The American comic book writer, editor, producer, and publisher, whose journey from a small publishing house to a multi-billion dollar industry has inspired millions of fans across the globe, has left this “real” world. But the 95-year-old leaves with something that cannot be limited to the money the industry has made or with the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)‘s success.
When a 6-year-old looks at Spider-Man web slinging across New York City and helping people, he asks his parents to not worry when there’s a “real” problem, as Spider-Man would save them. Of course the characters Stan Lee created were out of his creative mind and it’s not practically possible to shoot webs from your veins, but the metaphor of superheroes and the stories generating a sense of hope and faith is what really matters at the end of the day.
People believe that Superheroes are restricted to kids and the fantasy genre cannot be taken seriously, maybe it is for pure entertainment, but how can you ignore the sense of belief and hope the 6-year-old has got from the Amazing Spider-Man?
Stan Lee co-created fictional characters including Spider-Man, the Hulk, Doctor Strange, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Black Panther, the X-Men, and — with his brother, co-writer Larry Lieber — the characters Ant-Man, Iron Man, and Thor. In doing so, he pioneered a more complex approach to writing superheroes in the 1960s, and in the 1970s challenged the standards of the Comics Code Authority, indirectly leading to it updating its policies.
“Excelsior” has long been Lee’s catchphrase. In the mid-1960s, not long after Atlas Comics rebranded as Marvel, Lee wrote a monthly column for the comics publisher in which he’d sign off with “Excelsior!”— a Latin word meaning “ever upward.” He told io9 in 2007 that he wanted a unique word to himself that his rivals at the time wouldn’t be tempted to copy:
I used to have a lot of expressions that I would end my comic book columns with: Hang Loose, Face Front, ‘Nuff Said, and I found that the competition was always imitating them and using them. So, I said I’m going to get one expression that they’re not going to know what it means, and they won’t know how to spell it. And that’s where excelsior came from, and they never did take up on it, thank goodness.
Stan Lee has been a prominent figure in the American entertainment industry and by sketching over 100 characters in his lifetime, he has inculcated a marvellous universe in our world.
Besides print, he has contributed to Marvel’s tenure on the big- and small-screen. His involvement with Marvel’s various films and TV projects helped him become one of the most prolific producers to date. He has acted as executive producer on Marvel Studios’ movies, and he has credits on the company’s features under Fox and Sony.
Starting from Marvel’s Hulk TV movie cameo in 1989, Stan Lee’s feature in each of the films became a thing since 2000. The most recent cameo was in Tom Hardy starrers ‘Venom’ and also the exclusive PlayStation game ‘Spider-Man’, which released in September. Avengers 4 co-director Joe Russo has confirmed that Lee has shot his cameo for next year’s big release.
Rival publishing company and Marvel's closest competition, DC Comics on its official Twitter handle paid tribute to the legend. Here's what they said:
“He changed the way we look at heroes, and modern comics will always bear his indelible mark. His infectious enthusiasm reminded us why we all fell in love with these stories in the first place. Excelsior, Stan.”
He changed the way we look at heroes, and modern comics will always bear his indelible mark. His infectious enthusiasm reminded us why we all fell in love with these stories in the first place. Excelsior, Stan.
— DC (@DCComics) November 12, 2018
This pioneering force in the entertainment industry will remain immortal because "With great power comes great responsibility", and Stan Lee has given this world power with his creative genius.
Here's remembering the man who gave this world another world, with hope, belief and inspiration.
Thank you, Stan! Excelsior.
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