Stan Lee's legacy lives on

Photo courtesy of David Armano

With great power comes great responsibility — something that Stan Lee had taken to heart in all of the work he put in to the Marvel Universe, and something that has stuck with me from childhood into my adulthood.

Stan Lee passed away, Nov. 12 at 95. Stan “The Man” Lee made an impact on so many young voices for generations. He created heroes we all could relate to, read about and grow with, truly revolutionizing the comic book industry.

Lee is known for creating some of the most iconic heroes in history, including the Avengers, Black Panther, X-Men, Doctor Strange and Spider-Man. However, Lee should also be remembered for his many other legacies.

Stepped outside of the box

Born Stanley Lieber to two Jewish Romanian immigrants in the Bronx, Lee had a dream to become a writer. He took up small jobs, working as a theater usher, deli delivery boy and even writing obituaries for famous people. Lee had larger-than-life dreams, and when offered a job at Timely Comics, he began his career in comics.

No stranger to rejection

During the crafting of The Amazing Spider-Man, Lee was told countless times he had “no conception of what a hero was” and that “teenagers can only be sidekicks.” Little did those editors know, Lee was on to something.

Made everyone feel welcome

If you’ve had the chance to ever meet Stan Lee, you’d know that he was a caring human who just wanted everyone to have a home. In the creation of the Marvel Universe, Lee created Spider-Man, a teenage boy with self doubts; a group of misfits out of place with the world due to their mutations; and an African-American who watched over New York City. He humanized heroes and gave readers someone to relate to.

Gave us a universe we long to be part of

Growing up I spent many days at comic book stores with my dad and brother, weekends at the movies during new releases, and even now we spend Friday nights binge-watching the newest seasons of Netflix Marvel series. We have spent our whole lives surrounded by heroes, storylines that we have connected to and become part of. Lee brought the Marvel Universe to life.

May the world always be full of heroes, and as always, Excelsior!

Remembering Stan Lee 1922 - 2018