The Unforgettable Legacy of Stan Lee
By Drabya Rana
to what we now know as “Marvel Comics”. Also
during the same time, Stan was called by his boss
to create a comic series to rival DC Comic’s biggest
title at the time “Justice League of America”. So, with
co-creator and artist Jack Kirby, the Fantastic Four
made their debut in 1961. After the huge success
of the Fantastic Four comic, more characters were
developed such as the Hulk, Spider-Man, Doctor
Strange, Daredevil and the X-Men.
He later moved to the West Coast and got involved
in Marvel’s film ventures and eventually became the
chairman emeritus of the company. Stan lost his
wife, Joan at the age of 70 in July of 2017. He also
gave his fans a jump-scare when he checked into a
hospital for an irregular heartbeat and shortness of
breath on the following January.
S
tan Lee was a revered comic book author who
used his creativity to give hope and joy to his au-
dience by creating characters, such as Spider-Man,
Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers and the Fantas-
tic Four. Throughout the years, his characters have
come to life on the big screen and have become cin-
ematic hits. His unique yet relatable characters have
become icons of popular culture worldwide.
Although Stan and Marvel looked like everything was
going smoothly, on April 2018 feature in “The Holly-
wood Reporter” revealed a story far from what was
shown. According to the publication, Stan’s daugh-
ter, J.C., and other family members were engaged in
a conflict over care of the 95-year-old Stan, and the
future of his estate. The article also describes J.C. in
an incident in which she physically assaulted both
of her elderly parents.
Stanley Martin Lieber was born in New York City
on December 28, 1922, to Romanian-Jewish immi- Stan Lee died in Los Angeles, California, on Novem-
grants Celia Solomon Lieber and Jack Aaron Lieber. ber 12, 2018.
Stan spent some of his childhood in the great de-
pression, and during that time Stan and his broth-
er Larry watched their parents struggle to make
enough money to provide for their family. Stan, who
later shortened his name to “Stan Lee,” eventually
became a writer, but was first hired to be an office
assistant at Timely Comics. He also served domes-
tically in the army during World War II, working as a
writer and illustrator.
In the early ’60s, Timely Comics changed their name
Marvel Comics, due to these characters, became
a highly popular company among teens, and as a
result, Stan was promoted to editorial director and
publisher in 1972.