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Stan Lee, Marvel Comics' Real-Life Superhero, Dies at 95 (hollywoodreporter.com) 199

Posted by msmash from the RIP dept.
Stan Lee, who wrote and published a comic book legacy that spans from the Depression Era to the present day, who created Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk and Thor, has died. He was 95. Lee was born Stanley Martin Lieber in New York City in 1922, the son of Romanian Jewish immigrants, and at the age of 17, he began work as an assistant at Timely Comics, the company that would become Marvel Comics. Filling inkwells and fetching lunch, Lee's career began just in time for Superman's 1930s debut in Action Comics #1, kicking off the history of superhero comics. From a report: Lee, who began in the business in 1939 and created or co-created Black Panther, Spider-Man, X-Men, The Mighty Thor, Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, Ant-Man and other characters, died early Monday morning in Los Angeles, a source told The Hollywood Reporter. (Joan Celia Lee, Stan's daughter, confirmed the news to TMZ.) Lee's final few years were tumultuous.

[...] On his own and through his work with frequent artist-writer collaborators Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and others, Lee catapulted Marvel from a tiny venture into the world's No. 1 publisher of comic books and later a multimedia giant. In 2009, the Walt Disney Co. bought Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion, and most of the top-grossing superhero films of all time -- led by The Avengers' $1.52 billion worldwide take in 2012 -- featured Marvel characters. An exchange from one of Stan Lee's last interviews, which appeared last month: Interviewer: Do you feel like your legacy is secure?
Stan Lee: Absolutely.

Interviewer: What's on your wish list?
Stan Lee: That I leave everyone happy when I leave.
Interviewer: You won't leave anyone happy.
Stan Lee: Well, I don't mean happy that I left. Happy that I took the right path.
Interviewer: You always do, pop. It was just the people around you. It was never you. You were always the good guy, and there were just creeps around you, and it was this town. Never you.
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Stan Lee, Marvel Comics' Real-Life Superhero, Dies at 95 More

Stan Lee, Marvel Comics' Real-Life Superhero, Dies at 95

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  • R.I.P. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by ganjadude ( 952775 ) on Monday November 12, 2018 @01:56PM (#57632016) Homepage
    The last few years of his life were hell according to anyone close to him (besides those abusing him anyway) May he rest in peace

  • A ledgend (Score:5, Insightful)

    by NoNonAlphaCharsHere ( 2201864 ) on Monday November 12, 2018 @01:58PM (#57632024)
    EXCELSIOR!

  • Will be missed (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Drethon ( 1445051 ) on Monday November 12, 2018 @02:02PM (#57632048)

    The thing that I always liked personally, regardless of all his other accomplishments, was spot Stan Lee in any movie with any of his characters.

    He seemed like a great character himself.

    • Re:Will be missed (Score:4)

      by DanielRavenNest ( 107550 ) on Monday November 12, 2018 @03:13PM (#57632470)

      > He seemed like a great character himself.

      I met him once in the guest suite at Dragoncon in Atlanta, where I was also a guest speaker. His personality in real life was exactly the same as he's featured in the Marvel films.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Z00L00K ( 682162 )

        I found his appearances in the movies quite amusing and that will truly be missed.

        I hope that his creations and legacy lives on in his spirit. I think that's the important part - never forget the spirit of the characters.

      • > He seemed like a great character himself.

        I met him once in the guest suite at Dragoncon in Atlanta, where I was also a guest speaker. His personality in real life was exactly the same as he's featured in the Marvel films.

        Thanks for posting this, I've only seen him in movies and it is nice to know the impressions from the movies were of Stan Lee himself, rather than a character for the movies.

    • The thing that I always liked personally, regardless of all his other accomplishments, was spot Stan Lee in any movie with any of his characters.

      He seemed like a great character himself.

      Nice post. RIP, smilin' Stan.

      'nuff said...

  • I get it, y'all want to relive your childhood, but can we have some proper movies again?

    • Unfortunately Disney is going to milk this for every penny they can... be prepared for another spiderman reboot... and perhaps a hulk reboot too... for good measure, gotta sell those toys you know.

      • Unfortunately Disney is going to milk this for every penny they can...

        You're right, of course, but really that's been happening since the mid-1990's with Marvel and DC stuff.
        They have found a formula that works, so they just change the suit the protagonist wears but nothing else.

      • Unfortunately Disney is going to milk this for every penny they can... be prepared for another spiderman reboot...

        Who? Sony owns the motion picture rights to Spiderman, and they're clinging to those rights for dear life. Spiderman's recent appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe only happened after extended, painful negotiation.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by mcvos ( 645701 )

          Yeah, it seems like they intend to stick with Tom Holland for a while.

          And honestly, I think Disney is doing an excellent job taking care of the MCU. I had no idea there even were people who disagreed.

  • Sad (Score:5, Insightful)

    by crow ( 16139 ) on Monday November 12, 2018 @02:04PM (#57632068) Homepage Journal

    I loved how he always did a cameo in every Marvel movie. I've been saying for a long time that he should just film a bunch of scenes that could be used in future movies, but now it's too late.

    He did what he loved, was successful, and touched many lives.

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by OzPeter ( 195038 )

      I loved how he always did a cameo in every Marvel movie.

      Not trying to rain on the parade of commemorating the passing of Stan Lee, but he did not appear in every Marvel movie. See Which Marvel movies have NOT included Stan Lee cameos, and why? [stackexchange.com]

      That link lists at least 17 Marvel movies he didn't have a cameo in.

    • Even a DC movie, he was in Teen Titans Go to the Movies, it was a cheeky but cute way to honor him

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by shess ( 31691 )

      I loved how he always did a cameo in every Marvel movie. I've been saying for a long time that he should just film a bunch of scenes that could be used in future movies, but now it's too late.

      Maybe they'll make a Marvel Zombies movie?

    • I've been saying for a long time that he should just film a bunch of scenes that could be used in future movies, but now it's too late.

      Don't be ridiculous. Dead? Fix it in post! Seriously, it doesn't matter if people are dead or not because CG makes anything visually possible.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by antdude ( 79039 )

      They could always CG him in. Oh wait...

  • His life was but a cameo... (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Despite his catchphrases, there was never 'nuff said.

    Excelsior and farewell.

  • “In 2009, the Walt Disney Co. bought Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion, and most of the top-grossing superhero films of all time -- led by The Avengers' $1.52 billion worldwide take in 2012 -- featured Marvel characters.”

    Thanks for so many filling so many of my childhood days with fun and adventure, Stan. You put so much thought and imagination into your characters... I just wish this obit-piece writer had put at least a few seconds into proof-reading this.

    • This isn't a run on sentence. The first independent clause is "Walt Disney co. bought," and the second independent clause is "most of the top [...] featured." The two independent clauses are joined by a comma+and, which is fine.

      Perhaps "led by the Avengers [...]" confused you? But it's just a standard appositive modifying "films," although a comma is more common than an em-dash. Still it's fine. Similarly, I could say "Breakfast - the most important meal of the day - is becoming too expensive."

  • Excelsior! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by the_skywise ( 189793 ) on Monday November 12, 2018 @02:13PM (#57632124)
    Godspeed my man - you're the Watcher in the sky now.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by lgw ( 121541 )

      Godspeed my man - you're the Watcher in the sky now.

      I've always though of him as the One-Above-All (the ultimate god of the Marvel multiverse). After all, the most powerful entity in an comic book story is the writer. He has ascended back to his realm.

      • Jack Kirby took that role when shown in the comics

        • I've always though of him as the One-Above-All (the ultimate god of the Marvel multiverse). After all, the most powerful entity in an comic book story is the writer. He has ascended back to his realm.

          Jack Kirby took that role when shown in the comics

          Both now in the Kirby-Lee nebula.

  • RIP STAN (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Rip Stan

    I hope your post credit scenes in life are as special as the ones we all loved to see

  • A good life for a good man (Score:5, Interesting)

    by TimothyHollins ( 4720957 ) on Monday November 12, 2018 @02:27PM (#57632206)

    F

    I can't say I was ever interested in Stan Lee's creations, but the man did save more lives than any doctor I know of. I have countless nerd friends who found refuge in his creations, finding a reason to enjoy the written word and a good role model when the world around wasn't kind or welcoming. I know that several of my friends would not have made it through a rough puberty without his comics. He prevented many school shootings and suicides.

    Stan Lee was one person that left the world a better place than he found it. And that is a quality that brings our entire society forward.

    • That was the best description I believe anyone could have used for him.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Stan Lee's brilliance was bringing a human aspect to his characters. There were lots of other Animal Man type characters, lots of guys in spandex out there, but Lee gave them everyday problems. Spiderman is probably he best example, a nerd with love problems and family problems and an endless supply of one-liners, trying to balance his school/work life and superhero life.

      As well as making great stories and compelling characters, he helped a lot of young people process their own emotions and relate to those

  • Right Person at the Right Time (Score:5, Insightful)

    by mykepredko ( 40154 ) on Monday November 12, 2018 @02:28PM (#57632214) Homepage

    The Comment Subject is a bit trite and doesn't really reflect what Mr. Lee brought to comics and popular culture. He was a genius in his field and he had many, many amazing creations.

    The world will be less for him not being in it.

    • I think he would have been the Right Person most any time.

      Always wished I could win a Mighty Marvel No-Prize when I was MUCH younger. Would definitely have been on my resume if I had succeeded.

  • The linked article is somewhat of a downer - I don't really want to think of the troubles Mr. Lee had at the end of his life but rather look at his accomplishments throughout it: https://www.cbr.com/stan-lee-i... [cbr.com]

  • RIP, ERB (Score:3)

    by Daetrin ( 576516 ) on Monday November 12, 2018 @02:38PM (#57632280)
    That's sad, but at least there is no man who can muck with what he left behind... [youtube.com]

    oh wait =P

    .

  • Stan Lee (Score:4)

    by gurps_npc ( 621217 ) on Monday November 12, 2018 @02:39PM (#57632290) Homepage

    Stan Lee did good work and made the world a better place.

    He also stole a lot from other good writers. Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, to name the most well known. But that does not affect the good he did. The joy he brought to others.

    Stan had a good life, except for his last years, which were painful and horrible. Not pleasant and he did not deserve it. He deserved better.

    The world is just a bit less Marvellous than it was last week. God speed, or perhaps Superhero Speed.

    • At the time, putting the writer/artists in the opening splash page was an innovation, so crediting "King Kirby", "Jazzy John Romita" (Sr...), "Scowling Steve Ditko" etc etc, was more credit than they'd received before, so the readers could match up artists they liked. It's well known Lee & Kirby fought over credit for some of the titles they co-created, but my understanding was that the two reconciled before Kirby's passing. To all the troll posts: given Stan's impact to the comics industry, given the

  • 3-4 months (Score:5, Funny)

    by JustOK ( 667959 ) on Monday November 12, 2018 @02:59PM (#57632408) Journal
    They'll bring him back in a few issues. Probably retcon him as well.

  • The Thing (Ben Grimm)... (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I had the mid 60s comic books, I learned to read with all those comic books.
  • The creator of Howard the Duck is gone forever!
    • No, George Lucas still alive and well.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by j-beda ( 85386 )

        No, George Lucas still alive and well.

        Neither:

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

        Howard the Duck is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. Howard the Duck first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 (cover-dated Dec. 1973) and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic "funny animal" trapped on a human-dominated Earth.

  • https://m.webtoons.com/en/supe... [webtoons.com]

    https://therealstanlee.com/ori... [therealstanlee.com]

    Stan Lee's final creations... ...that we know of...

  • His characters all died and came back a few times. Surely we can make it work in real life just this once?

  • and his wife. Sad.

  • Heartbreaking news ... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by thomst ( 1640045 ) on Monday November 12, 2018 @07:50PM (#57634276) Homepage

    I started reading - and actually wound up subscribing to - Fantastic Four when I spotted issue # 8 on the magazine rack at a local convenience store in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1961 (the issue that introduced the Puppet Master and his blind, sculptress stepdaughter Alicia, who would swiftly become Ben Grimm's beloved). I was 9 years old, and utterly captivated by this bold, new take on the superhero genre. DC comics had become tiresomely formulaic, thanks to the Comics Code Authority and the generally-repressive social atmosphere, and the quarrelsome, wisecracking FF was a welcome anodyne to the tepidity of Superman, and the campy, cartoonish Batman of the time.

    Plus Jack Kirby, the most exciting artist in comics, did the pencils!

    I continued to follow the FF throughout the 1960s, until Kirby abruptly decamped to DC. For my tastes, the title never recovered from his departure - oh, and rock'n'roll, girls, and marijuana had captured my attention by then, anyway, so I turned away from comics for the next three decades. (The death of Superman brought me back - but it was the Batman titles that kept me colllecting.)

    In the new century, when digital effects technology finally made it possible to make comic book superhero movies look convincing, I was pleased to see Marvel jump in with both feet - and Stan Lee always made a cameo appearance, which was a custom of which very I much approved.

    When, he made a couple of guest appearances on Kevin Smith's reality series Comic Book Men, Stan the Man seemed to be in surprisingly good health for a man fast approaching a century of existence. He walked under his own power, and his speech was that of a man in possession of all his marbles. And his gentle humor, enthusiasm for life in general and comics in particular, and his great personal warmth were all still in full evidence, more than 5 decades after I first encountered his work.

    Much like the man himself, both Stan's editorials in the end pages of the comics he wrote and his replies to letters from readers were always relentlessly positive and aspirational. I admired that. He always encouraged creativity in those around him - and I admired that, too. Most importantly, he spent his working life doing what he loved.

    I mightily envied him that.

    Just half an hour ago, when I read about his passing, I couldn't help crying. It was inevitable, of course, but that didn't lessen the blow for me.

    Sooner or later, we all die. I just hoped the Universe would make an exception for Stan ...

  • 90% of the creative work was made by Kirby or Ditko. He was a genius at stealing credit thought. He was a pig but may his soul rest in peace.

  • One of the greatest storytellers of the 20th and 21st Century.

    Like a modern day Greek god, he created vast numbers of heroes...
    Even better, he INSPIRED even MORE heroes out here in the real world...

    Excelsior.

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