This week, the world of comics and pop culture was left a little dimmer as we lost a true legend. Stan Lee died at the age of 95. Even if you’re not a regular reader of comics, you likely knew that Stan was a driving force behind the creation of Marvel Comics and creator or co-creator of many of the biggest comicbook characters in history, from the Fantastic Four to Nick Fury to Iron Man to Hulk to Spider-Man and so many others (more than 350, according to Wikipedia). 

Stan “The Man” Lee is a true American success story. Born to immigrant parents and growing up in the Bronx, he always enjoyed adventure stories and loved to write. After high school he got a job as an assistant at Timely Comics, the predecessor of Marvel, rising in the ranks to writing comics by the time he was 20. Even his stint in the US Army during World War II involved entertainment – he was transferred to the Training Film Division to write manuals, training films, slogans and even do some cartoons.

In the 50s and 60s, Stan played a major role in pioneering new methods of comics storytelling and characterization with Marvel, including establishing the “Marvel Method” of brainstorming and scripting stories. He also built a sense of community between fans and creators, ensuring there were credits pages in stories so readers knew who had created what they loved. And he created the monthly  “Stan’s Soapbox” column to speak directly to readers.

“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 people, you’re doing a good thing.”

There would be, quite literally, no Marvel as we know it today without Stan Lee. He was a writer, editor, producer, became editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, then its publisher and chairman, expanding what was a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation. Even after retiring, he never left the public eye, which is why everyone identifies him with Marvel to this day. If you’ve watched anything from the MCU over the past 10 years, you know his face, his voice and his smile. You might even feel like he was a good friend or perhaps that lovable uncle who’s always been there when you needed a smile.

Our lives would be so much poorer for never having the amazing universe given to us by Stan Lee. We are forever indebted to the man for the thousands of hours of sheer enjoyment he has provided by doing simply what he loved to do. There will never be another like him. Excelsior!

“Keep moving forward, and if it’s time to go, it’s time. Nothing lasts forever.”