Who is Stan Lee?
Stan Lee was an American comic book writer, editor and publisher who co-created many Marvel characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk and Black Panther. He died in 2018.
Stan Lee was born Stanley Lieber in New York City in 1922. He began working at Timely Comics, which later became Marvel, at age 17. In the early 1960s, working with artists such as Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he helped create a new kind of superhero with personal problems and flaws, starting with the Fantastic Four in 1961.
Lee wrote lively captions and gave characters realistic dialogue, making Marvel comics feel modern and relatable. He became Marvel's public face, known for catchphrases like Excelsior! and his friendly letters to fans. Some of his collaborators, especially Kirby and Ditko, have been increasingly recognized for their own major creative contributions.
Famous cameos
Lee became beloved by movie audiences for his cameo appearances in Marvel films, from X-Men in 2000 to Avengers: Endgame in 2019. He died in November 2018 at age 95, leaving a huge legacy in comics and pop culture.
Did You Know?
Stan Lee chose the alliterative names of many characters, like Peter Parker and Bruce Banner, partly because they helped him remember them.