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I am sure you will agree.
Stan Lee is a legend that deserves every recognition he receives.
But, just how much do you know about Stan Lee?
Well, in this article, we have sifted through the data, read his book and have gone through Marvel history to bring you the ultimate collection of Stan Lee facts, quotes and statistics.
By the end, you will know a great deal more about Stan Lee, his life, his views and his uncanny achievements.
Ready.
Let's dive in.
Stan Lee. The Myth, The Legend, The Man
Stan Lee was born Stanley Martin Lieber on Dec. 28, 1922, in New York City.
In fiction, Lee appears as a superhero historian in Lavie Tidhar's sci-fi novel The Violent Century.
"Wherever we find news, excitement, mystery and adventure, there, too, we find the newspaper reporter. Always on the alert for something new, ready to risk his very life for a scoop and finding adventure in every corner of the globe."
Growing up, his father struggled to find stable employment, leading to financial hardship for the family. This led Lee to develop a strong work ethic.
"My biggest regret is that I don't really have time to read."
Initially, he used the name Stan Lee because he thought working in comics would be a fleeting thing, and one day he will write a novel using his real name:
"I realized that people had no respect for comic books at all. Most parents didn't want their children to read comics. And I was a little embarrassed to be doing the work I did, and I figured someday I'll write the Great American Novel, and I don't want to ruin my possibilities by having my name disliked this way. And I became Stan Lee."
Lee published Romeo and Juliet: The War in 2012. It is based on the Shakespearean play and re-imagines the couple as superhuman soldiers.
As a child, Lee was greatly influenced by Errol Flynn's action films. "When I was a kid, Robin Hood was my hero," Lee said in 2013.
"The power of prayer is still the greatest ever known in this endless eternal universe."
The Stan Lee Media venture was a loss for Stan Lee in 1998. His business associate was incarcerated for stock fraud charges.
"Superheroes in New York, give me a break!"
He was raised in a Jewish family.
"America is made of different races and different religions, but we're all co-travellers on the spaceship Earth and must respect and help each other along the way."
"While no one is expected to leap tall buildings in a single bound, our aspiring heroes will be tested on their courage, integrity, self-sacrifice, compassion and resourcefulness-the stuff of all true superheroes."
Stan Lee actually developed a method of writing where he would stand up to write. He would also position himself so he gained more sunlight. This was because he was convinced that sitting down all day would give him a potbelly.
Tony Stark, better known as Iron Man, was modelled after Howard Hughes, the late American industrialist.
"I never understood why people take drugs. They're habit-forming and they can kill you. I didn't need anything to pep me up or make me feel more creative, and I didn't need them to help me with women."
As a result of Lee's 2005 lawsuit, Marvel agreed to pay him $10 million in settlement over no royalties he received for the 2002 Spider-Man movie.
Stan Lee wanted Thor to have a reason why he could fly. Unlike Superman who had no visible style of propulsion. That's why Thor swings his hammer. Thor doesn't fly, he just hitches a ride on his hammer. Thor vs Superman is a fascinating matchup when you consider their different approaches to power.
The Stan Lee God Woke graphic novel was released in 2016. The story is based on a poem first presented by Lee in 1972.
His mother, Celia Lieber, encouraged his love of reading and creativity.
During the year 2018, the court granted Lee a temporary restraining order against a memorabilia collector who claimed to be his caregiver.
"Being a geek has become a badge of honor."
Lee is often credited as an executive producer for Marvel-based television and film projects. The first such credit was for the direct-to-video Captain America film in 1990.
"Coming from your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man!"
Stan Lee has probably given a lecture at every University and College in the US. He spent a decade promoting Marvel where he would give a lecture a week.
Stan Lee felt that Reed Richards is the comic book character that resembles him the most.
Lee left Marvel in 1971 to pursue film and television opportunities in California.
"And now, until we meet again, may the blessings of Asgard be showered upon you!"
"Singing a song, playing sports-anything that entertains, that takes people away from their own problems, is good."
"I never thought that Spider-Man would become the worldwide icon that he is. I just hoped the books would sell and I'd keep my job."
"I guess one person can make a difference."
"I have never had a lap dance in Tampa or any other part of Florida. If I ever did have a lap dance, I don't think I would be discussing television ideas with the girl that was giving it to me."
Stan Lee got married to British model and voice actress, Joan Boocock, on December 5, 1947. The couple moved to Woodmere, Long Island, where they bought a house in 1949. The following year, their first child, a girl named Joan Celia Lee, was born. Later, in 1953, Joan gave birth to their second daughter named Jan Lee. However, Jan died just 3 days after she was born.
"I think people have always loved things that are bigger than life, things that are imaginative."
Lee and Kirby co-designed the Fantastic Four comic book team in 1961. Their books followed a real-world bent, in contrast to most of Lee's competitors' books of the time.
In 2006, Marvel marked Lee's 75 years with the company with a Stan Lee Meets, a series of comic books that featured a fictionalized Lee interacting with his co-created characters Spider-Man, Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom.
"I like all the comics conventions: The smaller ones are easier, the bigger ones are exciting…Each one I say: Never again. But they're all great…These things are important because they keep the fans' interest alive in comics. They keep the fans reading and their imaginations stimulated."
"I've been the luckiest man in the world because I've had friends, and to have the right friends is everything: people you can depend on, people who tell you the truth if you ask something."
In the 1950s, Lee came close to leaving the comic book industry forever after a dispute with his publisher about the dialogue he was using. "He didn't want too much dialogue; he didn't want me to worry about characterization or story - all he wanted was a lot of action," he would tell website Comic Book Resources (CBR) in 2017.
He made his theatrical film debut as a Marvel Comics editor in the comedy-horror film, The Ambulance, in 1990.
"Comic books sort of follow with the movie-if people see the movie and if they're interested in the character and want to see more of the character, they start buying the comic books. So a good movie helps the sale of the comic books and the comic books help the movie and one hand washes the other. So, I don't think there's any reason to think that comics will die out."
"Every day is a new adventure."
Lee's wife, Joanie, died from a stroke in July of 2017.
Lee wrote many Marvel titles as a sole writer. He would use a scripting format called Marvel Method, where he would quickly discuss the story with the artist, who would then develop artwork to strengthen the narrative. Lee would later add dialogue to the drawn pages.
"Technology isn't a villain. Technology should help, but if you just use the technology for the sake of technology, then you're cheating your audience. You're not giving them the best story and the best direction and so forth."
"When you can sit down with a plain sheet of paper in front of you and make some notes, and, little by little, you see it take shape and become a concept for a movie or a TV show. That's a real thrill. You watch it go from notes on a paper to a meeting with writers and directors and actors. I can't think of anything that's more exciting."
"Another definition of a hero is someone who is concerned about other people's well-being and will go out of his or her way to help them-even if there is no chance of a reward. That person who helps others simply because it should or must be done, and because it is the right thing to do, is indeed without a doubt, a real superhero."
"I'll probably be the next Donald Trump. Instead of saying, 'You're fired,' I'll have to come up with another line. Maybe, 'Take off your costume!' I'll be the ultimate judge. It's a great responsibility, and I take it very seriously. It's a great weight on my shoulders, and I just hope that I will be up to this test. Because the eyes of the world will be upon us."
As a young man, Lee is described as "agonizingly sensitive, desperate for approval and easily influenced by others."
The Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends episode featuring Seven Little Superheroes was narrated by Lee in the 1980s.
"Wolverine is one of the best characters ever created in fiction. I blew it by not coming up with the idea first."
"If Shakespeare and Michelangelo were alive today, and if they decided to collaborate on a comic, Shakespeare would write the script and Michelangelo would draw it. How could anybody say that this wouldn't be as worthwhile an art form as anything on earth?"
"To tell you the truth, I never thought of myself as much of a success."
Stan Lee's 1962 debut of Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy #15 became a bestseller and was the fastest-selling book of the decade. After this early success, Lee and Ditko would work on an ongoing Spider-Man series. The Amazing Spider-Man launched in 1963.
As Lee graduated from high school at 16, he decided not to go to college and much rather find employment than go to college. Fear of unemployment prompted Lee to value his being able to find employment and earn a living.
"Fans are almost always nice. I really find that they rarely come on too strong."
Lee is referred to in Michael Chabon's 2000 novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Chabon cites Lee as one of the many comic book creators he's been influenced by in an author's note in the book.
Lee earned money working several part-time odd jobs - including delivering sandwiches to offices in Rockefeller Center, selling newspaper subscriptions for the New York Herald Tribune, working as an office boy for a trouser manufacturer and being an usher for Broadway's Rivoli Theater.
"I don't analyze things too closely. I find the more you analyze, the more you get away from spontaneity."
Simon and Kirby allowed Lieber to write a story, under the pen name Stan Lee, for Captain America Comics #3 in 1941.
"It's fun doing something that hasn't been done before."
Conclusion
Stan Lee has been an icon of the comic industry for decades.
He's one of the most prolific writers in history, but behind every great person in society lies a lot of history.
This blog post is designed to give readers a more complete picture of this legendary figure by compiling his life story into easy-to-digest facts and stats.
Do you have any additions or corrections? You might also enjoy reading about what a Stan Lee autograph is worth or exploring some Marvel facts that only superfans know.
If so, please get in touch and let us know.
