Stan Lee, the legendary creator of Marvel’s superheroes, passed away yesterday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 95.
Born Stanley Martin Lieber in 1922, he grew up in a poor family in Washington Heights. He made his first venture into the business in 1939 as an assistant for Timely Comics. In November 1961, he collaborated with Jack Kirby to release The Fantastic Four for Marvel Comics. Other superheroes like Hulk, Spider-Man and X-Men soon follow. The Avengers received their own release in September 1963.
In 1972, Stan Lee was named publisher for Marvel Comics and spent most of his time promoting the company. Before any of his creations made it to the movies, they appeared on television. The animated Spider-Man series played from 1967 to 1970 while The Incredible Hulk drama starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno ran from 1977 to 1982.
The 2002 Spider-Man movie became the first movie featuring a Marvel superhero to achieve worldwide success. The turning point came when Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment in 2009. Since then, most of the top grossing films of all time featured Marvel superheroes. The most notable film is Avengers: Infinity War which grossed $2.05 billion worldwide earlier this year.
Fans and celebrities paid their respects through social media since the news hit the media.
Stan Lee’s works are now the legacy he left behind. He will forever be remembered for his efforts in the entertainment department. Excelsior!