Spider Man, The Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. What do these characters have in common? They’re all created by Stan Lee.

While many people have influenced the younger generations, one of the most prominent is the late Stanley Martin Lieber, a comic book writer who helped create many well-known superheroes such as Iron Man and Captain America.

Stan Lee began working for Timely Comics as an office assistant in 1939. When Timely Comics fired the two people running the comics division, the company asked Lee to run it while his bosses tried to find experienced writers to fill the spots. Eventually, the bosses forgot to find new writers and Lee was left running the comics department in the publishing company.

Over the next few years, Lee operated in this position. Eventually, Timely Comics changed its name to Marvel, and Lee served domestically in WW2 as a writer and illustrator.

In 1960, Lee was asked to make a series to compete with DC’s newly popular “Justice League.” Alongside Jack Kirby, Lee co-created “The Fantastic Four” which became a huge success due to Kirby’s and Lee ’s new approach to superheroes.

Instead of making heroes that could do anything and were always saving people, Lee and Kirby decided to add a human element to their characters. Every hero made by Marvel thereafter were made with some faults and weaknesses.

Readers loved this style of comics because the superheroes became relatable and the stories became real.

Following this success, Kirby and Lee made several heroes which became famous in American pop culture, such as Spider-Man, Captain America, and Iron Man. After a few comics, Lee was able to construct a method for making superheroes in the special way he and Kirby had been doing, naming it the Marvel method.

“Stan Lee is a mass producer and inventor of superhero pop culture, laying the groundwork for the fantasy we consume today,” said junior Colton Cassella, a comic enthusiast. “I think without him, the entertainment industry wouldn’t have superheroes or comics as romanticized and idolized as we do today.”

The following years, Marvel grew to become a popular franchise around the world.

Sometime later, Lee was CEO and enjoyed being at the forefront of Marvel. He appeared in cameos for many movies and TV shows, primarily those that are based on Marvel.

Many mourned Stan Lee on November 28, 2018, and the weeks to follow, but that wasn’t the last people would see of Stan Lee. He ended up appearing as a cameo in later Marvel films.

The impact Lee left on the world was significant.

“…I was sad when I heard that Stan Lee died,” said Mason Smith, a fan of Marvel comics. “He was truly a legend in the industry and made great content.”

“When I heard [that Stan Lee] had died, I thought it was at a good point in his life,” said Cassella. “He had been able to watch his creations inspire millions of people…  I felt that now his figure can go on and fade into legend.”

Since Stan Lee heavily influenced the entertainment field, many fans were sad to hear that he passed but were glad to know he would live on as a legend.

Excelsior!