary strength."

The Collector then showed footage of, what looked like, mercenaries who have used the stones before to destroy entire civilizations.

As Thor (Chris Hemsworth) notes at the end of "Age of Ultron," so far, we've only seen four of the six gemstones on screen. 

Blue (introduced in "Thor"): The space stone, also known as the Tesseract, is currently at Thor's home in Asgard being watched over by Heimdall (Idris Elba). 

Red (introduced in "Thor: The Dark World"): The Aether was desired by Malekith in order to make the universe black. The Collector is still believed to have it. It's not clear whether it was lost in the shuffle that happened in "Guardians of the Galaxy."

Yellow (introduced in "Avengers: Age of Ultron"): The mind stone was held in Loki's Chitauri sceptre and is now in the Vision's head. (That's not a good sign for him moving forward.)

Purple (introduced in "Guardians of the Galaxy"): The power stone is currently being held onto by the Nova Corps on Xandar. The Guardians were able to wield its power together.

Why does Thanos want the Infinity Gauntlet?

Basically, Thanos wants to wipe out the existence of most life from the universe. In the comics, this is done to impress and win the adoring affections of the aforementioned physical form of Death.

Yes, you read that right.

Not only is the Mad Titan obsessed with the idea of death, but he is also head-over-heels in love with Death.

It's not clear whether this is something the Marvel films plan to touch upon moving forward. 

What the end-credit scene means:

If you've been following all of the mid-credits and end-credits scenes from Marvel films closely, Thanos has been trying to acquire all of the Infinity gemstones. Having failed a number of times to acquire them (first in "The Avengers" after making a deal with Loki to acquire the Tesseract, and later in "Guardians of the Galaxy"), Thanos is finally taking matters into his own hands. 

So, while many of the Avengers are taking a break from superhero life at the end of "Age of Ultron," and Thor is off trying to figure out why the gemstones have been popping up, little do they know that things are just starting to get interesting.

SEE ALSO: Why these two characters are allowed to appear in both the "X-Men" and "Avengers" movies

AND: Marvel broke its own rule to let Paul Bettany play a new superhero in "Avengers: Age of Ultron"

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NOW WATCH: Marvel Just Released A New 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron' Trailer And It's Incredible

There are minor spoilers below.

"Avengers: Age of Ultron" is almost as good as "The Avengers," but not quite.

The sequel gets a lot of things right. It expands on characters who weren't spotlighted last film, introduces a few new characters to the bunch, and delivers a lot of big action sequences.

Director Joss Whedon juggles that big cast masterfully, even if pulling it off almost broke him.

However, the film feels a little formulaic. As in the first movie, "Age of Ultron" features a team of superheroes that bickers and fights amongst each other, an enemy who takes advantage of that weak spot, turning the heroes against each other, before a moment of clarity brings the team together in the final act.

Regardless, it will probably be the best action film of the summer, and may even beat the first movie's $1.5 billion gross.

Some highlights:

The opening sequence is awesome.

After three years away from the big screen, this is what you've been waiting for, to see the Avengers team back in action, working side by side.

The film picks up right where the end-credits for "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" left off. Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) reunite in a big opening action sequence to take down terrorist organization H.Y.D.R.A., which is in possession of the all powerful sceptre that caused the mayhem of the first film. 

The team makes it look like another day at the office as they easily take down an organization that has managed to cause nothing but grief for the cast of ABC's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." We see that Captain America and Thor make quite the tag team as well as Black Widow and the Hulk.

It's here where they also come across two new additions Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), superpowered twins orphaned at 10 with a huge gripe against the Avengers (more on them in a bit).

After the opening, Whedon shows what the superheroes do when they're not saving the world. This includes a big party scene that's been showcased in trailers and TV spots. There's also a romantic plot thrown into the mix that feels like something out of “Beauty and the Beast.” Is it necessary? No, but it works, and character depth is some of what the director does best.

James Spader’s Ultron is delightfully evil.

The big bad villain who wants to annihilate the human race comes out guns blazing. As in the trailers, Spader's a scene-stealer whenever he's on screen.

A hot-headed robot created by an overzealous billionaire genius Tony Stark (aka Iron Man), Ultron is supposed to be the next step in a robotic police force, the Iron Legion, which Stark has been working on to sub in for the Avengers. Unfortunately, the A.I. project goes awry when Ultron winds up being a psychotic killer bent on destroying both the Avengers and the Earth.

Because Ultron is modelled with his creator's personality quirks, scenes between the two feel like you're watching Stark go up against himself. Stark's usually the one to get the last word in edge-wise on screen, so it's exciting to watch Ultron deliver some verbal punches before Stark can even muster a pitch.

When the two go head to head, Ultron gives Iron Man a run for his money. Made out of vibranium steel, the same material as Captain America's unbreakable shield, he's virtually unstoppable.   

Hawkeye is one of the best parts of the film.

Seriously. This was probably one of the biggest and most welcome surprises of the film.  

After spending most of the time as one of Loki’s mindless drones last film, Clint Barton (Renner) is very much front and center, and he gets not one but probably two of the best lines in the entire film. You’ll know them when you hear them.  

By now, we’re well-versed about Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America. Here, Whedon does a great job at bringing not only Barton, but the rest of the Avengers including Black Widow and the Hulk/Doctor Banner to the forefront. 

If you go back to the “Avengers,” you can see Whedon planted the seeds for some of their current backstory long ago. 

The only better part? Vision 

The only actor to play two roles in a Marvel film, it’s incredibly exciting to see Paul Bettany, who has voiced Tony Stark’s A.I. J.A.R.V.I.S. since 2008's “Iron Man,” as a physical presence in the sequel. 

It takes a while for Vision to show up, but when he finally appears, he’s all you’ll want to see. I don’t want to give much away here, but his character delivers a few great lines and surprising moments pretty much every time he’s on screen — one early moment in particular will have Marvel fans flipping out.

The new additions aren’t going to be your new favorite characters.

There’s a reason you don’t hear much of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver in any of the teasers.

While Olsen gives a lively performance as Wanda Maximoff, Taylor-Johnson's Quicksilver is nowhere near as cool as Evan Peters's portrayal of the same character in "X-Men: Days of Future Past."

The super-powered siblings also have a few awkward moments. To start there's the strange Eastern European accents they made up.

Then there's the silly one liner, “You didn’t see that coming?” which is traded back and forth between Quicksilver and Hawkeye throughout the film.

Finally, there's the eye-roll-inducing workaround Disney uses to avoid calling them "mutants"— which is originally how the siblings received their powers in the comics. Though 20th Century Fox owns the film rights to Marvel's X-Men and all mention of mutants, these two characters are allowed to appear in both franchises. Expect a few chuckles in theaters when Captain America tells you the twins are simply "enhanced" beings that H.Y.D.R.A. experimented on.

The movie feels pretty predictable without big surprises. 

If you’ve watched all the trailers you won't be surprised by the first 40 or so minutes of the film. It's all a lead up to the first time you see Ultron on screen. After that, you're anxiously awaiting Vision's entrance since his big reveal online.

Many fans had this grand expectation that other characters would be introduced into the mix since 1. Marvel unveiled plans for a new group of superheroes who will soon get their own films 2. A mysterious character was teased in a trailer.

Nope.

Other than Vision, there are no other surprises. So it’s a bit of a bummer that Marvel decided to go ahead and spoil the biggest part of its sequel before release.

When the movie takes a big risk, Marvel blows it 

Without saying too much, Marvel had a chance to make a really big, shocking statement in "Age of Ultron" during one of its climactic scenes. However, it seems like it would have went against Disney's family-friendly vibe.

If you want to know what happens, highlight the text below. I don't mention any names.

*Huge spoiler*There's a big, unexpected death. For the longest time, you get the sense it's going to be a certain big character. Much of the entire sequel builds to this; however, at the last moment, Marvel pulls the rug out from under us, sparing us a huge death for a more minor character fans aren't as attached to yet. *Huge spoiler*

It's impossible for some of the scenes to top "The Avengers"

Nothing in this movie can beat the climactic scene in "The Avengers" where Stark sacrifices his life to rescue the citizens of Manhattan from a nuke. You’re strapped to your seat the entire taking hit after hit. First when Stark can’t get through to his girlfriend Pepper to bid a potential farewell, then again when he nearly doesn’t make it back through the closing of the hole to another dimension (just go with it), and finally when he’s falling down to Earth and no one’s immediately diving in to save him (we’re looking at you Thor). 

In addition, it's difficult to match moments in the first movie like when Hulk crushes Loki into the floor of Tony Stark’s tower or when Hulk punches Thor out of the frame. And nothing compares to Loki as he relishes in extracting an eye from a man to the overture of Franz Schubert's String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor.

As good as "Age of Ultron" is, it just leaves something to be desired.

Still, you’ll get the action you crave, you’ll get some witty one-liners, and you’ll have a really good time.

From a summer movie, that’s all you really want. 

“Avengers: Age of Ultron” opens in the US May 1. 

SEE ALSO: Why these two characters are allowed to appear in "The Avengers" and "X-Men" movies

AND: "Age of Ultron" has one brief mid-credits scene

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Marvel Just Released A New 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron' Trailer And It's Incredible

"Avengers: Age of Ultron" introduces us to two new characters, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. 

In the comics, the twin brother and sister duo (Wanda and Pietro Maximoff) are part of a large group of mutants in the "X-Men" franchise. The characters are in a unique position because they also happen to become Avengers.

Because Marvel licensed the X-Men characters to 20th Century Fox for use in films back in the '90s, the two can't be referred to as such in Disney's "Avengers" film.

One of the biggest questions for fans heading into "Age of Ultron," was discovering how Marvel would address Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver in the film.

Fans don't have to wait long to find out.

Warning: Some minor spoilers ahead if you haven't seen "Avengers: Age of Ultron."

In the first few minutes of the movie, Captain America refers to the duo as "enhanced."

"We have an enhanced in the field," Cap tells the rest of the Avengers. 

Several times throughout the first leg of the film, this is how Wanda and Pietro are referred to when they're introduced on screen.

Thor asks Captain America about Quicksilver at one point inquiring, "The enhanced?"

Again when Cap talks to S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) he asks about "the two enhanced."

Later, in another country when the two run into another character he intros them by clarifying that they're "the enhanced."

That's it. 

There's no mention of mutants or of their famous X-Men dad, Magneto. (Yes, that Magneto.)

It turns out the twins were *mini-spoiler* voluntarily genetically modified by terrorist organization H.Y.D.R.A. *mini-spoiler* and that's how they acquired their superpowers. 

For comic lovers, it sure takes some of the excitement out of the two characters who have a history in the X-Men comics before joining up with the Avengers.

More Avengers: Marvel broke its own movie rule to let Paul Bettany play a new superhero in "Age of Ultron"

SEE ALSO: "Avengers: Age of Ultron" is poised to have the highest-grossing opening weekend ever

AND: The mid-credits scene in "Age of Ultron" explained

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"Avengers: Age of Ultron" is just under two-and-a-half hours long, but it didn't start out that way.

According to a lengthy article in Vulture, director Joss Whedon's first cut of "Age of Ultron" clocked in at a lengthy three and a half hours. Whedon and producer Kevin Feige then had to whittle it down to 142 minutes. (Disney told us at a press screening the film has a 141-minute runtime.)

Nobody knows exactly which scenes were lost in the 68 or so minutes that were removed from the final cut. 

However, one notable scene that we know was removed is one that may have predicted the arrival of Marvel's upcoming Black Panther character. The below, brief shot featuring a mysterious woman was included in the trailer, but not in the theatrical version of the film.

Marvel president Kevin Feige also told MTV News a scene with future superheroine Captain Marvel was cut from the film.

"We didn’t want to introduce her fully-formed flying in a costume before you got to know who she was and how she came to be," said Feige.

The final "Age of Ultron" runtime is lengthy, but still not that long when compared to other popular summer blockbusters. For instance, "The Dark Knight Rises" clocked in at 165 minutes.

In fact, "Age of Ultron" is even shorter than than the first "Avengers," something which Joss Whedon surprisingly envisioned but thought would never actually happen. 

"I said to [Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige] before we started, 'My secret fantasy that'll never come true is that the second one is shorter than the first,'"Whedon said, "and we're shorter by a minute."

SEE ALSO: Here's how the 'Avengers' sequel dances around calling its 'X-Men' characters mutants

AND: Marvel broke its own movie rule to let Paul Bettany play a new superhero in "Avengers: Age of Ultron"

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NOW WATCH: Disney just dropped another 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' trailer — and it's the best one yet

In "Birdman," Michael Keaton played a struggling actor looking to make his big comeback.

"Birdman" itself was a comeback vehicle for Keaton. It earned him his first ever Oscar nomination for best actor. While he was a frontrunner to win — Keaton had taken home the Golden Globe for best actor— he went home empty-handed. 

Keaton thought he had a good shot at the award. Keaton went on the "Late Show with David Letterman" recently and described an encounter he had with a voter at an Academy Awards luncheon. This one voter complimented his performance. 

"I want to tell you that's maybe the best performance I've ever seen in a movie," the man told Keaton.

After hearing that, Keaton thought he was a lock.

But just as Keaton was getting up to leave, the man grabbed him and told him one more thing.

"Just remember Michael: When it comes to winning an Academy Award, illness always wins," he told Keaton.

"And then I thought, I am so f----ed right now!" Keaton told Letterman.

Keaton ended up losing the award to Eddie Redmayne. Redmayne played Stephen Hawking in "The Theory of Everything," which portrays Hawking's battle with ALS.

The "illness always wins" mantra refers to something that has become a bit of a joke amongst people who follow awards season, in that playing a character with a disability or disease can typically get you an Oscar.

According to the BBC, 16% of all Oscar winners have won for playing such a role. This was the subject of a now famous scene from "Tropic Thunder" (ironically, this performance earned Robert Downey Jr. an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor).

However, that same BBC article also pointed out that a "total of 12% of best actor and actress wins have been for roles associated with showbiz." In "Birdman," Keaton played an action movie star who makes his Broadway debut.

While these trends are evident and very noticable, somebody's "lock" over a category can change in an instant.

"I went from 'this is a done deal' to 'I'm done,'" Keaton said.

Watch Keaton tell this story to David Letterman below:

SEE ALSO: Vin Diesel thinks 'Furious 7' should win best picture at next year's Oscars

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