Honoring the Mastermind of the MCU, Stan Lee
Stan Lee, the man with an entire universe in his mind, has died at 95.
Lee revolutionized the comics industry by giving his superheroes flawed characteristics where they had previously been invincible and unflappable. Starting with the Fantastic Four, he developed an entire interconnected series of characters that developed into the wildly successful MCU. Working with the legendary Jack Kirby, Lee created the original Avengers Hulk, Thor and Iron Man as well as the X-Men and Black Panther. Bill Everett collaborated with Lee on Daredevil and Steve Ditko on Doctor Strange. It is amazing that so many characters we know and love today sprang from one man’s brain.
These accolades are astonishing, but in many of the tributes to Lee’s life, one character stands out above all others: Spider-Man. Peter Parker, the teenager with the sticky fingers, became Marvel comics’ most successful character ever. Lee and Ditko’s beloved web-slinger debuted in Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962. The radioactive spider bite survivor has spawned several film and TV adaptations with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Far from Home both rolling out in the next 9 months.
Sony Pictures, the current cinematic home of Spider-Man, honored Lee with a touching video about all of the fans he impacted through his life. The clip closes with many of Lee’s cameos in the Spider-Man films. The X-Men currently live at 20th Century Fox and the majority of Lee’s other characters with Disney, and Lee has popped up in nearly all of the films based on his characters.
Shortly before Lee’s passing, his Twitter account shared a WWII era photo of the artist in the Army. Lee created manuals, training films, slogans, and cartoons during the conflict under the official military classification of “playwright.”
Having developed some of the most popular characters in the world, tributes poured in for Lee yesterday. Stars like Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Tom Holland, and current Marvel President Kevin Feige paid their respects. Lee’s long legacy will live on for many more generations. Hopefully, we will be gifted another cameo or two when Avengers 4 and Captain Marvel debut.
Featured Image: HOLLYWOOD, CA – OCTOBER 20: Stan Lee attends the Premiere of Disney and Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange” on October 20, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
