Stan Lee

Stan Lee, born Stanley Martin Lieber in New York City on December 28, 1922, became one of the most recognizable figures in American comic-book history. He joined Timely Comics in 1939 as an assistant, handling tasks such as filling ink wells and proofreading. Timely later became Atlas Comics and, eventually, Marvel Comics. Lieber adopted the name “Stan Lee” for his early writing because he hoped to save his legal name for serious literary work. Lee’s first published comic-book credit appeared in Captain America Comics #3 in 1941, where he wrote a two-page text feature titled “Captain America Foils the Traitor’s Revenge.” After editor Joe Simon and artist Jack Kirby left Timely, Lee became interim editor while still in his teens. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, where his duties included writing manuals, training films, slogans, and scripts; the Army classified his role as “playwright.” In 1961, Lee and Jack Kirby launched The Fantastic Four, beginning Marvel’s modern superhero revival. The team’s members argued, worried about money, and lived in a New York skyscraper, distinguishing them from idealized earlier heroes. Lee subsequently collaborated with Kirby on characters including the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, the X-Men, Black Panther, Silver Surfer, and the Avengers. With artist Steve Ditko, Lee co-created Spider-Man, who debuted in Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962. Peter Parker’s teenage insecurity, family responsibilities, and financial problems became central to Spider-Man’s appeal. Lee’s role at Marvel included writing dialogue from plots developed with artists, editing, promoting the company, and cultivating a direct relationship with readers through the “Stan’s Soapbox” column and the “Marvel Bullpen” persona. His signature phrase, “Excelsior!,” became closely associated with him. He served as Marvel’s publisher beginning in 1972 and later held the title chairman emeritus. Beyond comics, Lee became a familiar screen presence. He appeared in numerous Marvel-related films, including X-Men, Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, and Avengers: Endgame. His cameos often played on his public identity as a cheerful observer of superhero events. In 2001, he helped found POW! Entertainment, a company intended to develop entertainment properties across media. Lee received the National Medal of Arts in 2008. He was inducted into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1995. He died in Los Angeles on November 12, 2018, aged 95.