The Best Works By Stan Lee: A Marvel of Our Time
A true superhero of our time and one of the greatest pioneers of the comic book industry — Stan Lee has died at the age of 95. Battling illness for the better part of the year, he breathed his last on November 12th, 2018. Teaming up with artists like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he was the creator of as many as 200 characters that flourish the fictional world of Marvel comics, movies and shows today.
Known for the “Marvel Revolution” he brought to the comic book world in the 1960s, he redefined the industry trapped by its own norms for straight-laced storytelling and caricaturish characters by enthusing new life into it. He created characters with emotional depth and realistic flaws aided by compelling story arcs that were universally loved by fans.
Not just superheroes, he also gave life to the famous superhero teams, villains and worlds fans adore. Spider-Man, X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Magneto, Inhumans & Doctor Doom — to name a few. Here are some of the contributions of Stan Lee towards the Marvel Universe:
1. Spider Man
With great power, comes great responsibility
Not just the most iconic Marvel hero, the web-slinger is often touted as the greatest superhero of all time, its revenue in terms of comic book and merchandise sales consistently outweighing everyone else. Lee says the idea of creating a young protagonist who wouldn’t be the conventional hero type and can still be the hero of his story was what gave birth to the awkward, sweet-natured Peter Parker.
Famous for having the most villains in the Marvel world along with Thor and Daredevil, Spider-Man is also praised for its great supporting characters like MJ Watson, Aunt May and J Jonah Jameson. His connection with the audience has been ever so persistent as the latest offering — Marvel’s Spider-Man — went on to become the highest selling PlayStation game of all time. It also featured a heartwarming cameo from the beloved Stan Lee.
2. X-Men
There is only one who is all powerful, and his greatest weapon is love.
The colorful world of X-Men is filled to the brim with the most exciting characters of the Marvel universe. A team of people with superhuman abilities, dubbed ‘mutants’, X-Men has successfully imbued grave real-life issues of marginalization and racism with comic book fun. Clawed anti-hero Wolverine has been the most famous of the lot.
Other characters include the leader of the pack, Charles Xavier, the ‘Dark Phoenix’ Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, shapeshifter Mystique, Beast, Archangel, Gambit and villain Apocalypse. The 4th wall breaker Deadpool has been a fan favorite for the freshness of the concept, but it is the sympathetic portrayal of the villain Magneto that has earned the most accolades. Lee doesn’t even consider him one, only someone standing up against racism.
3. Fantastic Four
Luck’s a revolving door, you just need to know when it’s your time to walk through.
Lee was ready to quit the world of comics in 1960 after some 20 years in it, but his wife urged him to create one more — anything he would like. He created a bizarre band of misfits with an even crazier story of receiving their superpowers, called the Fantastic Four.
It was the success of this particular property that motivated him to continue creating the heroes that he did — Spider-Man, Thor, Iron-Man and more in the coming years. Known as Marvel’s first family, it also inspired the famous teams like Avengers that came to life in later years.
4. Marvel Cinematic Universe
Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.
The overlapping stories of comic book characters created by Lee, Kirby, and Co were turned into a phenomenon with the release of the 2008 blockbuster Iron-Man. 10 years and 20 films later, the MCU sits at a $12 billion gross and counting. Marvel has truly caught lightning in a bottle.
In the words of the head of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, no one has had more of an impact on what they have created in their game-changing films. All 20 movies till now have had a gratuitous cameo from Lee, which fans have dubbed to be a character of his own. The next two movies that have finished principal photography are expected to be the last time audiences will see Stan The Man for the last time.
5. Stand Against Comics Code Authority
I have always included minority characters in my stories, often as heroes. We live in a diverse society — in fact, a diverse world, and we must learn to live in peace and with respect for each other.
Stan Lee was as a much as a hero in real life as the ones he created on paper. He was one of the first and few to stand against the Comics Code Authority. CCA was a very strict standard set for the content published in comic books that prohibited mature themed depiction of any sort.
A determined Lee stood against it in the 1970s by including the theme of drug abuse in one of his Spider-Man issues. He challenged the CCA by proposing the inclusion of dark themes through sensitive portrayal that drew the line on what was wrong and right. It ultimately helped in updating its policies, though Marvel quit it entirely in 2001.
The man who bought the obscure world of comics to the mainstream, the man who revolutionized the comic industry, the man who has left an unforgettable imprint on pop culture. Stan Lee’s legacy will live on in his extraordinary works, with his family and the millions of fans.
In the words of the legend himself, Excelsior!
