Stan Lee

Before the company known as Timely Comics became Marvel Comics, two young men, one of whom bore the name of Stanley Martin Lieber, and the other of whom was his younger brother Lawrence Lieber, began their careers as writers there. Stanley got his first gig as a writer with a short story in an issue of Captain America Comics in the early 1940's. Stanley's boss, Martin Goodman was a publisher who wanted to follow the trends of the time, switching his comics-line from superheroes to funny cartoon comics, and ending with crime and horror comics. Basically Martin Goodman was publishing whatever was popular at the time, he followed trends, but did not start any. Martin even changed the name of the company into Atlas Comics. Stan Lee (as Stanley Lieber would call himself in his comics) had a rough time during the late 1950's and even considered stopping as a comic-book writer and become a regular writer instead. Comic sales where down and Stan was bored with the somewhat repetitive quality of the work he was doing up until then. During World War II Stan Lee became friends with Theodor Seuss Geisel commonly known as Dr. Seuss. Then, a change happened in 1961. Atlas again changed its name, this time into Marvel Comics and Stan was tapped by Goodman for the role of creating a new line of super-hero comics. He could do whatever he wanted. Stan was excited about this opportunity, never having much creative freedom before and happily accepted. Working with artist extraordinaire Jack Kirby, he created the central characters of some of the most prominent titles still in publication. His first title was the Fantastic Four, a foursome with incredible powers whom traveled to places no-one had ever gone before. The success of the "FF" got Stan even more creative freedom. His next idea was The Amazing Spider-Man, a tough sell for his boss. Goodman didn't like the idea, after all, "who liked spiders?" and the hero was supposed to be a young boy not older then fifteen. However, because of Stan's hit with the FF, Goodman eventually gave his blessings and published the Amazing Spider-man in the comic Amazing Fantasy. It was a smash hit. Stan, with the success and creative freedom he got from Goodman, soon came up with other titles such as The Incredible Hulk, The Avengers, The Invincible Iron Man, The Uncanny X-Men, The Mighty Thor, and Dr. Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts. These titles also became immediate successes and remain popular to this day.

It seemed that everything Stan Lee created was destined to be golden. His only real obstacle was his being answerable to Martin Goodman, then Marvel's publisher, who still maintained an attitude of reluctance to "fix" what was not "broken." Goodman believed that comics were meant to be written and drawn for young kids, and always feared inserting any content that might go over the heads of such kids; by contrast, Lee knew that there were many older readers who could be won over without losing any readership from kids. He also thought it was important to take children seriously and having his characters be respectable heroes. Heroes where kids could take an example out of, and inspire them. Stan's enormous success soon let to him becoming editor in chief of Marvel Comics, leaving Goodman behind. Marvel Comics became more popular with each and every month. Eventually, Lee's workload had grown so big that other creators were sought out to take over the books that he created. With a little help from his "Girl Friday" Flo Steinbeg, Stan managed to take Marvel Comics into the next decade and he eventually became publisher of Marvel himself. He served as the chief editor of these titles for years right up until the late 1970's,

One of the things that made Stan's comics so popular (besides the great writing and art) was Stan's way of bonding with his readers and fans. As such, his wacky way of answering readers questions, establishing such things as the Marvel fan-club and the No-Prize (an envelope without anything in it, send as goof to fans who came up with an explanation for an error in one of Stan's Marvel Comics) and coming up with such timeless one-liners as "Nuff Said" (meaning; nothing more needed to be said) and ending his letter-column with the word Excelsior! Stan was also creator of the so-called Marvel Bullpen, the editorial staff of Marvel Comics.

Even after his retirement, Stan Lee remains Chairman Emeritus for Marvel Comics. It's no exaggeration to say that Marvel Comics would not exist as it does today without the man known as Stan "The Man" Lee.

He used to be a comic book editor and character creator when he worked at Marvel Comics. He currently works on the Fox Marvel movies as a producer and often makes cameo appearances. He has done do with the Spider-man trilogy, the X-Men trilogy, the two Fantastic Four films, both of the Iron Man films, Hulk, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Daredevil. For a list of movies Stan Lee's been in, go to the Stan Lee page (who's his comic-book counterpart), or to the bottom of this page.

Links to official Stan Lee sites:

Stan Lee's official MySpace page: http://www.Myspace.com/stanleemyspace

Stan Lee's official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1496051972&ref=profile

Stan Lee's official Facebook public figure page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Official-Stan-Lee/26500661542

POW! Entertainment: http://www.powentertainment.com

Stan Lee's Twitter.

Creations of Stan Lee

• Adam Warlock with Jack Kirby

• Angel with Jack Kirby

• Avengers with Jack Kirby

• Beast with Jack Kirby

• Black Panther with Jack Kirby

• Black Widow with Don Heck and Don Rico

• Blob with Jack Kirby

• Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants with Jack Kirby

• Cyclops with Jack Kirby

• Daredevil with Bill Everett

• Doctor Doom with Jack Kirby

• Doctor Strange with Steve Ditko

• Fantastic Four with Jack Kirby

• Falcon with Gene Colan

• Galactus with Jack Kirby

• Hank Pym with Jack Kirby and Larry Lieber

• Hawkeye with Don Heck

• Hercules with Jack Kirby

• Howling Commandos with Jack Kirby

• Hulk with Jack Kirby

• Iceman with Jack Kirby

• Invisible Woman with Jack Kirby

• Iron Man with Jack Kirby, Larry Lieber and Don Heck

• Jean Grey with Jack Kirby

• Liz Allen with Steve Ditko

• Magneto with Jack Kirby

• Mastermind with Jack Kirby

• Mosaic

• Mimic with Werner Roth

• Mr. Fantastic with Jack Kirby

• Nick Fury with Jack Kirby

• Professor X with Jack Kirby

• Quicksilver with Jack Kirby

• Ravage 2099 with Paul Ryan

• Scarlet Witch with Jack Kirby

• She-Hulk with John Buscema

• Silver Surfer with Jack Kirby

• Spider-Man with Steve Ditko

• Thing with Jack Kirby

• Thor with Jack Kirby and Larry Lieber

• Toad with Jack Kirby

• Wasp with Jack Kirby

• Wonder Man with Jack Kirby

• X-Men with Jack Kirby

Along with many others.

Appearances on Television

Who Wants To Be A Superhero

Mr Lee made an appearance on The Big Bang Theory, Season 3, Episode 16.

Stan Lee's favorite catchword also happens to be the motto of New York, his native state: "Excelsior!"

Stan Lee appears on the Spider-Man: The Animated Series when Spider-Man takes an alternate version of himself to another Earth a meets and talks with Stan Lee.

Stan Lee also appears on The Simpsons "I Am Furious Yellow"

Cameo Appearances

Stan Lee is renowned for often appearing as some unimportant character in many Marvel movies where he has been granted a cameo appearance for having created or co-created the character in said movie.

1989: Stan Lee had his first cameo appearance in The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, a TV movie in which he was seen as the jury foreman at David Banner's trial.

1995: Stan Lee made one of his longest cameos in the Kevin Smith film Mallrats. He was in the mall signing autographs, and later had a very in-depth conversation with the main character of the movie, Brodie.

1996: Lee had a cameo role in the tele-film Generation X.

1998: Lee had a cameo role in the tele-film Nick Fury: Agent of Shield.

2000: In X-Men, Stan Lee is seen as a hot dog stand customer on the beach, as a naked Senator Kelly comes ashore, having just escaped Magneto.

2002: Stan Lee is seen as a civilian saving a little girl from falling debris in Spider-Man, when Peter Parker first battles the Green Goblin.

2003: Stan Lee's life is saved in Daredevil when a young Matt Murdock saves him from crossing the street as a car would have hit him.

2003: Hulk featured Stan Lee's first speaking role in any of his "cameo films", and he is seen as a security guard at Bruce Krenzler/Banner's lab alongside Lou Ferrigno (the man who played Hulk in the TV series).

2004: In Spider-Man 2, Stan Lee once again takes on the role of someone pulling a civilian to safety during Spidey's first battle with the film's villain, Doctor Octopus.

2005: Stan Lee is given the actual role of a comic book character in Fantastic Four when he plays Willie Lumpkin, the mailman that often greets the Fantastic Four at the front of the Baxter Building.

2006: Both Stan Lee and Chris Claremont are given cameo roles in X3 and are seen as Jean Grey's neighbors twenty years in the past. He is credited as "Waterhose Man" as he is watering the lawn with a water hose when Jean Grey displays her telekinesis, causing the water to go upwards rather than down.

2006: Stan Lee makes an appearance on the episode Unexpected of the series Heroes, where he is a kind bus driver greeting the eager young hero, Hiro Nakamura.

2007: Credited as "Man in Times Square", Stan Lee appears in Spider-Man 3, where he gives a short but inspirational speech to Peter when he says, "You know, I guess one person can make a difference. 'Nuff said."

2007: In Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Stan Lee actually takes on the role of Stan Lee, a wedding guest at Sue and Reed's wedding. However, he is told to leave because his name isn't on the guest list, despite the fact that he tries to point it out. This event actually happened to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the comic issue where Sue and Reed were married (Fantastic Four Annual #3).

2008: In Iron Man, once again credited as "Himself", Stan Lee is seen with his back turned at a gala with three blond women. Tony Stark pats him on the back and compliments him, mistaking him for Hugh Hefner.

2008: In The Incredible Hulk, Stan Lee makes an appearance as a man who drank a soda that has a drop of Bruce Banner's gamma-irradiated blood, which presumably kills him.

2009: Stan Lee appears as a sort of construction worker named "Stan" in the animated series The Spectacular Spider-Man. He randomly remarks to one of his fellow employees "You know when you put your tongue on the side of the ship, and it sticks there? I hate that. Just sayin'." Then, when Mysterio appears, Stan says "Are we bein' punked? I hate that."

2009: Stan Lee uses his real name as he plays Senator Stan Lieber in the video game Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2.

2010: In Iron Man 2, Stan Lee is again mistaken for someone else, when Tony Stark greets him addressing him as Larry King, host of "Larry King Live", interviewing superhero Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.).

2010: Stan Lee invites his legion of fans to support the Stan Lee Foundation and to meet him at New York Comic Con

2011: Stan Lee has a cameo in the film Thor, in witch he is the driver of a truck trying to pull Thor's hammer out with a rope tight around the hammer and the bumper of the car. The bumper however gets loose from the car. Stan thinks (since he is moving forward) that he got the hammer out and excitingly yells, "Did it work?",

2011: Stan Lee makes his cameo in Captain America : The First Avenger as appears as a general at a press conference and speaks one line of dialogue.

2012: Stan Lee has filmed his cameo for The Avengers, with Chris Evans.

2012: Stan Lee is set to have a cameo in Spider-Man.