Stan Lee.

Stanley Martin Lieber was born on December 28, 1922, in his family’s Manhattan apartment to Romanian Jewish immigrant parents, Celia Solomon and Jack Lieber, a dress cutter. Growing up during the Great Depression, he experienced poverty but found escape in comic strips and movies. At age 17, through family connections, he landed a job as an assistant at Timely Publications, a pulp magazine company that would later become Marvel Comics. Using the pen name Stan Lee, he wrote his first story, Captain America Foils the Traitor’s Revenge, for Captain America Comics #3 in 1941.

By the end of 1941, when the original Captain America creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby left Timely, 19-year-old Stan Lee became editor, a post he held for over three decades as the company evolved into Atlas and then Marvel. In 1961, inspired by his wife Joan, he launched The Fantastic Four with artist Jack Kirby, marking the start of the Marvel Age. He co-created The Incredible Hulk May 1962 and The Amazing Spider-Man August 1962 with Steve Ditko, along with Iron Man, Thor, the X-Men, Doctor Strange, and Daredevil. Lee introduced a shared universe and complex characters with real-world problems. In 1971, he defied the Comics Code Authority to publish a Spider-Man story about drug addiction, forcing the code to modernize. He became Marvel’s publisher in 1972 and transitioned to chairman emeritus, later launching Stan Lee Media and POW! Entertainment. He made his first film cameo in X-Men 2000 and appeared in almost every Marvel film until his death.

Stan Lee married Joan Clayton Boocock on December 5, 1947, and they remained together nearly 70 years until her death on July 6, 2017. The couple had two daughters: Joan Celia J.C. Lee born 1950 and Jan Lee, who died shortly after birth in 1953. During the 1960s, Judy Garland’s daughter Lorna Luft lived with the Lee family for about a month. Lee was a longtime friend of DC Comics artist Carmine Infantino. After serving in the Army as a playwright during World War II, he returned to comics. He was optimistic and used the catchphrase Excelsior!.

Stan Lee’s creation of a shared universe of superheroes with relatable flaws transformed the comic book industry and laid the groundwork for the modern blockbuster franchise. His characters have generated billions in revenue and inspired countless filmmakers, with directors like James Gunn and Kevin Feige citing his influence. Lee received the National Medal of Arts in 2008, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was named a Disney Legend in 2017. Posthumously, he appeared via pre-shot cameos in Captain Marvel 2019 and Avengers: Endgame 2019. His mantra, With great power comes great responsibility, remains a cultural touchstone. Stan Lee co-created Spider-Man and built the Marvel Universe.