November 12th, 2018 will go down as the darkest day in the comic world. The charismatic, charming, ever glowing, fiesty, way beyond awesome writer, publisher, and editor, the one true legend of the comic world, Stan Lee is no longer with us. The Godfather of Marvel took his last breath this morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, LA at the age of 95.
Stan Lee was much more than just a creator of the Marvel universe. He was a real-life superhero. His career began in 1939. He worked with the best people in business like Kirby, Ditko and Bill Everett and created/co-created unforgettable characters like Spider-Man, Thor, Black Panther, X-Men, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, Ant-Man and countless others.
Stan Lee redefined the world of comics in the 60s. He gave his superheroes, not just the superpowers, but also a personality. He created such storylines which helped the audience connect themselves with their favorite heroes. Even a hero as powerful as Spider-Man fretted about not being able to date his crush and had dandruff issues. Stan Lee’s heroes had human foibles and hang-ups.
In an interview in 1979, Gene Simmons of Kiss said the following:
“His stories taught me that even superheroes like Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk have ego deficiencies and girl problems and do not live in their macho fantasies 24 hours a day.”
Also read: Ryan Reynolds’ ‘Detective Pikachu’ Trailer Drops
He had a pretty weird way of doing things. He used to sit in a room and then just brainstorm about his story. He would then call up the artist and ask them to draw his imaginations. The artist will leave the balloons and captions for Stan Lee to fill in. This method was known to be “The Marvel Method.”
Stan Lee worked with Kirby to launch the Avengers in September 1963. Little did he know that some 50 years after he created them, The Avengers would go on to become a global phenomenon. This is the reason Stan Lee is known as The Godfather of Marvel.
Known for his famous signature line, “Excelsior,” Stan Lee was born on December 28th, 1922 in Washington Heights. He cameoed in over over 60 movie and tv series including non-Marvel properties such as Mallrats, Pizza Man, Teen Titans Go To The Movies, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, The Big Bang Theory, and many more. Lee will still make a cameo in the upcoming Ralph Breaks the Internet. as well as Marvel films up until 2022.
Rest In Peace, Stanley Martin Lieber, aka Stan Lee. Comics will never be like before without you.
