Top 10 Things That Make Stan Lee Awesome

Kicking off our list is a factoid about the psychological complexity of Stan Lee’s Marvel characters. In the 1960s, Lee pioneered the idea of creating multifaceted comic personas – quite a change from the standard simply written, inflexible and morally uptight heroes. Lee’s protagonists had human flaws, which they slowly overcome through a continuous narrative – while sometimes running into each other within the interconnected Marvel universe.

Stan entered the comic book scene way back in 1941, at the age of 16! Starting off as an assistant editor at Timely Comics, he quickly became the youngest editor in the biz! To safeguard his reputation, he changed his name from Lieber to Lee, thinking that comics would prevent him from becoming a famous novelist. Ironically, he did become one, just not in the traditional sense.

Stan Lee became a central figure in the comic book world. Not only did he redefine the genre, he outright created and co-created almost every Marvel character we know and love today, alongside partners Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. Among these, his most groundbreaking and beloved included The Hulk, The Fantastic Four, the X-Men and Spider-Man.

What separated Lee’s approach to comic creation from others’ was the fact that he despised sidekicks – he felt they took something special away from the heroes. As a result, almost no Marvel hero is accompanied by a partner. Sure, Iron Man occasionally works with War Machine, but you won’t find The Hulk working alongside a pre-pubescent boy in tights…

Part of what made Stan Lee a legend was his respectful and intelligence treatment of his fans. With that philosophy in mind, he nearly quit the comic world when he was asked to use simpler words during a time when comics were seen as child’s play. Planning for the Fantastic Four to be his last comic creation, he rebelliously upped the complexity. But, when the series became a financial success, the publishers gave him their full support.

There was a time when comics steered clear of sensitive social issues. That changed when Lee pushed through a 1971 “Amazing Spider-Man” storyline where Peter Parker’s friend Harry Osborne almost died from a drug overdose. While the Comics Code Authority had been unwilling to allow negative portrayals of substance abuse, after the acclaim and healthy sales of this storyline, they changed their position.

Think you don’t have any free time? During Lee’s first 25 years at Marvel, he switched it up by serving as editor, art director and head writer. Scripting between 2-5 complete comics per week, his creative output is still considered the largest by any single writer. Incredibly, he even found time to write for newspapers, radio and television, to pen screenplays and to have a satisfying marriage since 1947!

You may not know this, but not only did Stan Lee lead the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division into a massive corporation, but he also briefly served as the company’s president. Despite the glamour, power and rockin’ parking space, he stopped when he decided that worrying about finances impacted what he did best – writing comics! Few would have the cojones to do the same…

Proud and tied to his creations, Lee ensured he had a special clause added to his contract: he specified that he must appear in any movie based on one of his characters. This became a major source of amusement for fans, as they eagerly spotted him as everything from a street vendor to a rejected wedding guest, and even as a man who’s mistaken for Hugh Hefner by Tony Stark!

Taking the top spot on our list is that “special something” that keeps fans coming back for more! The best example of what makes Stan Lee special is his trademark comic signoff catchphrase “Excelsior,” since he jokingly claims that he doesn’t even know the motto’s meaning. With his wit, offbeat nature and inspirational messages, Stan Lee is known to many as the granddaddy of modern comics – and, in fact, many comic lovers wish Stan “The Man” were their grandfather too!

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