On Nov. 12, Stan Lee died at the age of 95. While he had been out of the comic book-making scene for a while, Lee was still a public face for Marvel and well-known throughout the fanbase for his frequent comic-con appearances and cameos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Fans and actors alike have spoken out through social media, primarily Twitter, to share their love and respect for the icon. While actors are tweeting personal sentiments and pictures, the fans are doing what Marvel fans do best: creating fan art to celebrate his legacy. Lee always showed support of his fanbase, which some say was his biggest achievement compared to the characters themselves. He always tried to keep readers in the loop with what stories and characters the publishing house was working on while still appearing at comic cons well after his retirement.
Lee was consistently described as a loving and kind man by everyone who knew him, yet he was still modest — despite being the world’s most famous comic book writer and editor. He was known to have made plenty of unwise business decisions in the past that put his net worth between $50 million to $80 million.
Still, Lee proved that he was just as dedicated to changing people’s lives. For example, he started a charity called The Stan Lee Foundation, which is dedicated to providing access to effective literacy education. This charity benefits the minorities and underprivileged groups that Lee was trying to portray in his comic books.
Controversy emerged following his death as to whether Lee was really the “single greatest contributor” to the world of comics and whether or not he tried to give credit to others who worked on the comics. While he did receive more credit than his co-creators in comics in which he contributed less to and relished in the fame, he shouldn’t be defined by it. Fans should ultimately remember him for his contributions to Marvel through the creation of a well-established fanbase and by building a tiny comic book business into what it is today.
Stan Lee made an impact directly to the actors and fans he interacted with as well as indirectly by creating characters that were relatable to many. Everyone will always remember his best cameos as a security guard, a mailman and everything in between. With a couple of new releases already filmed, it is likely that fans will see more cameos with a heavy heart to commemorate Lee’s official departure from the MCU. Afterwards, his legacy will still live on in the hearts and minds of the Marvel family for generations to come.
In true Stan “The Man” Lee fashion, I will leave you with a single parting word: “Excelsior!”
Charlotte Caldwell is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Charlotte? Email her at cc670717@ohio.edu.
