Stan Lee, former editor-in-chief of Marvel comics, died at the age of 95.
The famed writer, editor, and publisher created some entertainment’s most iconic yet flawed characters, including Spider-Man, the Hulk, Doctor Strange, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Black Panther, the X-Men, and more.
Lee, who got his start in the comic business nearly 80 years ago, died early Monday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Alongside frequent artist-writer collaborators such as Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko (who passed in July), and others, Lee helped rocket Marvel from a tiny venture into the world’s most recognizable publisher of comic books, movies, and more.
While Lee lived a long life, his final few years were troublesome. After his wife of 69 years passed in July 2017, Lee sued executives at POW! Entertainment—a company he founded in 2001 to develop film, television, and video game properties—for fraud. He eventually dropped the $1 billion suit weeks later. The Marvel mogul then went on to sue his ex-business manager, and even filed a restraining order against a man who was supposedly handling his affairs. And most recently, it was revealed in June 2018 that the LAPD was investigating reports of elder abuse against him.
In 1939, Lee was hired as an assistant at Marvel predecessor, Timely Comics, before enlisting in the Army in 1942 and writing manuals and training films for the Signal Corps. After the war, he returned to Timely Comics and served as editor for decades. It wasn’t until the late 1950’s that Lee created The Fantastic Four, sparking a new wave of flawed heroes. And in 1972, Lee relinquished the Marvel editorial reins to devote all of his time promoting the company. He moved to Los Angeles in 1980 to build his relationships in Hollywood. The rest, well, is history.
Stan Lee shared a tweet on Sunday morning thanking military members for their service:
Thank you to all of America's veterans for your service. Fun fact: Stan’s official US Army title during WW2 was ‘Playwright.’ #VeteransDay pic.twitter.com/limi6CWzsL
— Stan Lee (@TheRealStanLee) November 11, 2018
Lee is survived by his daughter, J.C.
