Marvel Comics Legend Stan Lee Has Died at 95
Stan Lee, one of the creators who made Marvel Comics into the titan of popular culture it is today, has passed away at 95. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a family member informed them that Lee died this morning while hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Born Stanley Martin Lieber in 1923, Lee got involved with the comic book industry at the age of 16 in 1939 with a two-page story in Captain America Comics, the year after Superman made his debut in the pages of Action Comics. Lee’s biggest contribution to the superhero genre was the emphasis on giving his heroes several real-world problems, a shift away from competitor DC’s creative decision to portray superheroes as archetypal, godlike figures. This move influenced almost every superhero comic that has been made since the 1960s, with Alan Moore’s DC-published 1985 epic Watchmen serving as a particularly savage deconstruction of the idea of superheroics.
Lee’s most famous creation at Marvel is the Spider-Man franchise, which he came up with alongside Steve Ditko, who also passed away this year. Lee also collaborated with a number of other comics creators, including Larry Lieber, Don Heck, Don Rico, Bill Everett, Ernie Hart, and most notably Jack Kirby, which resulted in franchises like The Avengers, Black Panther, X-Men, Doctor Strange, The Mighty Thor, Iron Man, Inhumans, Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Silver Surfer, Black Widow, Daredevil, Ant-Man, Wasp, and Nick Fury. All of these properties have been adapted to film and television.
Stan Lee is known for appearing in film cameos across multiple film continuities based on comic books, almost all of them Marvel-related. Lee has had a cameo in every single film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe released thus far, and he has filmed cameos for next year’s Captain Marvel and Avengers: Annihilation before passing away. While it has yet to be confirmed if he filmed anything for Spider-Man: Far From Home, it is likely that the movie or the next Avengers will be his last filmed cameo.
Disney CEO Bob Iger, who bought Marvel Comics in 2009 for $4B, released the following statement upon learning the news of Lee’s death:
“Stan Lee was as extraordinary as the characters he created. A super hero in his own right to Marvel fans around the world, Stan had the power to inspire, to entertain, and to connect. The scale of his imagination was only exceeded by the size of his heart.”
Excelsior.
Grant Davis is a freelance writer who has covered entertainment news for more than seven years. His articles have frequently appeared in Star Wars News Net as well as as other entertainment-related websites. As someone who grew up on Star Wars and comic book movies, he’s completely thrilled with the current era of genre entertainment.
