“I used to be embarrassed because I was just a comic book writer while other people were building bridges or going on to medical careers. And then I began to realise: entertainment is one of the most important things in people's lives. Without it, they might go off the deep end. I feel that if you're able to entertain, you're doing a good thing.” – Stan Lee

Stanley Martin Lieber or Stan Lee, the creator of the Marvel universe, and a real-life superhero for comic book fans all over the world died at the age of 95 due to medical complications caused by pneumonia. Lee has left behind a void which can never be filled in the hearts of millions of people inspired by his characters.

His brilliance and vision led to the creation and re-imaginations of characters such as Iron Man, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Wonder Woman, X-Men and Fantastic Four.

Lee was a visionary and helped create the large-scale impact that Marvel has today not only at an organisational level but also on a cultural and personal level. He was responsible for breaking the barrier which existed between the artiste and the audience by being the driving force behind the decision taken to add creator credits at the end of Marvel’s comics which broke away from the industry’s norms at that time. This made it easier for fans as they had to spend a lot of time to research styles and study various comics to identify the artiste previously, hence, helping both the artiste and the audience. He worked with legendary artistes like Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and Bill Everett and helped enhance their body of work and take their artistry to a whole new level by weaving his magic as an editor at Marvel before climbing up the ladder.

He foresaw the impact which his characters could have and fought for them to be displayed on the big screen as both an inspiring piece of art and a revenue-generating model, which in turn would lead to a broader audience and inspire many more. He could also sense the cultural pulse and was ahead of his time as he could use art to tackle various issues impacting people both internally and externally.

He advocated equality and vehemently opposed any form of discrimination, chiefly racism. Black Panther, a black superhero, was created during the 1960s at a time when racism was rabid in the United States. The character stands as a symbol of black unity and excellence up until today as the recently released Black Panther movie led to a ‘black revolution’ in a volatile political atmosphere which saw black athlete Colin Kaepernick, who played for the San Fransisco 49ers in the National Football League receive flak from President Donald Trump for kneeling during the national anthem and saw him and two other players banned from the league. The film also enabled black excellence as various black athletes and artistes used the movie as an inspiration to achieve great feats in their respective fields. This is an example of how Lee used a character to create a cultural revolution which sets him apart.

He was also against patriarchal dominance as he created strong female superheroes like Black Widow and reimagined others like Wonder Woman in with far more ‘human’ qualities.

He used art as a way to showcase the internal struggle humans face due to the unpredictability of the mind and hence the complications the heroes go through as they are misunderstood by the people sometimes and yet end up protecting them which can be seen in characters like X-Men, a group of outcast mutants protecting the society that looks at them differently, shunning them for the lack of trust due to their physical appearances, showing the volatility of human nature. This goes along with Lee's idea of equality and his determination to remain righteous and help people despite the odds and obstacles.

Fantastic Four, the group members who are poles apart in nature and openly showcase their powers to help the people who are both in awe of them and consider them untrustworthy, are yet another example of Lee’s brilliance as he showcases the inner struggles of individual characters making them more human and ‘relatable’ to the audience while giving a firm grounding on moral values and ethics which the legendary comic book creator prided himself on.

Lee is also a proud Second World War veteran and is a patriot by nature which he showcased through the revival of the previously created character Captain America where he shows that being a patriot does not mean following orders blindly but rather standing up to your country to make sure that the orders are righteous. He also created Iron Man to show the relationship between capitalism and defence.

A Marvel movie will never be the same without the much awaited Stan Lee cameo, and it will hit us only after the credits start rolling, and we see, “In the loving memory of Stan Lee”, but he lives on in all of us through his characters who inspire people to both be successful and still hold on to morals and values.

He also was a strong proponent of educating the youth and has touched the lives of countless children, teenagers and adults who are genuinely grateful to him as his characters helped them deal with their insecurities, problems and identity issues among others while expanding their knowledge.

While we thought that he played multiple roles in the movies, he played a single character of being a ‘watcher’ or a person who has pledged to observe the ever-changing dynamics in the entire universe without interfering in the event unless necessary.

Stan Lee was indeed ‘The Watcher’ in real life as he was way ahead of his time in using art to solve issues while having a stronghold or grasp of the cultural pulse of the nation despite the rapidly changing times.

Lee defined a hero as “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.”

Lee truly stuck to his definition and championed his cause with extreme dedication and passion while people were not paying much heed to create the large-scale cultural impact that he has today.

To truly pay tribute to the legend we need to adopt his favourite catchphrase and the optimistic mantra which he used to get him out of his darkest times, ‘Excelsior’ which is Latin for ‘Ever Upward’ and that is indeed where we are heading due to his vision and impact.

Fantastic Four

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