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Few people get to live forever. Marvel Comic creator Stan Lee is one of those exceptions.
The mind behind some of the most iconic American characters of all time, Lee has been a presence for almost every generation of the past 70 years.
In his early years, working with Jack Kirby, he was the mind and voice in the early comics for Iron Man, The Hulk, the X-Men and Thor. His distinct voice could be heard on comic book pages with “Stan’s Soapbox” in the letters section, as he welcomed all to believe there was good worth saving in the world and they could be a hero themselves.
For my generation, we heard his voice during Saturday morning cartoons, as he lent it for cameos and promos for shows like “X-Men: The Animated Series” and “Spider-Man: The Animated Series.”
The current generation will know him as the guy who pops up in just about every Marvel Comics movie, starting with the first “X-Men,” where he appears as a silent, stoic hot dog vendor to more humorous cameos, like a pageant judge in “Iron Man 3” and a bus driver in “Avengers: Infinity War.” He also appeared as himself in movies like Kevin Smith’s “Mallrats,” a dad in “Big Hero 6” and shows like “The Simpsons,” “Chuck” and “The Big Bang Theory.”
In a funny twist, one of his last cameos was made in a DC Comics movie, Marvel’s top competitor, as he spoofed his “subtle cameos” in this year’s animated “Teen Titans Go! To The Movies.”
Like the comics he created, Lee stood for diversity, progressiveness and unity. Even though he was in the entertainment business, he saw his role of inspiring others as an important one.
In his honor, Marvel posted a quote that summed him: “I used to be embarrassed because I was just a comic-book writer while other people were building bridges or going on to medical careers. And then I began to realize: Entertainment is one of the most important things in people’s lives. Without it, they might go off the deep end. I feel that if you’re able to entertain, you’re doing a good thing.”
Lee was not without his problems. While he was the face of Marvel Comics, often getting most of the credit for them, he claimed his writers and illustrators were the brains behind the operation.
Kirby was one of those brains. He became one of Lee’s biggest foes because he was iced out of future fortunes since he was a freelancer and Lee was a Marvel employee (Marvel later settled in court 14 years after Kirby’s death).
But Lee was able to avoid most criticism because he was salesman and a face that delivered on his promises. He made people feel included and loved on the pages of comic books before film and television studios staked their claim.
His catchphrase, “Excelsior!” meant “Ever upward” in Latin. In his final years of life, Lee got to see his co-creations reach record heights and, in cases like “Black Panther,” inspire and galvanize a new generation of moviegoers and fans.
With these films being passed on to future generations, Lee will live on. As he would say in his column, “’Nuff said!”
— Andrew Gaug | St. Joe Live
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