Stanley Martin Lieber, a.k.a. Stan Lee, passed away on Monday, November 13. He was 95.
Born in 1922, Lee spent more than six decades in the comics industry, and was responsible for helping create some of the industry’s most iconic superheroes, including Spider-Man, Hulk, Doctor Strange, Daredevil, and many others—all characters readers spent decades identifying and connecting with.
Along with the help from Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and others, Lee’s stories were revolutionary at the time because they blended the real world with the fantastic, giving millions of people the opportunity to escape. They humanized extraordinary characters, which is why they continue to be beloved around the world.
After doing smaller assignments at Timely Publications, which later became Atlas Comics, Lee was then put in charge of the operation, before the Marvel branding officially began in 1961 with the launch of the Fantastic Four.
To many, Lee is seen as the godfather of Marvel and a visionary, someone who imbued self-doubt and other characteristics into his superheroes. It was that complexity that has lead to our favorite heroes taking over the big screen, with movies starring the X-Men and the Avengers.
To celebrate the life of Stan Lee, the official Spider-Man Twitter account released a touching tribute.