The Archives Superhero Legacy: A tribute to Stan Lee Published 4 years ago - Staff Writer Tyler Cullen – Staff writer On November 12, 2018, one of the greatest creative minds in entertainment, Stanley Martin Leiber, died at age 95. Now several fans have been left to mourn over Stan Lee’s death, and reflect upon his life’s work. Lee was considered the godfather of all Marvel superheroes and greatly expanded the genre and the American comic book scene. More notably Lee created some of the greatest and most well known superheroes to this day, from comic book pages to the big screen. Names such as Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and many more have grown familiar in every household across the nation, and even the world. Before Lee became the creative mastermind behind Marvel, he began his career as a lowly teenage assistant and worked his way up the ranks of the company. Eventually Lee would become head writer and editor for Marvel, making him and a few top executives extremely influential in the chain of command. Before Lee gained such an influence, he was very conflicted and even considered quitting the business after almost twenty years of work. Fortunately, Lee was ordered by his boss at the time to take into account the superheroes created by DC comics, a long time rival of Marvel. What Lee did in order to compete with DC led to some of his greatest masterpieces to date. His idea was to create morally complex heroes that came from all different backgrounds and walks of life. None of Lee’s heroes were the cookie cutter like superheroes of before. These were heroes, yes, but normal people first. It was this technique that made the heroes that Stan Lee created both relatable and extraordinary, which only made the characters more popular and impactful on readers. It is because of his amazing work that Lee has the Will Eisner Award, The National Medal of Arts award and is in the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame. Fans around the world will miss the greatness that is, was, and always will be Stanley Martin Lieber. His ideas have for many years inspired people of all ages and everyone will remember his contribution and commitment to the innovation of American comics. Even though Lee is mostly known for his contributions in entertainment, what cannot be overlooked is his service in the army as a member of the Signal Corps during WWII from the year 1942-1945. In the end, Lee was a husband, a father, a military man and a creator. He expanded the great American comic mythology. Even though he may have died, Lee’s work and ideas will continue to inspire many generations of Americans both present and future. To many, even though Lee created a multitude of heroes, it is him who was the real hero. May you live on in our memories and imaginations. You will be missed, Stan Lee. Tyler Cullen, a first-year, studies Political Science. He is a staff writer for Le Provocateur. 50 recommended Share ShareTweetSharePin it