Stan Lee, probably the most iconic Marvel comic writer, passed away November 12, 2018. A date that has been very hard for some of us to fathom.

Stanley Martin Lieber, was born December 28, 1922 in Manhattan, New York. Lee was one of the founders of Marvel Comics, which was a family-owned business from the 1940s to the 1970s. He rose through the ranks to become the creative leader of the company, and for two decades, helped the company reach remarkable popularity and become the main branch for comic books.

Lee was one of the masterminds behind multiple iconic superheroes that have been idols for young children all over the world: Spiderman, Captain America, and Iron-man. Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko were well-known associates of Lee who helped create many of those superheroes. In doing so, he pioneered a more naturalistic approach to writing superhero comics in the 1960s, and in the 1970s, he challenged the restrictions of the Comics Code Authority indirectly leading to changes in its policies. Lee also helped a large portion of the company’s media success by introducing live action comic book adaptation. Following his retirement in the 1990s, Lee was still a prominent public figure for the company, frequently making cameos for MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe).

During Lee’s younger years, he had to grow up in harsh times during the Great Depression. Lee and his younger brother, Larry, had to experience their parents’ struggle to support the family. At age 16, after graduating from high school, Lee was hired by Timely Comics as a office assistant in 1939. Soon after, he became an interim editor for the company in the early 1940s. Lee’s last name was once “Lieber,” which he later shortened to “Lee” as he became a writer. In addition to his experience as writer, Lee also served in the Army during World War II, working as a writer and illustrator. He was also in charge of repairing telegraph poles and other communication equipment. Lee then returned from the war in 1945, and he immediately went back to the comic book world.

While he was going back to work, DC comics (Detective Comics) had revived the superhero image, reintroducing a new version of The Flash and creating a new super team, the Justice League. With that going on, Lee’s comic book company influenced Lee and other writers to make their own version of a super team. New characters and teams were created such as the Fantastic Four, Doctor Strange, X-men, and The Incredible Hulk. Later, going down the years, one of Lee’s associates, Kirby, feuded with Lee for who deserved credit for the Fantastic Four.  Yet this did not ruin their friendship.

Eventually, Lee decided to stop writing monthly comics to pursue the position of lead publisher. Lee, became a very well-known member of the superhero community and went to many conventions around the United States. If there was anything that had to do with Marvel, Lee would be there answering questions, hosting lectures about writing comics, and making cameos in media productions.

Lee is the most iconic superhero figure in the last 20 years and he gave his all for this type of art. The way Lee gave these heroes real life problems gave us more reasons to read and relate to the characters. It wasn’t crazy to think that Spider-man had to deal with the regular teenage problems of Peter Parker. Lee will be missed and will never be replaced.  Long live the legend of Stan Lee!