Marvel comics’ legendary writer, editor and publisher Stan Lee passed away at the age of 95 early Monday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his family attorney confirmed his death.
Lee, who began in the business in 1939, created or co-created Spider Man, Iron Man, Black Panther, Thor, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Doctor Strange,Daredevil and Ant-Man, among countless other characters.
With frequent artist-writer collaborators Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and others, Lee catapulted Marvel from a tiny venture into the world’s No. 1 publisher of comic books and, later, a multimedia giant.
Early Life :
Lee was born on 28 December 1922 as Stanley Martin Lieber. His father, a Romanian immigrant, was a dress cutter. Lee was always a lover of adventure books. After graduation, he joined the WPA Federal Theatre Project, where he appeared in a few stage shows, and wrote obituaries.
In 1939, Lee got a job as a gofer for $8 a week at Timely Comics. Two years later, for Kirby and Joe Simon’s Captain America No. 3, he wrote a two-page story titled “The Traitor’s Revenge!” with his pen name Stan Lee.
He was named interim editor at 19 by publisher Martin Goodman. In 1942, he enlisted in the Army and served in the Signal Corps. After the war, he returned to the publisher and served as the editor for decades.
After DC Comics’ started the Justice League, Lee and Kirby in November 1961 launched their own superhero team, the Fantastic Four, and Hulk, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Daredevil and X-Men soon followed. The Avengers was launched in September 1963.
In 1972, Lee was named publisher and he left the Marvel editorial position to spend all his time promoting the company. He moved to Los Angeles in 1980 to set up an animation studio.
In 2002, Lee published an autobiography, Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee.
Film Cameos :
Lee was not less a superstar as it was a tradition for Marvel fans to watch him for atleast a fleeting glance in the Marvel movies. Fans used to erupt in joy on looking at him.
He first appeared in the X-men as a hot dog vendor in 2000. In 2004 released Spider-Man 2 he saved a woman from falling debris. In Iron Man 3, he played a beauty pageant judge. He was a bartender in 2015’s Ant Man. He also played a DJ at a strip club in Deadpool.
Celebrities express their grief :
Rest in peace, Stan Lee. The many worlds of imagination & delight you created for humanity will last forever.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/ChrisEvans/status/1062066692631732224?s=19
We’ve lost a creative genius. Stan Lee was a pioneering force in the superhero universe. I’m proud to have been a small part of his legacy and …. to have helped bring one of his characters to life. #StanLee #Wolverine pic.twitter.com/iOdefi7iYz
— Hugh Jackman (@RealHughJackman) November 12, 2018
Damn… RIP Stan. Thanks for everything. pic.twitter.com/TMAaDJSOhh
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) November 12, 2018
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