Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee passed away yesterday at the age of 95. There's no word on a cause of death but I'm going to go with natural causes. After all, he was 95. Stan started Marvel in 1961 with Jack Kirby and together they co-created the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Black Panther, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, Iron Man, and The Avengers. Stan revolutionized comics by creating superheroes that had human flaws and mundane problems that adult readers could relate to. The "superheroes" before that were typically flawless, god-like figures.
After Stan retired as a comic writer, he remained at Marvel as an editor and publisher, and throughout the '80s and '90s he became a cult figure in the comic book world. It sounds like he'd already shot his cameo for the upcoming "Avengers 4" and a cameo in "Ralph Breaks the Internet", which will be out next week. The cameos started as a joke in the comics. Stan once said, quote, "The artists back then would draw me in as a joke or just to have fun. And I'd put some dialogue balloons there and it looked as if I intended it. I didn't try to do cameos in those days." There's a video below where someone pieced together all of the cameos, including my favorite, his cameo in "Mallrats".
I met Stan Lee at a comic con about 10 years ago. I was beside myself. He was such a gentleman. We were briefed and told "don't touch him" as if he were a god, but I had no idea that the man they told me to stay away from would after taking this photo not only tell me "ya nailed it, kid" but also give me a giant hug.
Thank you for the adventures, Stan. EXCELSIOR!!!