Stan Lee, the creator of Marvel Comics, was born on December 28th, 1922, in Manhattan, New York.
Lee created Marvel alongside Jack Kirby in 1961; little did anyone know that Marvel would become and remain a household name for generations to come! He created some of the most iconic figures of pop culture; Spider-Man, Hulk, and Iron Man, to name a few. Since we are discussing such a legendary figure with many accomplishments to his name, we should jump right into it!
The legendary Lee began his career in the comics industry by working at Timely Comics in 1939, which would later evolve into Marvel comics. In 1961 Lee, along with comic book artist Jack Kirby, transitioned Timely/Atlas Comics into its Marvel Comics era.
The initial era of Marvel Comics was kicked-off by the release of the first issue of Fantastic Four. Lee wrote the comic while Kirby did the artwork. The Fantastic Four features the now-iconic character, Thing!
Some of the earliest comics from Marvel is what cemented it into the comic beacon it is today. A few of those titles include,
- The Incredible Hulk #1 (1962)
- Journey into Mystery #83 (1962)
- Tales of Suspense #39 (1963)
- Strange Tales #110 (1963)
- Fantastic Four #52 (1966)
These comics brought to life beloved characters like The Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Black Widow!
This barely scratches the surface of Lee’s contribution to the comic book industry, but we do not have all day, now do we?
Now onto where Lee has shined for the past four decades, Marvel TV shows and movies!
Spanning over 60 years, Lee had a hand in producing and writing some of the most spectacular superhero TV shows and movies. In 1966 he wrote for his first Marvel TV show, Captain America! This one show lead to over 170 more writing credits for other Marvel shows and movies.
In 1989, he received his first producer credit; he was the supervising producer for a TV short titled Pryde of the X-Men. From 1990 to 2008, he produced for over 30 TV shows and movies. 2008 would give birth to the MCU, it became a pop-culture staple, and Lee had a hand in all of it!
On May 2nd, 2008, the first Iron Man movie and the first installment in the MCU was released in U.S. theaters. Lee was the executive producer for the film and had a part in the writing as well! He went onto produce and write for every installment of the MCU up until his death in 2018.
There is so much more we could cover when discussing Stan Lee, but we would be here for centuries. His contribution to pop-culture and the happiness he has brought to billions of people around the world is incomparable. He is dearly missed by loyal and casual fans alike. There will never be another Stan Lee.
Stan Lee passed away on November 12th, 2018, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, in Los Angeles, California.