Through most of Marvel Comics’ history, one name has been at the forefront of the brand’s image — Stan Lee. This week, fans celebrated what would’ve been the beloved comic book writer’s 98th birthday. The adoration was very much warranted. The creator of Marvel characters, such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Black Panther, and many more, Lee was the man who brought Marvel Comics their most iconic characters that are more relevant today than they have ever been in the past.
Throughout his tenure at Marvel, Lee attained many notable successes and achievements adding to his illustrious career. Evolving from a novice writer in the Army to the editorial director and publisher of Marvel, Lee’s influence is still felt in entertainment today.
Stan Lee, real name Stanley Lieber, was a comic book creator that was born in New York to Romanian immigrants. He spent his childhood and early life in New York until he joined the Army during World War II. After his enlistment, Lee became an employee at Timely Comics (now Marvel Comics), and his career had begun as a comic writer. He subsequently adopted a pseudonym using the broken-up version of his first name, Stan Lee.
It was not until he teamed up with artist Jack Kirby that his work would begin to gain traction. In late 1961, they produced the first issue of The Fantastic Four. The title was one of the first properties in the new wave of comics known as the “Silver Age of Comic Books” and ushered in Marvel’s first superhero team.
After The Fantastic Four was a substantial success for the company, Lee still had to face many adversities to bring his next idea into fruition. He wanted his next comic to focus on the character Peter Parker, a somewhat average teenager dealing with everyday problems.
At a seminar, Lee recounts that Martin Goodman (the publisher of Marvel at the time) did not want to entertain the idea of Spider-Man — as he did not see the financial potential in the title. However, Lee saw an opportunity to put the character into publication by introducing him in the last issue of a failing series. It was a strategic move to get the project out to the public, and ultimately, Goodman agreed to try it as an experiment, as the series was ending regardless. The numbers came back; it was Marvel’s highest-selling issue at the time.
Stan Lee would then go on to create successful character after successful character. It earned him the pedigree and goodwill at Marvel to ascend to editorial director and publisher by the early 1970s. He has gone on to win awards for his career at Marvel and his work as a producer.
Among his many awards, Lee was honored by The Producer’s Guild, Saturn Awards, Jack Kirby Hall of Fame, according to the website The Famous People. The Marvel brand becoming the most prominent media franchise is a testament to Lee’s work that has stood the test of time.
His characters are the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) driving force, which has become the most successful film franchise in modern history. Whether it be the $1.3 billion box office return of Black Panther (2018) or the $2.79 billion that Avengers: Endgame made internationally, the foundation that Lee laid in the ’60s and ’70s is fueling the business model of Marvel today.
Though he did not have a heavy influence in these films from a creative standpoint, his impeccable gauge for conceptualizing a character that would garner a response from an audience has rarely been matched. That is why these characters, even under new management (Disney), still resonate the way they did decades ago — maybe even more so.
Stan Lee is a cultural icon, alongside greats Walt Disney, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg. He set a path for many creators and business models to build off and has inspired generations of artists.
