December 28 marks the 97th birth anniversary of American comics legend Stan Lee. Born in 1922 in New York City, he re-defined the world of graphic novels through his work and helmed Marvel Comics for 20 years.
Stan Lee introduced the world to some of the most famed superheroes of all time and created several popular fictional characters, including the friendly neighborhood superhero Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Black Widow, Captain America and the Fantastic Four among others.
He retired from Marvel Comics in 1990 but kept making sporadic appearances in movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He breathed his last on November 12, 2018 in Los Angeles.
Stan Lee's stature is best exemplified by a recent statement by Marvel Studios executive Victoria Alonso to Cinema Blend. "Stan Lee is not replaceable. So we will never try. That is the legend, the man we will never try to replace him. Other people will come around and go but there’s only one Stan Lee," she said.
In a 2006 interview with The Associated Press, Lee had stressed upon the sway superheroes have on the general masses, stating, "I think everybody loves things that are bigger than life... I think of them as fairy tales for grown-ups. We all grew up with giants and ogres and witches. Well, you get a little bit older and you're too old to read fairy tales. But I don’t think you ever outgrow your love for those kind of things, things that are bigger than life and magical and very imaginative."
On the legendary creator's 97th birth anniversary, here are some lesser-known facts about Stan Lee:
Stan Lee was a pseudonym
His real name wasn’t Stan Lee but Stanley Martin Lieber. He never considered comic writing as his full-time work; hence he opted to use Stan Lee as a pseudonym. He kept his full name for the novels he wanted to publish later.
Stan Lee's wife was his personal hairdresser
According to a report by Mental Floss, Lee didn't ever visit a salon in his entire adult life. It was because his late wife Joan Lee used to cut his hair.
Chakra – The Invincible, Stan Lee’s first Indian superhero
Chakra – The Invincible was the first Indian superhero created by Stan Lee. It previously featured in a comic book form in 2011 and later ended-up as an animated film, aired on Cartoon Network India in 2013.
Hall of Fame
Stan Lee got entry into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1995. He was later conferred with NEA's National Medal of Arts in 2008.
He introduced first black superhero in mainstream comics
In 2018, Stan Lee had revealed that while the film Black Panther may have shattered records with its release, the character itself created history when it was first introduced 52 years back.
Taking to his Instagram page, Lee had revealed, "In July 1966, the Wakandan King became the first black superhero to appear in mainstream comics in the US when he first leapt onto the pages of Fantastic Four."
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