It’s truly a sad day for comic book and Marvel fans because the man behind so many of our beloved superheros has passed away.
On Monday, comic icon Stan Lee passed away at age 95. His influence across comics and entertainment was worldwide, but it was at Marvel that he built his career and reputation. In honor of Lee’s legacy, the company released a touching obituary on its site.
An excerpt from Marvels full statement reads:
“A rich collection of characters grew out of his nonstop plotting sessions with his artists, including the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and more,” Marvel’s obituary reads. “Today, it would be almost impossible to find a corner of the Marvel Universe that Stan didn’t have a hand in.”
But more than just creating he world of Marvel comics, Lee spoke directly to the readers in order to create that personal touch that had never been seen before. That’s why fans far and wide cared and loved Lee so much; Lee cared about his fans.
“When something mattered to Stan, you felt it in his words, whether in an editorial or in the stories themselves,” Marvel said in the statement. “With passion for the medium, he helped refine and reform the Comics Code Authority and addressed hot-button issues like discrimination, drugs, and intolerance.”
Lee’s resume includes an extensive list of iconic superhero characters like Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers and so many more. But while Lee is largely considered the mastermind behind much of Marvel’s success today, it’s important to remember as part of his legacy that he isn’t singlehandedly responsible for creating any of the characters he’s so closely associated with.
Spider-Man was a joint creation with Steve Ditko. Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men were all developed alongside Jack Kirby. It’s Lee’s collaboration with other talented people that bring out the beauty of comics — it’s normally a collaborative medium.
Lee’s legacy also goes beyond just establishing a shared universe of heroes and villains and mutants and aliens. Superhero comics’ crossing over wasn’t an original Marvel idea, but before Lee, the concept of a shared universe was never treated with such care and reverence as we see with Marvel today.
Lee and his collaborators designed the Marvel characters to exist in one world — a world where the actions of one hero might spill over into another’s book. Lee and his collaborators also took great care in creating characters in a world that fans could share — as you may very well know, many of the characters were based in New York City rather than some made up place.
This shared universe has significantly grown over the decades, to the point where Marvel has grown from a comic book publisher to a multimedia empire that produces blockbuster films, TV series and video games. Without a doubt, Lee’s influence and imagination will forever be felt everywhere and his stories will live on.
By: Maytinee Kramer
