Stan Lee, creator of some of the most enduring characters and stories of Marvel Comics, died at the age of 95.
The news is confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, after a previous confirmation, through the daughter of Lee, of TMZ. The previous report indicated that an ambulance was sent to his home in the Hollywood Hills of California on Monday morning. Lee died later at the nearby Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Lee started in comics in 1939, when he joined Timely Comics as an office assistant. The publisher, founded by Lee’s cousin, Martin Goodman, would eventually become Marvel Comics in 1961.
Lee recognized that his heroes were still human, capable of all the same faults and fears as any other person.
Lee’s work as an editor began 20 years earlier, when he joined Timely as interim editor in 1941. But the work he is best known for was in the 1960s, when he first came up with Marvel Comics heroes like The Fantastic Four. . The comics had traditionally been aimed at a younger audience, but Lee saw the potential of telling stories for a larger audience.
It was during this period that Lee began his work with Jack Kirby, who had co-created Captain America two decades earlier. Then, as an independent artist, Kirby worked with Lee to create what would become one of Marvel’s most enduring characters: Fantastic Four, yes, but also Hulk, X-Men and, especially, Spider-Man.
It was not just that Lee created these characters; His work also changed expectations within the comic industry. Lee, and through him, Marvel, recognized that superheroes were fundamentally human, capable of all the defects and fears of any other person. It’s a mindset that led to more human stories, but also one that inevitably flirted with the political climate as well.
As many have come to recognize in a post-civil rights world, the X-Men were an allegory of racial tensions and widespread discrimination at that time. Lee’s mutants were a minority group, subject to the same prejudices that dominated the headlines, as racist ideologies of real life stood out and closed.
Kirby eventually left Marvel to go to DC Comics, but Lee worked with several other collaborators over the years (in particular, Steve Ditko and Larry Lieber), which led to the creation of a long list of key Marvel superheroes: Doctor Strange, Thor, Daredevil, Black Panther, Iron Man, Thor and Ant-Man (to name a few).
Even though Lee eventually left Marvel to pursue other creative interests, he never completely cut off his contact with the multimedia empire he had helped build or the community that gathered around him. Lee has memorably turned into a brief and entertaining appearance in almost every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. He also did not stop interacting with fans, either through videos recorded for the Internet or appearances at conventions.
Presumably, Lee has not finished his Marvel work either. While nothing has been confirmed, his cameo record suggests that we will see Lee again in some or all of the Marvel films of 2019: Captain Marvel, the sequel to Avengers: Infinity War and Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Marvel actors, writers and fans flooded social networks with good wishes and good memories shortly after Lee’s death.
There will never be another Stan Lee. For decades he provided both young and old with adventure, escape, comfort, confidence, inspiration, strength, friendship and joy. He exuded love and kindness and will leave an indelible mark on so, so, so many lives. Excelsior!!
— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) November 12, 2018
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
Rest In Peace @TheRealStanLee #legend #StanLee #StanLeeRIP pic.twitter.com/acQpyBxCqk
— Alex Ross (@thealexrossart) November 12, 2018
Today, we pause and reflect with great sadness on the passing of Stan Lee: https://t.co/J0cwgdn677 pic.twitter.com/eOBdZAqdZ0
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) November 12, 2018
No one has had more of an impact on my career and everything we do at Marvel Studios than Stan Lee. Stan leaves an extraordinary legacy that will outlive us all. Our thoughts are with his daughter, his family, and his millions of fans. #ThankYouStan #Excelsior!
— Kevin Feige (@Kevfeige) November 12, 2018
Today, we pause and reflect with great sadness on the passing of Stan Lee: https://t.co/J0cwgdn677 pic.twitter.com/eOBdZAqdZ0
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) November 12, 2018
