The Marvel Comics pioneer has passed away at the age of 95.
Stan Lee – the creator, voice and champion of Marvel Comics – has passed away at the age of 95.
The Walt Disney Company issued a statement, with chairman and ceo Bob Iger describing Stan “as extraordinary as the characters he created”.
Bob continued: “A super hero in his own right to Marvel fans around the world, Stan had the power to inspire, to entertain, and to connect. The scale of his imagination was only exceeded by the size of his heart.”
Stan worked his way through a succession of jobs until he found himself as an assistant at a comic book publishing company in New York called Timely Comics.
He wrote his first story in the May 1941 issue of Captain America Comics #3.
Over time, Timely Comics morphed first into Atlas Comics, before becoming Marvel Comics, of which Stan was editor in chief.
Characters such as the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk and the X-Men among others were borne out of Marvel Comics, with Stan eventually becoming publisher.
The statement from The Walt Disney Company continued: “In later years, Stan took on new projects of his own outside of Marvel, but always kept one eye on the universe he created, watching with pride as it continued to grow and expand. Stan worked tirelessly to promote Marvel properties and characters to the film industry, and his spunky cameos in Marvel films and television series became an important part of his legacy.
“Marvel and the entire The Walt Disney Company salute the life and career of Stan Lee and offer their undying gratitude for his unmatchable accomplishments within their halls. Every time you open a Marvel comic, Stan will be there.
“Please join us today in remembering Stan ‘The Man’ Lee.”
