View source for Stan Lee

{{short description|American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer (1922–2018)}}
{{About other people|the comics creator}}
{{protection padlock|small=yes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox comics creator
| image         = Stan Lee by Gage Skidmore 3.jpg
| caption       = Lee at the 2014 [[Phoenix Comicon]]
| birth_name    = Stanley Martin Lieber
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1922|12|28}}
| birth_place   = <!-- No boroughs -->New York City, U.S.<!--Per WP:OVERLINK "The names of subjects with which most readers will be at least somewhat familiar," including locations with NYC as an example, do not typically need to be linked)-->
| death_date    = {{nowrap|{{Death date and age|2018|11|12|1922|12|28}}}}
| death_place   = Los Angeles, California,<!--Links not needed per MOS:OVERLINK--> U.S.
| area          = {{cslist|Comic book writer|editor|publisher|producer}}
| signature     = Signature of Stan Lee.svg{{!}}class=skin-invert <!--Make the signature visible on dark mode-->
| publish       = yes
| collaborators = {{cslist|[[Jack Kirby]]|[[Steve Ditko]]|[[John Romita Sr.]]|[[Don Heck]]|[[Bill Everett]]|[[Joe Maneely]]|[[Dick Ayers]]|[[Joe Simon]]}}
| awards        = {{cslist|[[Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame]]|[[Jack Kirby Hall of Fame]]|[[National Medal of Arts]]|[[Disney Legends]]}}
| spouse        = {{marriage|[[Joan Boocock Lee|Joan Boocock]]|1947|2017|reason=died}}
| children      = 2
| website       = {{URL|therealstanlee.com}}
| module        = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes
   |allegiance=<!-- United States -->
   |branch=[[United States Army]]
   |serviceyears=1942–1945
   |rank= [[Sergeant]] (Sgt.)
   |unit= [[1st Motion Picture Unit]], [[Signal Corps (United States Army)|Signal Corps]]
   |battles= [[World War II]]
   |awards=
   }}}}

'''Stan Lee''' (born '''Stanley Martin Lieber'''<ref>[[#LeeMair2002|Lee & Mair 2002, p. 27]]</ref> {{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|iː|b|ər}}; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American [[comic book]] [[author|writer]], [[editor]], [[publisher]], and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called [[Timely Comics]] which later became [[Marvel Comics]]. He was Marvel's primary creative leader for two decades, expanding it from a small publishing house division to a [[multimedia]] corporation that dominated the comics and film industries.

In collaboration with others at Marvel{{snd}}particularly co-writers and artists [[Jack Kirby]] and [[Steve Ditko]]{{snd}}he co-created iconic characters, including [[Spider-Man]], the [[X-Men]], [[Iron Man]], [[Thor (Marvel Comics)|Thor]], the [[Hulk]], [[Hank Pym|Ant-Man]], the [[Wasp (character)|Wasp]], the [[Fantastic Four]], [[Black Panther (character)|Black Panther]], [[Daredevil (Marvel Comics character)|Daredevil]], [[Doctor Strange]], the [[Scarlet Witch]], and [[Black Widow (Natasha Romanova)|Black Widow]]. These and other characters' introductions in the 1960s pioneered a more naturalistic approach in [[superhero comics]]. In the 1970s, Lee challenged the restrictions of the [[Comics Code Authority]], indirectly leading to changes in its policies. In the 1980s, he pursued the development of Marvel properties in other media, with mixed results.

Following his retirement from Marvel in the 1990s, Lee remained a public figurehead for the company. He frequently made [[List of cameo appearances by Stan Lee|cameo appearances in films and television shows based on Marvel properties]], on which he received an executive producer credit, which allowed him to become the [[List of highest-grossing actors|person with the highest-grossing film total ever]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Top Stars at the Worldwide Box Office |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/box-office-star-records/worldwide/lifetime-acting/top-grossing-stars |access-date=September 20, 2022 |website=The Numbers}}</ref>  He continued independent creative ventures until his death, aged 95, in 2018. Lee was inducted into the comic book industry's [[Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame]] in 1994 and the [[Jack Kirby Hall of Fame]] in 1995. He received the [[National Endowment for the Arts|NEA]]'s [[National Medal of Arts]] in 2008.{{TOC limit|3}}

==Early life and education==
Lee was born Stanley Martin Lieber on December 28, 1922, in [[Manhattan]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Miller|first= John Jackson| url=http://cbgxtra.com/knowledge-base/for-your-reference/comics-industry-birthdays |title=Comics Industry Birthdays|work= [[Comics Buyer's Guide]] |date=June 10, 2005 |location=Iola, Wisconsin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218031356/http://cbgxtra.com/knowledge-base/for-your-reference/comics-industry-birthdays|archive-date=February 18, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> in the apartment of his [[History of the Jews in Romania|Romanian-born Jewish]] immigrant parents, Celia ({{née}} Solomon) and Jack Lieber, at the corner of West 98th Street and [[West End Avenue]].<ref name=autobio-p5 /><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZzuwrsIil0UC&q=Celia+Solomon+Lieber |title=The Celebrity Who's Who&nbsp;– World Almanac|access-date=August 13, 2013 |isbn=978-0-345-33990-4 |year=1986|page=213|last1=Almanac|first1=World|publisher=World Almanac Books }}</ref> Lee was raised in a Jewish household. In a 2002 interview, he stated when asked if he believed in God, "Well, let me put it this way... [Pauses.] No, I'm not going to try to be clever. [[Agnosticism|I really don't know. I just don't know.]]"<ref>Lee in {{cite news|url=https://www.avclub.com/articles/is-there-a-god,1413/ |title=Is there a God? |work=[[The A.V. Club]] |date=October 9, 2002 |access-date=February 6, 2013 |archive-date=March 1, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301211149/http://www.avclub.com/articles/is-there-a-god%2C1413/}}</ref> In another interview from 2011, when asked about his Romanian origins and his relationship with the country, he said that he had never visited it and that he did not know Romanian because his parents never taught it to him.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/externe/sua/ce-spunea-stan-lee-despre-originile-sale-romanesti-1031282|title=Ce spunea Stan Lee despre originile sale românești|newspaper=[[Digi24]]|date=November 13, 2018|language=ro}}</ref>

Lee's father, trained as a [[Tailor|dress cutter]], worked only sporadically after the [[Great Depression]].<ref name=autobio-p5>[[#LeeMair2002|Lee & Mair 2002, p. 5]]</ref> The family moved further uptown to [[Fort Washington Avenue (Manhattan)|Fort Washington Avenue]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_2.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090424070613/http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_2.html |archive-date=April 24, 2009|author-link=Edward Lewine |last=Lewine |first=Edward |title=Sketching Out His Past: Image 1 |date=September 4, 2007 |work=[[The New York Times]] Key Magazine |access-date=April 27, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> in [[Washington Heights, Manhattan]]. Lee had one younger brother named [[Larry Lieber]].<ref name="fam">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_3.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090424070610/http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_3.html|archive-date=April 24, 2009 |author=Lewine| title=Image 2 |access-date=April 27, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He said in 2006 that as a child he was influenced by books and movies, particularly those with [[Errol Flynn]] playing heroic roles.<ref name="kugel">{{cite news |title=Stan Lee: From Marvel Comics Genius to Purveyor of Wonder with POW! Entertainment| first=Allison |last=Kugel |author-link=Allison Kugel| url= http://www.pr.com/article/1037| publisher=PR.com |date=March 13, 2006 |access-date=May 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825154316/http://www.pr.com/article/1037 |archive-date=August 25, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Reading ''[[The Scarlet Pimpernel]]'', he called the title character "the first superhero I had read about, the first character who could be called a superhero."<ref>{{Cite news |title=Beat it Batman – this foppish baronet was the world's first superhero |last=Hodgkinson |first=Thomas W |newspaper=The Guardian |date=March 9, 2022 |access-date=March 13, 2022|url= https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/mar/09/batman-wonder-woman-black-widow-worlds-first-superhero-scarlet-pimpernel-orczy}}</ref> By the time Lee was in his teens, the family was living in an apartment at 1720 University Avenue in [[The Bronx]]<!-- note: "The" is part of its proper name, like The Hague -->. Lee described it as "a third-floor apartment facing out back". Lee and his brother shared the bedroom, while their parents slept on a foldout couch.<ref name="fam" />

Lee attended [[DeWitt Clinton High School]] in the Bronx.<ref>Lee and Mair, [https://books.google.com/books?id=NZytPoMbVioC&dq=stan+lee+dewitt+clinton+high+school&pg=PA17 p. 17] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225215557/https://books.google.com/books?id=NZytPoMbVioC&pg=PA17&dq=stan+lee+dewitt+clinton+high+school&hl=en&ei=duCpTpmOM8fV0QHoqqm9Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAA |date=December 25, 2016 }}</ref> In his youth, Lee enjoyed writing, and entertained dreams of writing the "[[Great American Novel]]" one day.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last = Sedlmeier|editor-first = Cory|title = Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk ''Volume 2''|publisher = Marvel Comics|page = 244|isbn = 978-0-7851-5883-7|year=2012}}</ref> He said that in his youth he worked such part-time jobs as writing [[obituaries]] for a [[news agency|news service]] and [[press releases]] for the National [[Tuberculosis]] Center;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stanleeweb.com/stan_bio.htm |title=Biography |publisher=StanLeeWeb.com (fan site by minority shareholders of [[POW! Entertainment]])|access-date=April 27, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081024041934/http://www.stanleeweb.com/stan_bio.htm | archive-date=October 24, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> delivering sandwiches for the Jack May pharmacy to offices in [[Rockefeller Center]]; working as an office boy for a trouser manufacturer; ushering at the Rivoli Theater on [[Broadway theater|Broadway]];<ref>{{cite web|url= http://news.moviefone.com/2012/02/01/a-conversation-with-the-m/|title= With Great Power: A Conversation with Stan Lee at Slamdance 2012|first= Jason|last= Apuzzo|date= February 1, 2012|publisher= [[Moviefone]]|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130907003216/http://news.moviefone.com/2012/02/01/a-conversation-with-the-m|archive-date= September 7, 2013|url-status= dead|access-date= March 13, 2014}}</ref> and selling subscriptions to the ''[[New York Herald Tribune]]'' newspaper.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.webofstories.com/play/16741|title=Stan Lee|publisher=WebOfStories|access-date=September 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612032209/http://www.webofstories.com/play/16741|archive-date=June 12, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Page frame appears archiveable at http://www.webofstories.com/play/16741, archived October 27, 2011, but videos themselves may not be; may depend on browser/platform --> At fifteen, Lee entered a high school essay competition sponsored by the ''New York Herald Tribune'', called "The Biggest News of the Week Contest." Lee claimed to have won the prize for three straight weeks, goading the newspaper to write him and ask him to let someone else win. The paper suggested he look into writing professionally, which Lee claimed "probably changed my life." However, Lee's story is apocryphal, and so is his story of a life-changing plea from the editor, because the likelier story is that Lee won a seventh-place prize of $2.50 and two honorable mention awards.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Batchelor |first1=Bob |title=Stan Lee : The Man Behind Marvel |isbn=978-1-4422-7781-6 |page=13|year=2017 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield }}</ref> He graduated from high school early, aged sixteen and a half,{{why|date=October 2022}}{{how|date=October 2022}} in 1939 and joined the [[Works Progress Administration|WPA]] [[Federal Theatre Project]].<ref>Lee and Mair, [https://books.google.com/books?id=NZytPoMbVioC&dq=stan+lee+federal+theatre+project&pg=PA18 p. 18] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226053450/https://books.google.com/books?id=NZytPoMbVioC&pg=PA18&dq=stan+lee+federal+theatre+project&hl=en&ei=hOepTvLDD6Ps0gGt89m8Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=stan%20lee%20federal%20theatre%20project&f=false |date=December 26, 2016 }}</ref>

==Publishing career==
===Early career===
With the help of his uncle Robbie Solomon,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.twomorrows.com/alterego/articles/11fago.html |title=I Let People Do Their Jobs!': A Conversation with Vince Fago{{snd}}Artist, writer, and Third Editor-in-Chief of Timely/Marvel Comics |work=[[Alter Ego (magazine)|Alter Ego]] |volume=3 |number=11 |date=November 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090623025554/http://www.twomorrows.com/alterego/articles/11fago.html |archive-date=June 23, 2009 |location=Raleigh, North Carolina |publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]] |url-status=dead}}</ref> Lee became an assistant in 1939 at the new [[Timely Comics]] division belonging to [[pulp magazine]] and comic-book publisher [[Martin Goodman (publisher)|Martin Goodman]]. Timely, by the 1960s, would evolve into Marvel Comics. Lee, whose cousin Jean<ref>Lee, Mair, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=NZytPoMbVioC&dq=%22Martin+Goodman%22+%22jean%22+cousin&pg=PA22 22] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225221807/https://books.google.com/books?id=NZytPoMbVioC&pg=PA22&dq=%22Martin+Goodman%22+%22jean%22+cousin&hl=en&sa=X&ei=zk13T4LmN6LL0QGf8bS_DQ&ved=0CDYQuwUwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Martin%20Goodman%22%20%22jean%22%20cousin&f=false |date=December 25, 2016 }}</ref> was Goodman's wife, was formally hired by Timely editor [[Joe Simon]].{{refn| Lee's account of how he began working for Marvel's predecessor, Timely, varied. He said in lectures and elsewhere that he simply answered a newspaper ad seeking a publishing assistant, not knowing it involved comics, let alone his cousin Jean's husband, Martin Goodman:

{{blockquote|I applied for a job in a publishing company&nbsp;... I didn't even know they published comics. I was fresh out of high school, and I wanted to get into the publishing business, if I could. There was an ad in the paper that said, "Assistant Wanted in a Publishing House." When I found out that they wanted me to assist in comics, I figured, 'Well, I'll stay here for a little while and get some experience, and then I'll get out into the real world.' ...&nbsp;I just wanted to know, 'What do you do in a publishing company?' How do you write? ... How do you publish? I was an assistant. There were two people there named Joe Simon and Jack Kirby – Joe was sort-of the editor/artist/writer, and Jack was the artist/writer. Joe was the senior member. They were turning out most of the artwork. Then there was the publisher, Martin Goodman&nbsp;... And that was about the only staff that I was involved with. After a while, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby left. I was about 17 years old [sic], and Martin Goodman said to me, 'Do you think you can hold down the job of editor until I can find a real person?' When you're 17, what do you know? I said, 'Sure! I can do it!' I think he forgot about me, because I stayed there ever since.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/035/035881p1.html |publisher=[[IGN]] FilmForce |date=June 26, 2000 |title= Interview with Stan Lee (Part 1 of 5) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150115001855/http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/06/26/interview-with-stan-lee-part-1-of-5 |archive-date=January 15, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>}}

In his 2002 autobiography, ''Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee'', he writes:

{{blockquote|My uncle, Robbie Solomon, told me they might be able to use someone at a publishing company where he worked. The idea of being involved in publishing definitely appealed to me. ... So I contacted the man Robbie said did the hiring, Joe Simon, and applied for a job. He took me on and I began working as a gofer for eight dollars a week...}}

Joe Simon, in his 1990 autobiography ''The Comic Book Makers'', gives the account slightly differently: "One day [Goodman's relative known as] Uncle Robbie came to work with a lanky 17-year-old in tow. 'This is Stanley Lieber, Martin's wife's cousin,' Uncle Robbie said. 'Martin wants you to keep him busy.'"

In an appendix, Simon appears to reconcile the two accounts. He relates a 1989 conversation with Lee:
{{blockquote|
Lee: I've been saying this [classified-ad] story for years, but apparently it isn't so. And I can't remember because I['ve] said it so long now that I believe it.<br />
...<br />
Simon: Your Uncle Robbie brought you into the office one day and he said, 'This is Martin Goodman's wife's nephew.' [sic] ... You were seventeen years old.<br /><br />
Lee: Sixteen and a half!<br /><br />
Simon: Well, Stan, you told me seventeen. You were probably trying to be older... I did hire you.}}|group=n}}

His duties were prosaic at first. "In those days [the artists] dipped the pen in ink, [so] I had to make sure the inkwells were filled", Lee recalled in 2009. "I went down and got them their lunch, I did proofreading, I erased the pencils from the finished pages for them".<ref name=laxgb>{{cite news| last= Boucher| first= Geoff| url= http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2009/09/25/jack-kirby-the-forgotten-hero-in-marvels-grand-hollywood-adventure/ |title=Jack Kirby, the abandoned hero of Marvel's grand Hollywood adventure, and his family's quest|publisher= Hero Complex (column), [[Los Angeles Times]] |date=September 25, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110725154424/http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2009/09/25/jack-kirby-the-forgotten-hero-in-marvels-grand-hollywood-adventure/ |archive-date=July 25, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Marshaling his childhood ambition to be a writer, young Stanley Lieber made his comic-book debut with the text filler "[[Captain America]] Foils the Traitor's Revenge" in ''[[Captain America Comics]]'' #3 ([[cover-date]]d May 1941), using the pseudonym Stan Lee (a play on his first name, "Stanley"),<ref>{{cite book|last = Sanderson| first = Peter| author-link = Peter Sanderson |editor-last=Gilbert |editor-first=Laura|chapter= 1940s|title = Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History|publisher = [[Dorling Kindersley]] |year=2008|location= London, United Kingdom|page = 19|isbn =978-0-7566-4123-8|quote= Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's assistant Stanley Lieber wrote his first story for Timely, a text story called 'Captain America Foils the Traitor's Revenge'. It was also his first superhero story, and the first work he signed using his new pen name of Stan Lee.}}</ref> which years later he would adopt as his legal name.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://time.com/5452565/stan-lee-name-change-history/|first=Roy|last=Thomas|title=How Stanley Lieber Wrote His First Comics Story and Became 'Stan Lee'|date=November 13, 2018|access-date=November 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181114230551/http://time.com/5452565/stan-lee-name-change-history/|archive-date=November 14, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Lee later explained in his autobiography and numerous other sources that because of the low social status of comic books, he was so embarrassed that he used a pen name so nobody would associate his real name with comics when he wrote the [[Great American Novel]] one day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/11/12/npr-books-stan-lee-memoir|title=The 'Amazing Fantastic Incredible' life of Stan Lee, now in comic form|website=www.mprnews.org|date=November 12, 2015 |access-date=November 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113170557/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/11/12/npr-books-stan-lee-memoir|archive-date=November 13, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> This initial story also introduced Captain America's trademark ricocheting shield-toss.<ref name= Thomas>{{cite book| author-link= Roy Thomas| last= Thomas |first= Roy |title= Stan Lee's Amazing Marvel Universe |publisher=[[Sterling Publishing]] |location= New York |year= 2006| isbn= 978-1-4027-4225-5|quote= With the speed of thought, he sent his shield spinning through the air to the other end of the tent, where it smacked the knife out of Haines' hand!" It became a convention starting the following issue, in a Simon & Kirby's comics story depict the following: "Captain America's speed of thought and action save Bucky's life{{snd}}as he hurls his shield across the room.}}</ref>{{rp|11}} It would be adapted into a sequential art story in 2014 by Lee and [[Bruce Timm]] in ''Marvel's 75th Anniversary Celebration''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Stan |last2=Timm |first2=Bruce |title=Marvel's 75th Anniversary Celebration |date=2014 |publisher=Marvel}}</ref>

Lee graduated from writing filler to actual comics with a backup feature, "'Headline' Hunter, Foreign Correspondent", two issues later, using the pseudonym "Reel Nats".<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1992/02/04/stan-lee-caught-in-spideys-web/9e7bf42e-4287-4f9c-9fa1-a5f73fb2ee7e/ Stan Lee: Caught in Spidey's Web –The Washington Post]</ref> His first superhero co-creation was the [[Destroyer (Timely Comics)|Destroyer]], in ''[[Mystic Comics]]'' #6 (August 1941). Other characters he co-created during this period, called the [[Golden Age of Comic Books]], include [[Jack Frost (Marvel Comics)|Jack Frost]], debuting in ''[[U.S.A. Comics]]'' #1 (August 1941), and [[Father Time (Marvel Comics)|Father Time]], debuting in ''Captain America Comics'' #6 (August 1941).<ref name=Thomas />{{rp|12–13}}

When Simon and his creative partner [[Jack Kirby]] left in late 1941 following a dispute with Goodman, the 30-year-old publisher installed Lee, just under 19 years old, as interim editor.<ref name=Thomas />{{rp|14}}<ref>Sanderson "1940s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 19</ref> The youngster showed a knack for the business that led him to remain as the comic-book division's editor-in-chief, as well as art director for much of that time, until 1972, when he would succeed Goodman as publisher.<ref name=creationofspiderman>{{Cite book|last=Kupperberg|first=Paul|title=The Creation of Spider-Man|publisher=[[Rosen Publishing]]|year=2006|location=New York City|page=[https://archive.org/details/creationofspider0000kupp/page/12 12]|isbn=978-1-4042-0763-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/creationofspider0000kupp/page/12}}</ref><ref name="EGWC">{{Cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=Brad |first2=Tim |last2=Pilcher |title=The Essential Guide to World Comics |publisher=[[Pavilion Books|Collins & Brown]] |location=London, United Kingdom |year=2005 |page=[https://archive.org/details/essentialguideto0000pilc/page/13 13] |isbn=978-1-84340-300-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/essentialguideto0000pilc/page/13 }}</ref>

[[File:Stan Lee in the army.jpg|alt=Stan Lee sits in an office, with several drawings on the background. He is sitting down in front of a table; on that table he is drawing an image.|thumb|Lee in the Army, early 1940s|right]]
Lee entered the [[U.S. Army]] in early 1942 and served within the U.S. as a member of the [[United States Army Signal Corps|Signal Corps]], repairing [[telegraph pole]]s and other communications equipment.<ref name="DAK64">{{cite news |last=Boatz |first=Darrel L. |date=December 1988 |title=Stan Lee |work=[[Comics Interview]] |issue=64 |pages=5–23 |publisher=[[Fictioneer Books]]}}</ref> He was later transferred to the Training Film Division, where he worked writing manuals, [[training film]]s, slogans, and occasionally [[cartooning]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Conan|first=Neal|title=Stan Lee, Mastermind of the Marvel Universe|work=[[Talk of the Nation]]|publisher=[[NPR]]|date=October 27, 2010|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130862700|access-date=April 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220032631/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130862700|archive-date=February 20, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> His military classification, he said, was "playwright"; he added that only nine men in the U.S. Army were given that title.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=McLaughlin|first1=Jeff|first2=Stan |last2=Lee |title=Stan Lee: Conversations|publisher=[[University Press of Mississippi]]|year= 2007|location= Jackson, Mississippi|page=59|isbn=978-1-57806-985-9}}</ref> In the Army, Lee's division included many famous or soon-to-be famous people, including three-time [[Academy Award]]-winning director [[Frank Capra]], ''[[The New Yorker|New Yorker]]'' cartoonist [[Charles Addams]], and children's book writer and illustrator [[Theodor Geisel]], later known to the world as "Dr. Seuss."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Batchelor |first1=Bob |title=Stan Lee : The Man Behind Marvel |date=2017 |publisher=Royman & Littlefield |isbn=9781442277816 |page=37}}</ref>

[[Vincent Fago]], editor of Timely's "animation comics" section, which put out humor and [[talking animals in fiction|talking animal]] comics, filled in until Lee returned from his World War II [[conscription|military service]] in 1945. Lee was inducted into the Signal Corps Regimental Association and was given honorary membership of the 2nd Battalion of [[3rd Infantry Regiment (United States)|3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment]] out of [[Joint Base Lewis-McChord]] at the 2017 [[Emerald City Comic Con]] for his prior service.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.dodlive.mil/2017/06/28/stan-lee-proud-to-be-wwii-vet-thanks-service-members-for-serving/ | title = Stan Lee Proud to Be WWII Vet, Thanks Service Members for Serving | first = Shannon | last = Collins | date = June 28, 2017 | access-date = November 12, 2018 | work = DoD News | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181112223458/http://www.dodlive.mil/2017/06/28/stan-lee-proud-to-be-wwii-vet-thanks-service-members-for-serving/ | archive-date = November 12, 2018 | url-status = live }}</ref>

While in the Army, Lee received letters every week on Friday from the editors at Timely, detailing what they needed written and by when. Lee would write stories, then send them back on Monday. One week, the mail clerk overlooked his letter, explaining that nothing was in Lee's mailbox. The next day, Lee went by the closed [[mailroom]] and saw an envelope with the return address of Timely Comics in his mailbox. Not willing to miss a deadline, Lee asked the officer in charge to open the mailroom, but the latter refused. So Lee took a screwdriver and unscrewed the mailbox hinges, retrieving the envelope containing his assignment. The mailroom officer saw what he did and turned him into the base captain, who did not like Lee. He faced tampering charges and could have been sent to [[United States Disciplinary Barracks|Leavenworth Prison]]. The colonel in charge of the Finance Department intervened and saved Lee from disciplinary action.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Batchelor |first1=Bob |title=Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel |date=2017 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=9781442277816 |page=41}}</ref>

In the mid-1950s, by which time the company was now generally known as [[Atlas Comics (1950s)|Atlas Comics]], Lee wrote stories in a variety of genres including [[Romance comics|romance]], [[Western comics|Westerns]], humor, science fiction, medieval adventure, [[Horror comics|horror]] and suspense. In the 1950s, Lee teamed up with his comic book colleague [[Dan DeCarlo]] to produce the syndicated newspaper strip ''My Friend Irma'', based on [[My Friend Irma (radio-TV)|the radio comedy]] starring [[Marie Wilson (American actress)|Marie Wilson]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Heintjes |first=Tom |title=Everybody's Friend: Remembering Stan Lee and Dan DeCarlo's ''My Friend Irma'' |journal=[[Hogan's Alley (magazine)|Hogan's Alley]] |issue=16 |year=2009 |url=http://cartoonician.com/everybodys-friend-remembering-stan-lee-and-dan-decarlos-my-friend-irma/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013171734/http://cartoonician.com/everybodys-friend-remembering-stan-lee-and-dan-decarlos-my-friend-irma/ |archive-date=October 13, 2013 |url-status=dead |access-date=February 22, 2013 }}</ref> By the end of the decade, Lee had become dissatisfied with his career and considered quitting the field.<ref name="MCBUR">{{Cite book|last=Kaplan|first=Arie|author-link=Arie Kaplan |title=Masters of the Comic Book Universe Revealed!|publisher=[[Chicago Review Press]]|year=2006|page=50|isbn=978-1-55652-633-6}}</ref><ref name="SLC">{{Cite book|last1=McLaughlin|first1=Jeff|first2=Stan |last2=Lee |title=Stan Lee: Conversations|publisher=University Press of Mississippi|year=2007|location= Jackson|page=138|isbn=978-1-57806-985-9}}</ref>

===Marvel Comics===
====Marvel revolution====
In 1956, [[DC Comics]] editor [[Julius Schwartz]] revived the superhero [[archetype]] and experienced significant success with an updated version of the [[Barry Allen|Flash]], and later in 1960 with the [[Justice League]] of America super-team. In response, publisher Martin Goodman assigned Lee to come up with a new superhero team. Lee's wife suggested that he experiment with stories he preferred, since he was planning on changing careers and had nothing to lose.<ref name="NYT-20181112" />

Lee acted on the advice, giving his superheroes a flawed humanity, a change from the ideal archetypes typically written for preteens. Before this, most superheroes had been idealistically perfect people with no serious, lasting problems.<ref>Noted comic-book writer [[Alan Moore]] described the significance of this new approach in a radio interview on the [[BBC Four]] program ''Chain Reaction'', transcribed at {{cite web|url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=4533 |title=Alan Moore ''Chain Reaction'' Interview Transcript |publisher=[[Comic Book Resources]]|date=January 27, 2005| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101108225050/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=4533 |archive-date=November 8, 2010|url-status=live}}:{{blockquote|The DC comics were ... one dimensional characters whose only characteristic was they dressed up in costumes and did good. Whereas Stan Lee had this huge breakthrough of ''two-''dimensional characters. So, they dress up in costumes and do good, but they've got a bad heart. Or a bad leg. I actually did think for a long while that having a bad leg was an actual character trait.}}</ref> Lee introduced complex, [[naturalism (literature)|naturalistic]] characters<ref name=wrightp207>{{cite book |last=Wright |first=Bradford W. |title=Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America|publisher= The [[Johns Hopkins University Press]]|year=2003 |location=Baltimore, Maryland |isbn=978-0-8018-7450-5 |page=207}}</ref> who could have bad tempers, fits of melancholy, and vanity; they bickered amongst themselves, worried about paying their bills and impressing girlfriends, got bored or sometimes even physically ill.

The first superheroes Lee and artist Jack Kirby created together were the [[Fantastic Four]] in 1961. The team's immediate popularity<ref>[[Tom DeFalco|DeFalco, Tom]] "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 84: "It did not take long for editor Stan Lee to realize that ''The Fantastic Four'' was a hit...the flurry of fan letters all pointed to the FF's explosive popularity."</ref> led Lee and Marvel's illustrators to produce a cavalcade of new titles. Again working with Kirby, Lee co-created the [[Hulk]],<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 85: "Based on their collaboration on ''The Fantastic Four'', [Stan] Lee worked with Jack Kirby. Instead of a team that fought traditional Marvel monsters however, Lee decided that this time he wanted to feature a monster as the hero."</ref> [[Thor (Marvel Comics)|Thor]],<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 88: "[Stan Lee] had always been fascinated by the legends of the Norse gods and realized that he could use those tales as the basis for his new series centered on the mighty Thor...The heroic and glamorous style that...Jack Kirby [had] was perfect for Thor."</ref> [[Iron Man]],<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 91: "Set against the background of the Vietnam War, Iron Man signaled the end of Marvel's monster/suspense line when he debuted in ''Tales of Suspense'' #39...[Stan] Lee discussed the general outline for Iron Man with Larry Lieber, who later wrote a full script for the origin story."</ref> and the [[X-Men]];<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 94: "''The X-Men'' #1 introduced the world to Professor Charles Xavier and his teenage students Cyclops, Beast, Angel, Iceman, and Marvel Girl. Magneto, the master of magnetism and future leader of the evil mutants, also appeared."</ref> with [[Bill Everett]], [[Daredevil (Marvel Comics character)|Daredevil]];<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 100: "Stan Lee chose the name Daredevil because it evoked swashbucklers and circus daredevils, and he assigned Bill Everett, the creator of the Sub-Mariner to design and draw ''Daredevil'' #1."</ref> and with [[Steve Ditko]], [[Doctor Strange]]<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 93: [Stan Lee] decided his new superhero feature would star a magician. Since Lee was enjoying his collaborations with Steve Ditko on ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', he decided to assign the new feature to Ditko, who usually handled at least one of the backups in ''Strange Tales''.</ref> and Marvel's most successful character, [[Spider-Man]],<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 87: "Deciding that his new character would have spider-like powers, [Stan] Lee commissioned Jack Kirby to work on the first story. Unfortunately, Kirby's version of Spider-Man's alter ego Peter Parker proved too heroic, handsome, and muscular for Lee's everyman hero. Lee turned to Steve Ditko, the regular artist on ''Amazing Adult Fantasy'', who designed a skinny, awkward teenager with glasses."</ref> all of whom lived in a thoroughly [[Marvel Universe|shared universe]].<ref name=wrightp218>Wright, p. 218</ref> Lee and Kirby gathered several of their newly created characters together into the team title ''[[Avengers (comics)|The Avengers]]''<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 94: "Filled with some wonderful visual action, ''The Avengers'' #1 has a very simple story: the Norse god Loki tricked the Hulk into going on a rampage ... The heroes eventually learned about Loki's involvement and united with the Hulk to form the Avengers."</ref> and would revive characters from the 1940s such as the [[Sub-Mariner]]<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 86: "Stan Lee and Jack Kirby reintroduced one of Marvel's most popular Golden Age heroes – Namor, the Sub-Mariner."</ref> and Captain America.<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 99: "'Captain America lives again!' announced the cover of ''The Avengers'' #4...Cap was back."</ref> Years later, Kirby and Lee would contest who deserved credit for creating ''The Fantastic Four''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Batchelor |first1=Bob |title=Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-1-4422-7781-6 |page=73|year=2017 }}</ref>

Comics historian [[Peter Sanderson]] wrote that in the 1960s:

{{blockquote|DC was the equivalent of the big Hollywood studios: After the brilliance of DC's reinvention of the superhero ... in the late 1950s and early 1960s, it had run into a creative drought by the decade's end. There was a new audience for comics now, and it wasn't just the little kids that traditionally had read the books. The Marvel of the 1960s was in its own way the counterpart of the [[French New Wave]]... Marvel was pioneering new methods of comics storytelling and characterization, addressing more serious themes, and in the process keeping and attracting readers in their teens and beyond. Moreover, among this new generation of readers were people who wanted to write or draw comics themselves, within the new style that Marvel had pioneered, and push the creative envelope still further.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sanderson |first=Peter |publisher=Comics in Context (column) #14, [[IGN]]| date=October 10, 2003 |url=http://comics.ign.com/articles/595/595576p1.html |title=Continuity/Discontinuity |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721101749/http://comics.ign.com/articles/595/595576p1.html |archive-date=July 21, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>}}

Lee's revolution extended beyond the characters and storylines to the way in which comic books engaged the readership and built a sense of community between fans and creators.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://costa.lunarpages.com/bp/bpindex.html |title=Marvel Bullpen Bulletins |publisher=reprinted on fan site |access-date=April 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100502154017/http://costa.lunarpages.com/bp/bpindex.html |archive-date=May 2, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He introduced the practice of regularly including a credit panel on the [[Splash page (comics)|splash page]] of each story, naming not just the writer and penciller but also the inker and letterer. Regular news about Marvel staff members and upcoming storylines was presented on the [[Bullpen Bulletins]] page, which (like the letter columns that appeared in each title) was written in a friendly, chatty style. Lee remarked that his goal was for fans to think of the comics creators as friends, and considered it a mark of his success on this front that, at a time when letters to other comics publishers were typically addressed "Dear Editor", letters to Marvel addressed the creators by first name (e.g., "Dear Stan and Jack"). Lee recorded messages to the newly formed [[Merry Marvel Marching Society]] fan club in 1965.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://209.51.142.186/~dogatco/mmms/mmms65.mp3 |title=Audio of Merry Marvel Marching Society record |access-date=January 30, 2006 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051210075130/http://209.51.142.186/~dogatco/mmms/mmms65.mp3 |archive-date=December 10, 2005}}, including voice of Stan Lee</ref> By 1967, the brand was well-enough ensconced in popular culture that a March 3 [[WBAI]] radio program with Lee and Kirby as guests was titled "Will Success Spoil Spiderman [sic]".<ref name =nyt03031967>{{cite news |title=Radio |date=March 3, 1967 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0B1EF93E5F107B93C1A91788D85F438685F9 |access-date=April 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518225339/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0B1EF93E5F107B93C1A91788D85F438685F9 |archive-date=May 18, 2013 |url-status=live }} Abstract only; full article requires payment or subscription</ref>

Throughout the 1960s, Lee scripted, art-directed and edited most of Marvel's series, moderated the letters pages, wrote a monthly column called "[[Stan's Soapbox]]", and wrote endless promotional copy, often signing off with his trademark motto, "[[wikt:excelsior|Excelsior]]!" (which is also the [[List of U.S. state and territory mottos|New York state motto]]). To maintain his workload and meet deadlines, he used a system that was used previously by various comic-book studios, but due to Lee's success with it, became known as the "[[Marvel Method]]". Typically, Lee would brainstorm a story with the artist and then prepare a brief synopsis rather than a full script. Based on the synopsis, the artist would fill the allotted number of pages by determining and drawing the panel-to-panel storytelling. After the artist turned in penciled pages, Lee would write the [[word balloon]]s and captions, and then oversee the lettering and coloring. In effect, the artists were co-plotters, whose collaborative first drafts Lee built upon.<ref name=TCJ75>Groth, Gary. "Editorial," ''The Comics Journal'' #75 (Sept. 1982), p. 4.</ref> For his part, Lee endeavored to use a sophisticated vocabulary in his dialogue and captions to encourage his young readers to learn new words, often playfully noting "If a kid has to go to a dictionary, that's not the worst thing that could happen."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lowry |first1=Brian |title=Stan Lee, Marvel Comic Book Legend, Dies at 95 |url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/stan-lee-dead-dies-marvel-comics-1203026230/ |website=Variety.com |date=November 12, 2018 |publisher=Variety |access-date=September 28, 2023}}</ref>

Following Ditko's departure from Marvel in 1966, [[John Romita Sr.]] became Lee's collaborator on ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]''. Within a year, it overtook ''Fantastic Four'' to become the company's top seller.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thomas |first1=Roy |first2=Peter |last2=Sanderson |title=The Marvel Vault: A Museum-in-a-Book with Rare Collectibles from the World of Marvel |publisher=[[Running Press]] |year=2007 |location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |page=98 |isbn=978-0-7624-2844-1}}</ref> Lee and Romita's stories focused as much on the social and college lives of the characters as they did on Spider-Man's adventures.<ref>{{cite book |last=Manning |first=Matthew K. |editor-last=Gilbert |editor-first=Laura |chapter=1960s |title=Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging|publisher = [[Dorling Kindersley]]|year = 2012|location= London, United Kingdom|page = 37|isbn = 978-0-7566-9236-0 |quote=[Stan Lee] knew that most readers tuned in every month for a glimpse of that side of Spider-Man's life as much as they did to see the wall-crawler battle the latest supervillain.}}</ref> The stories became more topical, addressing issues such as the [[Vietnam War]],<ref>Manning "1960s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 39: ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #47 (April 1967) "Kraven's latest rematch with Spidey was set during a going-away party for Flash Thompson, who was facing the very real issue of the Vietnam War draft."</ref> political elections,<ref>Manning "1960s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 43: ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' #1 (July 1968) "Drawn by Romita and Jim Mooney, the mammoth 52-page lead story focused on corrupt politician Richard Raleigh's plot to terrorize the city."</ref> and [[student activism]].<ref>Manning "1960s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 46: ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #68 (January 1969) "Stan Lee tackled the issues of the day again when, with artists John Romita and Jim Mooney, he dealt with social unrest at Empire State University."</ref> [[Robbie Robertson (comics)|Robbie Robertson]], introduced in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #51 (August 1967) was one of the first African-American characters in comics to play a serious supporting role.<ref>{{cite book |last1=David |first1=Peter |author-link=Peter David |last2=Greenberger |first2=Robert |author2-link=Robert Greenberger |title=The Spider-Man Vault: A Museum-in-a-Book with Rare Collectibles Spun from Marvel's Web |publisher=[[Running Press]] |year=2010 |location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |page=[https://archive.org/details/sinatrahollywood0000knig/page/34 34] |isbn=978-0-7624-3772-6 |quote=Joseph 'Robbie' Robertson made his debut in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #51, in a manner that was as quiet and unassuming as the character himself. His debut wasn't treated like the landmark event that it was; he was simply there one day, no big deal. |url=https://archive.org/details/sinatrahollywood0000knig/page/34 }}</ref> In the ''Fantastic Four'' series, the lengthy run by Lee and Kirby produced many acclaimed storylines as well as characters that have become central to Marvel, including the [[Inhumans]]<ref>{{cite web |first=Brian |last=Cronin |url=http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/09/18/a-year-of-cool-comics-day-261/ |title=A Year of Cool Comics – Day 261 |publisher=[[Comic Book Resources]] |date=September 18, 2010 |access-date=September 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101123190418/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/09/18/a-year-of-cool-comics-day-261/ |archive-date=November 23, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="DeFalco111">DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 111: "The Inhumans, a lost race that diverged from humankind 25,000 years ago and became genetically enhanced."</ref> and the [[Black Panther (character)|Black Panther]],<ref>{{cite web |first=Brian |last=Cronin |url=http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/09/19/a-year-of-cool-comics-day-262/ |title=A Year of Cool Comics – Day 262 |publisher=[[Comic Book Resources]] |date=September 19, 2010 |access-date=September 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708181411/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/09/19/a-year-of-cool-comics-day-262/ |archive-date=July 8, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> an African king who would be mainstream comics' first black superhero.<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 117: Stan Lee wanted to do his part by co-creating the first black super hero. Lee discussed his ideas with Jack Kirby and the result was seen in ''Fantastic Four'' #52.</ref>

The story frequently cited as Lee and Kirby's finest achievement<ref>Thomas, ''Stan Lee's Amazing Marvel Universe'', pp. 112–115</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | last=Hatfield | first=Charles | title=The Galactus Trilogy: An Appreciation | journal=The Collected Jack Kirby Collector | volume=1 | page=211 | date=February 2004}}</ref> is the three-part "[[Galactus Trilogy]]" that began in ''Fantastic Four'' #48 (March 1966), chronicling the arrival of [[Galactus]], a cosmic giant who wanted to devour the planet, and his herald, the [[Silver Surfer]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Brian |last=Cronin |url=http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/02/19/a-year-of-cool-comics-day-50/ |title=A Year of Cool Comics – Day 50|publisher=[[Comic Book Resources]] |date=February 19, 2010 |access-date=September 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100504111741/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/02/19/a-year-of-cool-comics-day-50/ |archive-date=May 4, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 115: "Stan Lee may have started the creative discussion that culminated in Galactus, but the inclusion of the Silver Surfer in ''Fantastic Four'' #48 was pure Jack Kirby. Kirby realized that a being like Galactus required an equally impressive herald."</ref> ''Fantastic Four'' #48 was chosen as #24 in the 100 Greatest Marvels of All Time poll of Marvel's readers in 2001. Editor [[Robert Greenberger]] wrote in his introduction to the story that "As the fourth year of the ''Fantastic Four'' came to a close, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby seemed to be only warming up. In retrospect, it was perhaps the most fertile period of any monthly title during the Marvel Age."<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Greenberger |editor-first=Robert |title = 100 Greatest Marvels of All Time|publisher = Marvel Comics |date=December 2001 |page=26|title-link=100 Greatest Marvels of All Time }}</ref> Comics historian [[Les Daniels]] noted that "[t]he mystical and metaphysical elements that took over the saga were perfectly suited to the tastes of young readers in the 1960s", and Lee soon discovered that the story was a favorite on college campuses.<ref>{{cite book |last=Daniels |first=Les |author-link=Les Daniels |title=Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics|publisher = [[Abrams Books|Harry N. Abrams]] |year=1991 |page=128 |isbn=978-0-8109-3821-2}}</ref> Lee and artist [[John Buscema]] launched ''The [[Silver Surfer (comic book)|Silver Surfer]]'' series in August 1968.<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 131: "When Stan Lee was told to expand the Marvel line, he immediately gave the Surfer his own title...Since Jack Kirby had more than enough assignments, Lee assigned John Buscema the task of illustrating the new book."</ref><ref>Daniels, p. 139: "Beautifully drawn by John Buscema, this comic book represented an attempt to upgrade the medium with a serious character of whom Lee had grown very fond."</ref>

The following year, Lee and [[Gene Colan]] created the [[Falcon (comics)|Falcon]], comics' first African-American superhero, in ''[[Captain America (comic book)|Captain America]]'' #117 (September 1969).<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 137: "The Black Panther may have broken the mold as Marvel's first black superhero, but he was from Africa. The Falcon, however, was the first black American superhero."</ref> In 1971, Lee indirectly helped reform the [[Comics Code]].<ref name=wrightp239>Wright, p. 239</ref> The [[U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare]] had asked Lee to write a comic-book story about the dangers of drugs and Lee conceived a three-issue subplot in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #96–98 ([[cover-date]]d May–July 1971), in which Peter Parker's best friend becomes addicted to prescription drugs. The Comics Code Authority refused to grant its seal because the stories depicted drug use; the anti-drug context was considered irrelevant. With Goodman's cooperation and confident that the original government request would give him credibility, Lee had the story published without the seal. The comics sold well and Marvel won praise for its socially conscious efforts.<ref>{{cite book|last=Saffel|first=Steve|title= Spider-Man the Icon: The Life and Times of a Pop Culture Phenomenon|publisher=[[Titan Books]]|year= 2007|isbn= 978-1-84576-324-4|chapter= Bucking the Establishment, Marvel Style|page= 60|quote= The stories received widespread mainstream publicity, and Marvel was hailed for sticking to its guns.}}</ref> The CCA subsequently loosened the Code to permit negative depictions of drugs, among other new freedoms.<ref>Daniels, pp. 152 and 154: "As a result of Marvel's successful stand, the Comics Code had begun to look just a little foolish. Some of its more ridiculous restrictions were abandoned because of Lee's decision."</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/02/04/archives/a-comics-magazine-defies-code-ban-on-drug-stories-comics-magazine.html?sq=stan%2520lee%2520%2522comics%2520code%2522&scp=2&st=cse|title=A Comics Magazine Defies Code Ban on Drug Stories; Comics Magazine Defies Industry Code|first=Lawrence|last=van Gelder|date=February 4, 1971|work=The New York Times|page=37|access-date=July 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723065535/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/02/04/archives/a-comics-magazine-defies-code-ban-on-drug-stories-comics-magazine.html?sq=stan%2520lee%2520%2522comics%2520code%2522&scp=2&st=cse|archive-date=July 23, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Lee also supported using comic books to provide some measure of social commentary about the real world, often dealing with racism and [[bigotry]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comicgeekspeak.com/episodes/comic_geek_speak-111.php|title=Comic Geek Speak: Episode 83|date=December 12, 2005|access-date=September 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906122854/http://www.comicgeekspeak.com/episodes/comic_geek_speak-111.php|archive-date=September 6, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> "Stan's Soapbox", besides promoting an upcoming comic book project, also addressed issues of discrimination, intolerance, or prejudice.<ref name=nea>{{cite web|url=http://arts.endow.gov/news/news08/medals/Lee.html |title=2008 National Medal of Arts – Stan Lee |publisher=[[National Endowment for the Arts]] |date=November 17, 2008 |access-date=April 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090826065407/http://arts.endow.gov/news/news08/medals/Lee.html |archive-date=August 26, 2009}} Biography linked to NEA [[press release]] [http://arts.endow.gov/news/news08/Medals.html "White House Announces 2008 National Medal of Arts Recipients"], {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813140629/http://arts.endow.gov/news/news08/Medals.html |date=August 13, 2009}} August 26, 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.samcci.comics.org/reviews/review011p.htm |title=Silver Age Marvel Comics Cover Index Reviews |first1=Pierre |last1=Comtois |first2=Gregorio |last2=Montejo |publisher=Samcci.Comics.org |date=July 16, 2007 |access-date=February 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070716185903/http://www.samcci.comics.org/reviews/review011p.htm |archive-date=July 16, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1972, Lee stopped writing monthly comic books to assume the role of publisher. His final issue of ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' was #110 (July 1972)<ref>Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 61: "Stan Lee had returned to ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' for a handful of issues after leaving following issue #100 (September 1971). With issue #110. Lee once again departed the title into which he had infused so much of his own personality over his near 10-year stint as regular writer."</ref> and his last ''Fantastic Four'' was #125 (August 1972).<ref>Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 157</ref>

====Later Marvel years====
[[File:Stan_lee_circa_80.jpg|thumb|Lee speaking at a convention {{Circa|1980}}]]
Lee became a figurehead and public face for Marvel Comics. He made appearances at [[comic book conventions]] around America, lecturing at colleges and participating in panel discussions. Lee and John Romita Sr. launched [[The Amazing Spider-Man (comic strip)|the Spider-Man newspaper comic strip]] on January 3, 1977.<ref>Saffel, "An Adventure Each Day", p. 116: "On Monday January 3, 1977, ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' comic strip made its debut in newspapers nationwide, reuniting writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita."</ref> Lee's final collaboration with Jack Kirby, ''The Silver Surfer: The Ultimate Cosmic Experience'', was published in 1978 as part of the [[Marvel Fireside Books]] series and is considered to be Marvel's first [[graphic novel]].<ref>Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 187: "[In 1978], Simon & Schuster's Fireside Books published a paperback book titled ''The Silver Surfer'' by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...This book was later recognized as Marvel's first true graphic novel."</ref> Lee and John Buscema produced the first issue of ''The Savage [[She-Hulk]]'' (February 1980), which introduced the female cousin of the Hulk,<ref>DeFalco "1980s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 197: "With the help of artist John Buscema, [Stan] Lee created Jennifer Walters, the cousin of Bruce Banner."</ref> and crafted a Silver Surfer story for ''[[Epic Illustrated]]'' #1 (Spring 1980).<ref name="gcd" />

He moved to California in 1981 to develop Marvel's TV and movie properties. He was an executive producer for, and made [[#Film and television appearances|cameo appearances in Marvel adaptations and other films]]. He occasionally returned to comic book writing with various Silver Surfer projects including a 1982 one-shot drawn by [[John Byrne (comics)|John Byrne]],<ref>{{cite journal |last = Catron |first=Michael|author-link = Michael Catron|title = Silver Surfer Special Set|journal = [[Amazing Heroes]] |issue=3 |page=17 |date=August 1981}}</ref> the ''Judgment Day'' graphic novel illustrated by John Buscema,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Stan |last2=Buscema |first2=John |author-link2=John Buscema |title=Silver Surfer: Judgement Day |publisher=Marvel Comics |year=1988 |page=64|isbn= 978-0-87135-427-3}}</ref> the ''Parable'' limited series drawn by French artist [[Jean Giraud|Mœbius]],<ref>{{cite news|last= Lofficier|first= Jean-Marc|author-link= Jean-Marc Lofficier |date=December 1988|title= Moebius |work = [[Comics Interview]]|issue= 64|pages = 24–37|publisher= [[Fictioneer Books]]}}</ref> and ''The Enslavers'' graphic novel with [[Keith Pollard]].<ref>{{cite book|last1 = Lee|first1 = Stan |last2= Pollard |first2= Keith |author-link2= Keith Pollard|title = Silver Surfer: The Enslavers|publisher = Marvel Comics|year = 1990|page = 64|isbn = 978-0-87135-617-8}}</ref> Lee was briefly president of the entire company, but soon stepped down to become publisher instead, finding that being president was too much about numbers and finance and not enough about the creative process he enjoyed.<ref name="LeeMair">Lee, Mair {{page needed|date=January 2015}}</ref>

===Beyond Marvel===
In 1976, Stan Lee was one of the cartoonists who illustrated the [[Costello's]] wall.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Arden |first=Patrick |date=November 20, 2005 |title=Immortality on 44th St. |url=https://www.patrickarden.com/44thStreet.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205145905/http://patrickarden.com/44thStreet.html |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |access-date=July 12, 2024 |work=[[Metro New York]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kates |first=Brian |date=January 11, 2004 |title=Mural May Be History: Famed Cartoon Wall Facing Wrecking Ball |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/mural-history-famed-cartoon-wall-facing-wrecker-ball-article-1.632540 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703160255/https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/mural-history-famed-cartoon-wall-facing-wrecker-ball-article-1.632540 |archive-date=July 3, 2019 |access-date=July 14, 2024 |work=[[New York Daily News]]}}</ref> He drew Spider-Man.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Oderwald |first1=Benjamin T. |last2=Gibson |first2=Christine |date=October 2004 |title=The Faces On The Barroom Wall |url=https://www.americanheritage.com/faces-barroom-wall |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240412143532/https://www.americanheritage.com/faces-barroom-wall |archive-date=April 12, 2024 |access-date=July 15, 2024 |magazine=[[American Heritage (magazine)|American Heritage]] |volume=55 |issue=5}}</ref>

Lee stepped away from regular duties at Marvel in the 1990s, though he continued to receive an annual salary of $1&nbsp;million as chairman emeritus.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.bobbatchelor.com/blog/2017/4/26/stan-lee-sues-marveland-wins|title=Stan Lee Sues Marvel…And Wins!|work=Bob Batchelor|access-date=November 14, 2018|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181114100558/http://www.bobbatchelor.com/blog/2017/4/26/stan-lee-sues-marveland-wins|archive-date=November 14, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1998 he and [[Peter F. Paul|Peter Paul]] began a new Internet-based superhero creation, production, and marketing studio, [[Stan Lee Media]].<ref name="tcj-paul">{{cite news |url=http://www.tcj.com/270/n_stanmike.html |title=How Michael Jackson Almost Bought Marvel and Other Strange Tales from the Stan Lee/Peter Paul Partnership |publisher=excerpt [[The Comics Journal]] |issue=270 |date=August 2005 |first=Michael |last=Dean |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080516013951/http://www.tcj.com/270/n_stanmike.html |archive-date=May 16, 2008}}</ref> It grew to 165 people and went public through a reverse merger structured by investment banker Stan Medley in 1999, but, near the end of 2000, investigators discovered illegal stock manipulation by Paul and corporate officer Stephan Gordon.<ref>SEC Litigation Release #LR-18828, August 11, 2004.</ref> Stan Lee Media filed for [[Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection]] in February 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stan-lee-media-ceo-kenneth-williams-accused-of-shareholder-fraud-and-libel-in-court-filing-by-former-stan-lee-media-executive-71643937.html|title=Stan Lee Media CEO Kenneth Williams Accused of Shareholder Fraud and Libel in Court Filing By Former Stan Lee Media Executive: Accusations Against Peter Paul Retracted and Corrected in Court Filing|date=May 7, 2001|publisher=Freund & Brackey LLP [[press release]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101118050229/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stan-lee-media-ceo-kenneth-williams-accused-of-shareholder-fraud-and-libel-in-court-filing-by-former-stan-lee-media-executive-71643937.html|archive-date=November 18, 2010|url-status=dead|access-date=August 1, 2011}}</ref> Paul was extradited to the U.S. from Brazil and pleaded guilty to violating [[SEC Rule 10b-5]] in connection with trading his stock in Stan Lee Media.<ref name="USDOJ 2005-03-08">{{cite news|url=http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nye/pr/2005mar8.htm | author=United States Attorney's Office| title=Peter Paul, Co-founder of Stan Lee Media, Inc., Pleads Guilty to Securities Fraud Fraud Scheme Caused $25 Million in Losses to Investors and Financial Institutions |publisher=press release |date=March 8, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050311195609/http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nye/pr/2005mar8.htm |archive-date=March 11, 2005 |access-date=July 31, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Washington Post 2005-10-09">{{cite news |last=Witt |first=April |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/04/AR2005100401150.html |title=House of Cards |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 9, 2005|page= W10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109103407/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/04/AR2005100401150.html |archive-date=November 9, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> Lee was never implicated in the scheme.<ref>{{cite news |title=Disney, Stan Lee sign production deal |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/industry-lee-dc/disney-stan-lee-sign-production-deal-idUSN0642280520070607 |work=[[Reuters]] |date=June 6, 2007 |access-date=November 14, 2018}}</ref>

Following the success of [[20th Century Fox]]'s 2000 ''[[X-Men (film)|X-Men]]'' film and [[Sony Pictures|Sony]]'s then-current ''Spider-Man'' film, Lee sued Marvel in 2002, claiming that the company was failing to pay his share of the profits from movies featuring the characters he had co-created. Because he had done so as an employee, Lee did not own them, but in the 1990s, after decades of making little money licensing them for television and film, Marvel had promised him 10% of any future profits.<ref name=":0" /> Lee and the company settled in 2005 for an undisclosed seven-figure amount.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stan-lee-dead-marvel-comics-writer-editor-obituary-died-age-95-2018-11-12/|title=Stan Lee, legendary Marvel Comics creator, is dead at 95|access-date=November 14, 2018|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113160014/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stan-lee-dead-marvel-comics-writer-editor-obituary-died-age-95-2018-11-12/|archive-date=November 13, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0"/>

In 2001, Lee, Gill Champion, and Arthur Lieberman formed [[POW! Entertainment|POW! (Purveyors of Wonder) Entertainment]] to develop film, television, and video game properties. Lee created the risqué animated superhero series ''[[Stripperella]]'' for [[Spike TV]]. That same year, DC Comics released its first work written by Lee, the ''[[Just Imagine...]]'' series, in which Lee reimagined the DC superheroes [[Superman]], [[Batman]], [[Wonder Woman]], [[Green Lantern]], and [[the Flash]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Cowsill|first= Alan|editor-last=Dolan|editor-first=Hannah|chapter= 2000s|title = DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|year=2010|location= London, United Kingdom|isbn= 978-0-7566-6742-9 |page= 300 |quote = It was quite a coup. Stan "The Man" Lee...swapped sides to write for DC. Teaming up with comicdom's top artists, Lee put his own unique take on DC's iconic heroes.}}</ref>

In 2004, POW! Entertainment went public through a reverse merger again structured by investment banker Stan Medley. Also that year, Lee announced a superhero program that would feature former Beatle [[Ringo Starr]] as the lead character.<ref name="ringo">{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4212335.stm |title=Ringo Starr to become superhero |work=BBC News|date=August 6, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016134313/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4212335.stm |archive-date=October 16, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Lee in {{cite news|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/146232006/Newsday-Fast-Chat-Stan-Lee-2007 |title=Fast Chat: Stan Lee|work=[[Newsday]]| first=Frank|last=Lovece|date=April 1, 2007 |access-date=September 15, 2015 |archive-date=May 25, 2024 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20240525030213/https://www.webcitation.org/5unr2TLup?url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/fanfare/fast-chat-stan-lee-1.620730 |url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, in August of that year, Lee announced the launch of Stan Lee's Sunday Comics,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/stan-lee-launches-new-online-comic-venture-1.510651 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040810133032/http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2004/08/06/Arts/lee040806.html |archive-date=August 10, 2004 |title=Stan Lee Launches New Online Comic Venture |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |url-status=live |date=August 6, 2004}}</ref> a short-lived subscription service hosted by [[Komikwerks]].com. From July 2006 until September 2007 Lee hosted, co-created, executive-produced, and judged the reality television game show competition ''[[Who Wants to Be a Superhero?]]'' on the [[Sci-Fi Channel]].<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Heffernan |first1=Virginia |title='Who Wants to Be a Superhero?': Misfits Just Want to Save the World |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/03/arts/television/03heff.html |newspaper=The New York Times |language=en |date=August 3, 2006 |access-date=November 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113025650/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/03/arts/television/03heff.html |archive-date=November 13, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In March 2007, after Stan Lee Media had been purchased by Jim Nesfield, the company filed a lawsuit against [[Marvel Entertainment]] for $5&nbsp;billion, claiming Lee had given his rights to several Marvel characters to Stan Lee Media in exchange for stock and a salary.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2007/03/ljarchives/marvel-sued-for-5-billion/ |title=Marvel Sued for $5 Billion |work=[[Library Journal]] |date=March 21, 2007 |access-date=February 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407165409/http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2007/03/ljarchives/marvel-sued-for-5-billion/ |archive-date=April 7, 2015}}</ref> In June 2007, Stan Lee Media sued Lee; his newer company, POW! Entertainment; and POW! subsidiary QED Entertainment.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/june_9_stan_lee_media_inc_files_aggressive_lawsuit_against_stan_lee/ |title=June 9: Stan Lee Media, Inc. Files Expected Lawsuit Against Stan Lee |access-date=September 22, 2007 |publisher=TheComicsReporter.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214093137/http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/june_9_stan_lee_media_inc_files_aggressive_lawsuit_against_stan_lee/ |archive-date=February 14, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite court |litigants=Stan Lee Media, Inc. v. Stan Lee, QED Productions, Inc., and POW! Entertainment, Inc. |vol=CV 07 4438 SJO |court=C.D. Cal. |date=July 9, 2007 |url= http://www.comicsreporter.com/images/uploads/SLMI_Complaint.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121012122046/http://www.comicsreporter.com/images/uploads/SLMI_Complaint.pdf | archive-date=October 12, 2012 | url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2008, Lee wrote humorous captions for the political [[fumetti]] book ''Stan Lee Presents Election Daze: What Are They Really Saying?''<ref>{{cite book|last = Lee|first = Stan|title = Election Daze: What Are They Really Saying?|publisher = Filsinger Publishing|year = 2008|page = 96|isbn = 978-0-9702631-5-5}}</ref> In April of that year, Brighton Partners and [[Rainmaker Animation]] announced a partnership with POW! to produce a CGI film series, ''Legion of 5''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=44144|title=Stan Lee Launching ''Legion of 5''|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140116070026/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=44144 |archive-date=January 16, 2014|url-status=live|access-date=April 16, 2008|publisher=ComingSoon.net|date=April 16, 2008}}</ref> Other projects by Lee announced in the late 2000s included a line of superhero comics for [[Virgin Comics]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-virgin19apr19,1,7072456.story |title=Stan Lee to oversee Virgin Comics' superheroes |first=Geoff |last=Boucher |date=April 19, 2008 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080502165435/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-virgin19apr19%2C1%2C7072456.story |archive-date=May 2, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> a TV adaptation of the novel ''[[Hero (novel)|Hero]]'',<ref>{{Cite news |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/4237161/Stan-Lee-to-create-worlds-first-gay-superhero.html|title= Stan Lee 'to create world's first gay superhero' |date=January 14, 2009|work= [[The Daily Telegraph]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307075531/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/4237161/Stan-Lee-to-create-worlds-first-gay-superhero.html |archive-date=March 7, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> a foreword to ''[[Skyscraperman]]'' by skyscraper fire-safety advocate and Spider-Man fan [[Dan Goodwin]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.skyscraperman.com/#!books/c14io |title=Skyscraperman |publisher=skyscraperman.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208132145/http://www.skyscraperman.com/ |archive-date=February 8, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> a partnership with [[Guardian Media Entertainment]] and [[The Guardian Project (comics)|The Guardian Project]] to create [[NHL]] superhero mascots,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=539824 | title=NHL, Spider-Man creator Stan Lee join on new superheroes project | publisher=[[National Hockey League]] | date=October 7, 2010 | access-date=January 21, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615163237/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=539824 | archive-date=June 15, 2013 | url-status=live }}</ref> and work with the Eagle Initiative program to find new talent in the comic book field.<ref>{{cite news |last=Langshaw |first=Mark |title=Stan Lee backs Eagle Initiative |url=http://www.digitalspy.com/comics/news/a254810/stan-lee-backs-eagle-initiative.html |access-date=November 17, 2011 |work=[[Digital Spy]]|date=August 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617200946/http://www.digitalspy.com/comics/news/a254810/stan-lee-backs-eagle-initiative.html |archive-date=June 17, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:10.14.11StanLeeByLuigiNovi9.jpg|thumb|Lee promoting Stan Lee's Kids Universe at the 2011 [[New York Comic Con]]]]
In October 2011, Lee announced he would partner with 1821 Comics on a multimedia imprint, Stan Lee's Kids Universe, a move he said addressed the lack of comic books targeted at children; and that he was collaborating with the company on its futuristic graphic novel ''Romeo & Juliet: The War'', by writer Max Work and artist Skan Srisuwan.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kepler |first=Adam W. |url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/monsters-v-kittens/ |title=Monsters v. Kittens |work=The New York Times |date=October 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027221924/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/monsters-v-kittens/ |archive-date=October 27, 2011 |access-date=October 27, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Moore |first=Matt |url=http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44901428/ns/today-books/t/spider-man-creators-new-heroes-are-kid-stuff/ |title=Stan Lee's got a new universe, and it's for kids |publisher=Associated Press/[[MSNBC]] |date=October 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027222203/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44901428/ns/today-books/t/spider-man-creators-new-heroes-are-kid-stuff/#.Tp1IOXFCAzQ |archive-date=October 27, 2011 |access-date=October 27, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> At the 2012 [[San Diego Comic-Con]], Lee announced his [[YouTube]] channel, ''[[Stan Lee's World of Heroes]]'', which airs programs created by Lee, [[Mark Hamill]], [[Peter David]], [[Adrianne Curry]] and [[Bonnie Burton]], among others.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comicmix.com/news/2012/07/11/enter-stan-lees-world-of-heroes/|title= Enter Stan Lee's World of Heroes |first=Robert |last=Greenberger |date=July 11, 2012 |publisher=ComicMix |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226043851/http://www.comicmix.com/news/2012/07/11/enter-stan-lees-world-of-heroes/ |archive-date=December 26, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://m.comicsbulletin.com/interviews/4829/peter-david-and-jace-hall-join-the-world-of-heroes/|title= Peter David and Jace Hall Join the World of Heroes|first= Jason|last= Sacks |date=n.d. |publisher=[[Comics Bulletin]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226051552/http://m.comicsbulletin.com/interviews/4829/peter-david-and-jace-hall-join-the-world-of-heroes/ |archive-date=December 26, 2013|url-status=dead |access-date=December 16, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://newmediarockstars.com/2012/07/stan-lees-world-of-heroes-youtube-channel-unveiled-at-sdcc-exclusive/|title= SDCC: 'Stan Lee's World of Heroes' YouTube Channel|first= Alan|last= Van |date=July 12, 2012|publisher= NMR|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140312181820/http://newmediarockstars.com/2012/07/stan-lees-world-of-heroes-youtube-channel-unveiled-at-sdcc-exclusive/ |archive-date=March 12, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/07/13/stan-lee-peter-david-mark-hamill-adriann-curry-america-young-and-bonnie-burton-on-st/|title= The Stan Channel: Stan Lee, Peter David, Mark Hamill, Adrianne Curry, America Young, And Bonnie Burton On ''Stan Lee's World Of Heroes''|first= Mark|last= Seifert |date=July 13, 2012|publisher= [[Bleeding Cool]]|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130129054208/http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/07/13/stan-lee-peter-david-mark-hamill-adriann-curry-america-young-and-bonnie-burton-on-st/ |archive-date=January 29, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Lee wrote the book ''Zodiac'', released in January 2015, with [[Stuart Moore]].<ref>{{cite press release|title=Disney Publishing Worldwide Announces New Zodiac-Based Book with Comics Legend Stan Lee|date=November 2, 2013|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/disney-publishing-worldwide-announces-zodiac-022000970.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106030052/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/disney-publishing-worldwide-announces-zodiac-022000970.html|archive-date=November 6, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The film ''Stan Lee's Annihilator'', based on a Chinese prisoner-turned-superhero named Ming and in production since 2013, was released in 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/josephson-joins-annihilator |first=Patrick |last=Frater |newspaper=Film Business Asia |title=Josephson joins ''Annihilator'' |date=February 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131110030733/http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/josephson-joins-annihilator |archive-date=November 10, 2013 |url-status=dead |access-date=February 27, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|publisher=The Inquisitr|url=http://www.inquisitr.com/537171/stan-lees-annihilator-chinese-superhero-coming-to-big-screen/|title=Stan Lee's ''Annihilator'': Chinese Superhero Coming To Big Screen |date=February 21, 2013 |first=Aric |last=Mitchell|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131110030730/http://www.inquisitr.com/537171/stan-lees-annihilator-chinese-superhero-coming-to-big-screen/ |archive-date=November 10, 2013|url-status=live|access-date=February 27, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|newspaper=TG Daily |url=http://www.tgdaily.com/games-and-entertainment-features/69721-stan-lee-is-back-with-annihilator |title=Stan Lee is back with ''Annihilator''|last=Konow|first=David|date=February 25, 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131110030626/http://www.tgdaily.com/games-and-entertainment-features/69721-stan-lee-is-back-with-annihilator |archive-date=November 10, 2013|url-status=live|access-date=February 27, 2013}}</ref>

In 2008, POW! Entertainment debuted the [[manga]] series ''[[Karakuri Dôji Ultimo]]'', a collaboration between Lee and [[Hiroyuki Takei]], [[Viz Media]] and [[Shueisha]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://comics.ign.com/articles/864/864777p1.html |title=NYCC 08: Stan Lee Dives into Manga |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219190728/http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/04/05/nycc-08-stan-lee-dives-into-manga |archive-date=February 19, 2014 |url-status=live |access-date=April 8, 2008 |publisher=[[IGN]]|date=April 4, 2008 }}</ref> The following year POW! released ''[[Heroman]]'', which was written by Lee, and serialized in [[Square Enix]]'s ''Monthly Shōnen Gangan'' with the Japanese company [[Bones (studio)|Bones]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-04-10/stan-lee-bones-confirmed-to-be-working-on-hero-man |title=Stan Lee, Bones Confirmed to be Working on ''Hero Man'' |publisher=[[Anime News Network]] |date=April 10, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131020020941/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-04-10/stan-lee-bones-confirmed-to-be-working-on-hero-man |archive-date=October 20, 2013 |url-status=live |access-date=March 9, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-10-06/stan-lee-and-bones-heroman-anime-now-in-production|title=Stan Lee & Bones' ''Heroman'' Anime Now in Production |publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|date=October 6, 2009|access-date=March 9, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604164242/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-10-06/stan-lee-and-bones-heroman-anime-now-in-production | archive-date=June 4, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2011, Lee started writing a live-action musical, ''The Yin and Yang Battle of Tao'',<ref name="playb">{{cite journal|last=Hetrick|first=Adam|url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/146343-Stan-Lee-Encouraged-by-Spider-Man-New-Projects-on-the-Horizon|title=Stan Lee Encouraged by Spider-Man; New Projects on the Horizon|journal=[[Playbill]]|date=January 4, 2011|access-date=July 31, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311045133/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/146343-Stan-Lee-Encouraged-by-Spider-Man-New-Projects-on-the-Horizon|archive-date=March 11, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> and created the limited series ''[[Blood Red Dragon]]'', a collaboration with [[Todd McFarlane]] and Japanese rock star [[Yoshiki (musician)|Yoshiki]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2622064/stan-lee-x-todd-mcfarlane-x-yoshiki-with-blood-red-dragon/|title=Stan Lee x Todd McFarlane X Yoshiki With 'Blood Red Dragon'|last=Webb|first=Charles|website=MTV News|language=en|access-date=September 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928021531/http://www.mtv.com/news/2622064/stan-lee-x-todd-mcfarlane-x-yoshiki-with-blood-red-dragon/|archive-date=September 28, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.laweekly.com/yoshiki-heads-to-san-diego-comic-con-joins-forces-with-stan-lee-and-todd-mcfarlane/|title=Yoshiki Heads to San Diego Comic-Con, Joins Forces with Stan Lee and Todd McFarlane|last=Ohanesian|first=Liz|date=July 22, 2011|website=LA Weekly|language=en-US|access-date=September 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928021542/https://www.laweekly.com/yoshiki-heads-to-san-diego-comic-con-joins-forces-with-stan-lee-and-todd-mcfarlane/|archive-date=September 28, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

The 2000s saw Lee's public persona penetrate the public consciousness through merchandising, branding, and appearances in Marvel books as a character in the [[Marvel Universe]]. In 2006, Marvel commemorated Lee's 65 years with the company by publishing a series of one-shot comics starring Lee himself meeting and interacting with many of his co-creations, including Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, the [[Thing (comics)|Thing]], [[Silver Surfer]], and [[Doctor Doom]]. These comics also featured short pieces by such comics creators as [[Joss Whedon]] and [[Fred Hembeck]], as well as reprints of classic Lee-written adventures.<ref name="Richards8242006">{{cite web |url= http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&old=1&id=8204|title= The Man Comes Around: Lee talks ''Stan Lee Meets'' |first=Dave |last=Richards |date=August 24, 2006|publisher=[[Comic Book Resources]]|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140313024216/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&old=1&id=8204|archive-date=March 13, 2014 |url-status=live}} Archive requires scrolldown</ref> At the 2007 [[Comic-Con International]], [[Marvel Legends]] introduced a Stan Lee [[action figure]]. The body beneath the figure's removable cloth wardrobe is a reused mold of a previously released Spider-Man action figure, with minor changes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oafe.net/yo/mlh2_sl.php |title=Stan Lee: Marvel Legends |publisher=OAFE.net |access-date=April 27, 2010|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140214002850/http://www.oafe.net/yo/mlh2_sl.php |archive-date=February 14, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Comikaze Expo]], Los Angeles' largest comic book convention, was rebranded as Stan Lee's Comikaze Presented by POW! Entertainment in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://geekout.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/11/stan-lee-launches-his-own-comic-convention/|title= Stan Lee launches his own comic convention |first=Alan |last=Duke |date=April 11, 2012|publisher= CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815082657/http://geekout.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/11/stan-lee-launches-his-own-comic-convention |archive-date=August 15, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Stan Lee (14201944210).jpg|thumb|Lee at the 2014 Phoenix Comicon]]
At the 2016 [[Comic-Con International]], Lee introduced his digital graphic novel ''[[Stan Lee's God Woke]]'',<ref name=eclipsemagazine>{{cite press release |url=http://eclipsemagazine.com/comic-con-2016-pow-entertainment-and-shatner-singularity-introduce-stan-lees-god-woke/ |title=Comic-Con 2016: POW! Entertainment and Shatner Singularity Introduce Stan Lee's God Woke! |date=July 18, 2016 |access-date=July 22, 2016 |first=Sheldon |last=Wiebe |publisher=Shatner Singularity |via=EclipseMagazine.com |archive-date=August 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806191247/http://eclipsemagazine.com/comic-con-2016-pow-entertainment-and-shatner-singularity-introduce-stan-lees-god-woke/ |url-status=dead}} Additional on December 22, 2016. (WebCitation page requires text-blocking to make text visible)</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Stan Lee puts philosophical spin on comic book adventure |url=http://articles.philly.com/2016-07-22/news/74648410_1_stan-lee-book-july-22 | first= Sarah |last=LeBlanc |date=July 22, 2016 |access-date=July 30, 2016 |work=[[Philadelphia Daily News]] |archive-date=July 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160730190646/http://articles.philly.com/2016-07-22/news/74648410_1_stan-lee-book-july-22 |url-status=dead}}</ref> with text originally written as a poem he presented at [[Carnegie Hall]] in 1972.<ref name=conversations>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zLmB3GprtboC&q=stan+lee+god+woke+carnegie&pg=PR17| title=Stan Lee: Conversations | year = 2007|first=Jeff | last= McLaughlin | publisher= University Press of Mississippi|location= Jackson, Mississippi| isbn=978-1578069859|page= Chronology xvii}}</ref> The print-book version won the 2017 [[Independent Publisher Book Awards]]' Outstanding Books of the Year Independent Voice Award.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=2176 |title=2017 Independent Publisher Book Awards |publisher=[[Independent Publisher Book Awards]] |access-date=April 9, 2017 |archive-date=April 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170408031523/http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=2172 |url-status=live}}</ref>

On July 6, 2020, [[Genius Brands]] (now Kartoon Studios) acquired exclusive worldwide rights to use Lee's name, physical likeness, and signature as well as licensing rights to his name and original IPs from POW! Entertainment. The assets will be placed under a new joint-venture with POW!, called Stan Lee Universe.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://kidscreen.com/2020/07/06/genius-brands-acquires-stan-lees-likeness-ips/ |title=Genius Brands acquires Stan Lee's likeness, IPs |access-date=July 6, 2020 |archive-date=July 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706230933/https://kidscreen.com/2020/07/06/genius-brands-acquires-stan-lees-likeness-ips/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2022, Marvel signed a licensing deal with Stan Lee Universe to use Lee's name and likeness in film and television projects, as well as attractions and merchandising.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kit |first1=Borys |title=Stan Lee Returns to Marvel Studios With Genius Brands, POW! Entertainment Licensing Deal (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/stan-lee-marvel-studios-licensing-deal-1235149039/ |access-date=October 7, 2022 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=May 18, 2022}}</ref> In April 2024, Kartoon Studios, in collaboration with [[Channel Frederator Network]], rebranded their live-action channel as ''Stan Lee Presents'' under the management of [[The Amagi|Ethan Schulteis]]. The channel now focuses on Stan Lee's legacy, featuring content from his personal archives, digital comic books, interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and previews of upcoming projects.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Milligan |first1=Mercedes |title=Kartoon Studios Launches 'Stan Lee Presents' YouTube Channel |url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/2024/04/kartoon-studios-launches-stan-lee-presents-youtube-channel/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241021192319/https://www.animationmagazine.net/2024/04/kartoon-studios-launches-stan-lee-presents-youtube-channel/ |archive-date=21 October 2024 |date=10 April 2024}}</ref>

==Personal life==
===Marriage and residences===
From 1945 to 1947, Lee lived in the rented top floor of a [[brownstone]] in the East 90s in Manhattan.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_4.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090424070631/http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_4.html |archive-date=April 24, 2009 | author=Lewine| title=Image 2|access-date=April 27, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> He married [[Joan Boocock Lee|Joan Clayton Boocock]], originally from [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]], England,<ref name=tyneWife>{{cite news | last = Johnson | first = Ian | title = Watch Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee impersonate his wife's Geordie accent | newspaper = Chronicle | location = Newcastle | language = en | publisher = Chronicle Live | date = December 2, 2018 | url = https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/stan-lee-marvel-wife-geordie-15492109 | access-date = December 2, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181202155137/https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/stan-lee-marvel-wife-geordie-15492109 | archive-date = December 2, 2018 | url-status = live }}</ref> on December 5, 1947,<ref name=autobio-p69>Lee, Mair, [https://books.google.com/books?id=NZytPoMbVioC&dq=joan+boocock&pg=PA69 p. 69] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226043158/https://books.google.com/books?id=NZytPoMbVioC&pg=PA69&dq=joan+boocock&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nkp3T_CZH-Xz0gHDy6DEDQ&ved=0CFgQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=joan%20boocock&f=false |date=December 26, 2016 }}</ref> and in 1949, the couple bought a house in [[Woodmere, New York]], on [[Long Island]], living there through 1952.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_5.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090424070611/http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_5.html|archive-date=April 24, 2009 | author=Lewine| title=Images 4–5|access-date=April 27, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Their daughter Joan Celia "J. C." Lee was born in 1950. Another daughter, Jan Lee, died a few days after her birth in 1953.<ref name="LeeMair74">Lee, Mair, p.&nbsp;74</ref>

The Lees resided in the [[Long Island]] community of [[Hewlett Harbor, New York]], from 1952 to 1980.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_7.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090424070612/http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_7.html| archive-date=April 24, 2009 | author= Lewine| title=Images 6–7|access-date=April 27, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> They also owned a [[Condominium (living space)|condominium]] on East 63rd Street in [[Manhattan]] from 1975 to 1980,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_11.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090424070613/http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_11.html| archive-date=April 24, 2009 | author=Lewine| title=Image 10|access-date=April 27, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> and during the 1970s they owned a vacation home in [[Remsenburg, New York]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_9.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090424070608/http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_9.html| archive-date=April 24, 2009 | author=Lewine| title=Image 8|access-date=April 27, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> For their move to the West Coast in 1981, they bought a home in [[West Hollywood, California]], previously owned by comedian [[Jack Benny]]'s radio announcer [[Don Wilson (announcer)|Don Wilson]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_12.html | author=Lewine| title=Image 11|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090424070606/http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/04/realestate/keymagazine/20070909STANLEE_12.html |archive-date=April 24, 2009 |access-date=April 27, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Philanthropy===
The [[Stan Lee Foundation]] was founded in 2010 to focus on literacy, education, and the arts. Its stated goals include supporting programs and ideas that improve access to literacy resources, as well as promoting diversity, national literacy, culture and the arts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stanleefoundation.org/ |title=Stan Lee Foundation official site |access-date=May 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519005708/http://stanleefoundation.org/ |archive-date=May 19, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Lee regularly donated papers, photographs, recordings and personal effects to the [[American Heritage Center]] at the [[University of Wyoming]] between 1981 and 2011. They cover the period from 1926 to 2011.<ref name="Stan Lee Papers">[https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv636387?q=stan%20lee Stan Lee papers, 1926-2011]</ref>

===Legal concerns===
====Intellectual property====
In 2017, [[POW! Entertainment|POW!]] was acquired by Camsing International, a Chinese company, during the period Lee was caring for his terminally ill wife and dealing with his own failing eyesight. Lee filed a {{USD|1 billion}} lawsuit against POW! in May 2018, asserting that POW! had not disclosed the terms of its acquisition by Camsing to him. Lee stated that POW! CEO Shane Duffy and co-founder Gill Champion had presented him with what they said was a non-exclusive license for POW! for him to sign, under Camsing, to use his likeness and other intellectual property. This contract turned out to be an exclusive license, which Lee claimed he would never have entered.<ref name="Collins">{{cite web | url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/stan-lee-files-1b-lawsuit-pow-entertainment-stealing-his-name-likeness-1112313 | title = Stan Lee Files $1B Lawsuit Against POW! Entertainment for "Stealing" His Name and Likeness | first = Ashely | last = Collins | date = May 15, 2018 | access-date = September 27, 2019 | work = [[The Hollywood Reporter]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191016182615/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/stan-lee-files-1b-lawsuit-pow-entertainment-stealing-his-name-likeness-1112313 | archive-date = October 16, 2019 | url-status = live }}</ref>

Lee's lawsuit contended that POW! took over his social media accounts and was impersonating him inappropriately. POW! considered these complaints without merit and claimed that both Lee and his daughter J.C. were aware of the terms.<ref name="Collins"/> The lawsuit was dropped in July 2018, with Lee issuing the statement: "The whole thing has been confusing to everyone, including myself and the fans, but I am now happy to be surrounded by those who want the best for me" and saying that he was happy to be working with POW! again.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/stan-lee-drops-1b-pow-lawsuit-stealing-name-likeness-1125572 | title = Stan Lee Drops $1B Lawsuit Against POW! Entertainment for "Stealing" His Name and Likeness | first1 = Kimberly | last1 = Nordyke | first2 = Hilary | last2 = Lewis | date = July 9, 2018 | access-date = September 27, 2019 | work = [[The Hollywood Reporter]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190921013311/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/stan-lee-drops-1b-pow-lawsuit-stealing-name-likeness-1125572 | archive-date = September 21, 2019 | url-status = live }}</ref>

Following Lee's death, his daughter J.C. gathered a legal team to review the legal situation relating to Lee's intellectual property from his later years. In September 2019, J.C. filed a new lawsuit against POW! in the [[United States District Court for the Central District of California]] not only related to recent events but also to regain the intellectual property rights that Lee had set up when founding Stan Lee Entertainment in 1998. The complaint identified a period between 2001 and 2017 during which Lee's partners Gill Champion and Arthur Lieberman were said to have misled Lee about various intellectual property rights deals.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/stan-lees-daughter-sues-reclaim-his-intellectual-property-1243840 | title = Stan Lee's Daughter Sues to Reclaim His Intellectual Property | first = Eriq | last = Gardner | date = September 27, 2019 | access-date = September 27, 2019 | work = [[The Hollywood Reporter]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190927193023/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/stan-lees-daughter-sues-reclaim-his-intellectual-property-1243840 | archive-date = September 27, 2019 | url-status = live }}</ref>

In June 2020, Judge [[Otis D. Wright II]] dismissed J.C. Lee's lawsuit against POW! Entertainment, declaring it "frivolous" and "improper", sanctioning J.C. Lee for $1,000,000, and sanctioning her lawyers for $250,000 individually and [[Joint and several liability|severally]]. The court also gave POW! Entertainment the right to make a motion to recover legal fees. "We feel vindicated by the Court's decision today," said POW! in a statement. "Stan purposefully created POW! eighteen years ago with me as a place to safeguard his life's work. Before he passed, Stan was adamant that POW! continue to protect his creations and his identity after he was gone, because he trusted that we would safeguard his legacy for generations to come."<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/stan-lees-daughter-sanctioned-bringing-frivolous-suit-reclaim-superhero-rights-1300561 | title = Stan Lee's Daughter Sanctioned for Bringing Frivolous Suit to Reclaim Superhero Rights | first = Eriq | last = Gardner | date = June 26, 2020 | access-date = June 28, 2020 | work = [[The Hollywood Reporter]] | archive-date = June 28, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200628014635/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/stan-lees-daughter-sanctioned-bringing-frivolous-suit-reclaim-superhero-rights-1300561 | url-status = live }}</ref>

====Sexual harassment allegations====
On January 10, 2018, the ''[[Daily Mail|Mail Online]]'' alleged that Lee was accused by a small number of nurses of sexually harassing them at his home in early 2017. Lee denied the allegations and claimed that the nurses were attempting to extort him.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/10/marvel-creator-stan-lee-denies-sexual-harassment-care-nurses|work=The Guardian|date=January 10, 2018|accessdate=May 15, 2022|title=Stan Lee: Marvel creator denies sexual harassment of care nurses|last=Flood|first=Alison}}</ref>

====Victim of elder abuse====
In April 2018, ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' published a report that claimed Lee was a victim of [[elder abuse]]; the report asserted that, among others, Keya Morgan, Lee's business manager and a memorabilia collector, had been isolating Lee from his trusted friends and associates following his wife's death  in order to obtain access to Lee's wealth, estimated to amount to {{USD|50 million}}.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/stan-lee-needs-a-hero-elder-abuse-claims-a-battle-aging-marvel-creator-1101229 | title = Stan Lee Needs a Hero: Elder Abuse Claims and a Battle Over the Aging Marvel Creator | first = Gary | last = Baum | date = April 10, 2018 | access-date = November 12, 2018 | work = [[The Hollywood Reporter]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181112211051/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/stan-lee-needs-a-hero-elder-abuse-claims-a-battle-aging-marvel-creator-1101229 | archive-date = November 12, 2018 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/13/style/stan-lee-marvel-comics-elder-abuse.html | title = Is Stan Lee Being Held Prisoner by Real-Life Villains? | first = Ben | last = Widdicombe | date = April 13, 2018 | access-date = November 12, 2018 | work = [[The New York Times]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181112232355/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/13/style/stan-lee-marvel-comics-elder-abuse.html | archive-date = November 12, 2018 | url-status = live }}</ref> In August 2018, a restraining order was issued against Morgan to stay away from Lee, his daughter, and his associates for three years.<ref>{{Cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/aug/18/marvel-comics-mogul-stan-lee-wins-renewed-protection-against-elder-abuse | title = Marvel Comics' Stan Lee wins renewed protection against alleged elder abuse | date = August 18, 2018 | access-date = November 12, 2018 | agency = Reuters | work = [[The Guardian]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181113075440/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/aug/18/marvel-comics-mogul-stan-lee-wins-renewed-protection-against-elder-abuse | archive-date = November 13, 2018 | url-status = live }}</ref> The Los Angeles Superior Court confirmed that Morgan was charged in May 2019 with five counts of abuse for events that had occurred in mid-2018.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-48265450 | title = Stan Lee: Ex-manager of comic book legend charged with elder abuse | date = May 14, 2019 | access-date = May 14, 2019 | work = [[BBC]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190514170423/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-48265450 | archive-date = May 14, 2019 | url-status = live }}</ref> The charges were [[false imprisonment]], grand theft of an elder or dependent adult, fraud, forgery, and elder abuse.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stan-lee-elder-abuse-keya-morgan-former-business-partner-and-caretaker-charged-today-2019-05-25/|title=Stan Lee's ex-manager arrested for elder abuse|website=CBS News|date=May 25, 2019 |language=en-US|access-date=May 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526002942/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stan-lee-elder-abuse-keya-morgan-former-business-partner-and-caretaker-charged-today-2019-05-25/|archive-date=May 26, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

Another figure in the alleged abuse was Lee's former business manager Jerardo Olivarez, who was introduced to Lee by J.C. after his wife's death. Lee filed suit against Olivarez in April 2018, calling him one of several "unscrupulous businessmen, sycophants and opportunists" that approached him during this period. According to Lee's complaint, after gaining Lee's power of attorney, Olivarez fired Lee's personal banker, changed Lee's will, convinced him to allow transfers of millions of dollars from his accounts and used some of the funds to purchase a condominium.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/stan-lee-sues-business-manager-fraud-1102749 | title = Stan Lee Sues Ex-Business Manager for Fraud | first = Ashley | last = Cullins | date = April 13, 2018 | access-date = September 27, 2019 | work = [[The Hollywood Reporter]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190630090858/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/stan-lee-sues-business-manager-fraud-1102749 | archive-date = June 30, 2019 | url-status = live }}</ref>

==Later life and death==
In September 2012, Lee underwent an operation to insert a [[pacemaker]], which required cancelling planned appearances at conventions.<ref>{{cite news |title= Comic Book Legend Stan Lee Gets a Pacemaker |url= http://file.bhcourier.com/comics-legend-stan-lee-pacemaker/2012/09/28 |publisher= [[City News Service]] |via= [[Beverly Hills Courier]] |date=September 28, 2012 |access-date=February 6, 2013 |archive-date=February 6, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130206182109/http://file.bhcourier.com/comics-legend-stan-lee-pacemaker/2012/09/28 |quote=...the procedure performed last week.}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.powentertainment.com/stanleemessage.html |title=Pow! Entertainment Releases a Message from Its Chairman Stan Lee |date=September 28, 2012 |publisher= [[POW! Entertainment]] |access-date=February 6, 2013 |archive-date=January 22, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130122112217/http://www.powentertainment.com/stanleemessage.html}}</ref> Lee eventually retired from convention appearances by 2017.<ref name="geek insider nyc"/>

On July 6, 2017, Joan Boocock, his wife of 69 years, died of complications from a stroke. She was 95 years old.<ref name="Joan Lee, Wife of Marvel Comics Legend Stan Lee, Dies at 95">{{cite web |title=Joan Lee, Wife of Marvel Comics Legend Stan Lee, Dies at 95 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/joan-lee-dead-wife-marvel-comics-legend-stan-lee-was-95-1018951 |first=Andy |last=Lewis |date=July 6, 2017 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731194813/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/joan-lee-dead-wife-marvel-comics-legend-stan-lee-was-95-1018951 |archive-date=July 31, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Lee died on November 12, 2018, at [[Cedars-Sinai Medical Center]] in Los Angeles, after being rushed there for a medical emergency earlier in the day.<ref name="NYT-20181112">{{cite news |last1=Kandell |first1=Jonathan |last2=Webster |first2=Andy |title=Stan Lee Is Dead at 95; Superhero of Marvel Comics + Video (05:26) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/obituaries/stan-lee-dead.html |date=November 12, 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=November 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20181112194330/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/obituaries/stan-lee-dead.html |archive-date=November 12, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="StanLeeDeath">{{cite magazine | url= https://variety.com/2018/film/news/stan-lee-dead-dies-marvel-comics-1203026230/ | title= Stan Lee, Marvel Comicbook Legend, Dies at 95 | first= Brian | last= Lowry | date= November 12, 2018 | access-date= November 12, 2018 | magazine= [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181113030944/https://variety.com/2018/film/news/stan-lee-dead-dies-marvel-comics-1203026230/ | archive-date= November 13, 2018 | url-status= live }}</ref><ref name="SLDeath">{{cite news | url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/11/12/stan-lee-comic-books-superheroes-justice-diversity-good-hero-column/1981744002/ | title = Superhero Stan Lee fought for justice and diversity with relatable comic book characters | first = Ken | last = Paulson | date = November 12, 2018 | access-date = November 12, 2018 | newspaper = [[USA Today]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181113075714/https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/11/12/stan-lee-comic-books-superheroes-justice-diversity-good-hero-column/1981744002/ | archive-date = November 13, 2018 | url-status = live }}</ref> Lee had previously been hospitalized for [[pneumonia]] in February of that year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://observer.com/2018/11/stan-lee-cause-of-death-how-did-marvel-stan-lee-die-rip/|title=Marvel Legend Stan Lee Has Passed Away|date=November 12, 2018|work=Observer|access-date=November 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113062143/https://observer.com/2018/11/stan-lee-cause-of-death-how-did-marvel-stan-lee-die-rip/|archive-date=November 13, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The immediate cause of death listed on his death certificate was cardiac arrest with [[respiratory failure]] and [[congestive heart failure]] as underlying causes. It also indicated that he suffered from [[aspiration pneumonia]]. His body was [[cremated]] and his ashes were given to his daughter.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/stan-lees-cause-death-revealed-185641739.html|first=Taryn|last=Ryder|title=Stan Lee's cause of death revealed|date=November 27, 2018|publisher=Yahoo! News|access-date=November 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128073441/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/stan-lees-cause-death-revealed-185641739.html|archive-date=November 28, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Roy Thomas]], who succeeded Lee as editor-in-chief at Marvel, had visited Lee two days prior to his death to discuss the upcoming book ''The Stan Lee Story'' and stated "I think he was ready to go. But he was still talking about doing more cameos. As long as he had the energy for it and didn't have to travel, Stan was always up to do some more cameos. He got a kick out of those more than anything else."<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/stan-lee-my-final-final-saturday-comic-book-icon-1160986 | title = Marvel Veteran Recalls His Final Saturday With Stan Lee | first = Aaron | last = Couch | date = November 13, 2018 | access-date = November 14, 2018 | work = [[The Hollywood Reporter]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181114061505/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/stan-lee-my-final-final-saturday-comic-book-icon-1160986 | archive-date = November 14, 2018 | url-status = live }}</ref> Lee's last words to Thomas was "God bless. Take care of my boy, Roy", leading fans to speculate that he was referring to Spider-Man.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bhatia |first1=Hinakshi |title=While We Barely Recovered From Stan Lee's Death, His Last Words Have Wrecked Us All Over Again |url=https://www.mensxp.com/entertainment/celebrities/48386-we-rsquo-re-still-not-over-stan-lee-rsquo-s-death-his-last-words-have-wrecked-us-all-over-again.html |website=Mens XP |date=November 16, 2018 |access-date=January 3, 2024}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
===Books===
* {{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Stan |last2=Mair |first2=George |year=2002 |title=Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=978-0-7432-2800-8 |ref=LeeMair2002}}
* {{cite book |last=Lee |first=Stan |year=1997 |orig-year=Originally published by Simon & Schuster in 1974 |title=[[Origins of Marvel Comics]] |publisher=Marvel Entertainment Group |isbn=978-0-7851-0551-0}}
* {{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Stan |last2=David|first2=Peter |author2-link=Peter David |year=2015 |title=Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=978-1501107771}}

===Comics bibliography===
Lee's comics work includes:<ref name=gcd>{{Grand Comics Database search|type=writer|search=Stan+Lee}}</ref>

====DC Comics====
* ''[[DC Comics Presents]]: Superman'' #1 (2004)
* ''[[Detective Comics]]'' #600 (1989, text piece)
* ''[[Just Imagine...|Just Imagine]] Stan Lee creating'':
** ''[[Aquaman]]'' (with [[Scott McDaniel]]) (2002)
** ''[[Batman]]'' (with [[Joe Kubert]]) (2001)
** ''[[Catwoman]]'' (with [[Chris Bachalo]]) (2002)
** ''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths|Crisis]]'' (with [[John Cassaday]]) (2002)
** ''[[Flash (comics)|Flash]]'' (with [[Kevin Maguire (artist)|Kevin Maguire]]) (2002)
** ''[[Green Lantern]]'' (with [[Dave Gibbons]]) (2001)
** ''[[JLA (comic book)|JLA]]'' (with [[Jerry Ordway]]) (2002)
** ''[[Robin (comics)|Robin]]'' (with [[John Byrne (comics)|John Byrne]]) (2001)
** ''[[Sandman (DC Comics)|Sandman]]'' (with [[Walt Simonson]]) (2002)
** ''[[Secret Files and Origins]]'' (2002)
** ''[[Captain Marvel (DC Comics)|Shazam!]]'' (with [[Gary Frank (artist)|Gary Frank]]) (2001)
** ''[[Superman]]'' (with [[John Buscema]]) (2001)
** ''[[Wonder Woman]]'' (with [[Jim Lee]]) (2001)

====Marvel Comics====
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' #1–100, 105–110, 116–118 (co-written with [[Gerry Conway]]), ''Annual'' #1–5 (1963-1973); #200 (epilogue), ''Annual'' #18 (1980, 1984); (backup stories): #634–645 (2010–2011)
* ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man (comic strip)|The Amazing Spider-Man]]'', [[Comic strip|strips]] (1977–2018)<ref>{{cite journal|last=Cassell|first=Dewey |date=October 2010|title=One Day at a Time: The Amazing Spider-Man Newspaper Strips|journal=[[Back Issue!]]|issue=44|pages=63–67|quote=Lee has penned ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' newspaper strip since the beginning.}}</ref>
* ''[[The Avengers (comic book)|The Avengers]]'' #1–34 (1963–1966)
* ''[[Captain America (comic book)|Captain America]]'' #100–141 (1968–1971) (continues from ''Tales of Suspense'' #99)
* ''[[Daredevil (Marvel Comics series)|Daredevil]]'', #1–9, 11–50, 53 (story), ''Annual'' #1 (1964–1969)
* ''Daredevil'', vol. 2, #20 (backup story) (2001)
* ''[[Epic Illustrated]]'' #1 (Silver Surfer) (1980)
* ''[[Fantastic Four (comic book)|Fantastic Four]]'' #1–114, 115 (plot), 120–125, ''Annual'' #1–6 (1961–1972); #296 (1986)
* ''[[The Incredible Hulk (comic book)|The Incredible Hulk]]'' #1–6 (1962–1963) (continues to ''Tales to Astonish'' #59)
* ''The Incredible Hulk'', vol. 2, #108–119, 120 (plot) (1968–1969)
* ''[[Journey into Mystery]]'' ([[Thor (Marvel Comics)|Thor]]) plotter #83–96 (1962–1963), writer #97–125, ''Annual'' #1 (1963–1966) (continues to ''Thor'' #126)
* ''[[Thor (comic book)|The Mighty Thor]]'' #126–192, 200, ''Annual'' #1–2, 4 (1966–1972), 385 (1987)
* ''Kissnation'' #1 (1996)
* '' Nightcat'' #1 (1991)
* ''[[Ravage 2099]]'' #1–7 (1992–1993)
* ''[[Savage She-Hulk]]'' #1 (1980)
* ''[[Savage Tales]]'' #1 (1971)
* ''[[Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos]]'' #1–28, ''Annual'' #1 (1963–1966)
* ''[[Silver Surfer (comic book)|Silver Surfer]]'' #1–18 (1968–1970)
* ''Silver Surfer'', vol. 2, #1 (1982)
* ''Silver Surfer: Judgment Day'' (1988) {{ISBN|978-0-87135-427-3}}
* ''Silver Surfer: Parable'' #1–2 (1988–1989)
* ''Silver Surfer: The Enslavers'' (1990) {{ISBN|978-0-87135-617-8}}
* ''[[Solarman]]'' #1–2 (1989–1990)
* ''[[The Spectacular Spider-Man]]'' (magazine) #1–2 (1968)
* ''The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual'' #10 (1990)
* ''[[Strange Tales]]'' (diverse stories): #9, 11, 74, 89, 90–100 (1951–1962); ([[Human Torch]]): #101–109, 112–133, ''Annual'' #2; ([[Doctor Strange]]): #110–111, 115–128, 130-142, 151–157 (1963–1967); [[Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (feature)|Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.]]: #135–147, 150–152 (1965–1967)
* ''[[Tales to Astonish]]'' (diverse stories): #1, 6, 12–13, 15–17, 24–33 (1959–1962); [[Hank Pym|Ant-Man/Giant Man]]: #35–69 (1962–1965); The [[Hulk]]: #59–101 (1964–1968); [[Sub-Mariner]]: #70–101 (1965–1968)
* ''[[Tales of Suspense]]'' (diverse stories): #7, 9, 16, 22, 27, 29–30 (1959–1962); ([[Iron Man]]): plotter #39–46 (1963), writer #47–98 (1963–1968) (Captain America): #59–86, 88–99 (1964–1968)
* ''[[Web of Spider-Man]] Annual'' #6 (1990)
* ''[[What If (comics)|What If]]'' (Fantastic Four) #200 (2011)
* ''[[Uncanny X-Men|The X-Men]]'' #1–19 (1963–1966)
{{div col end}}

====Simon and Schuster====
* ''The Silver Surfer: The Ultimate Cosmic Experience'', 114 pages, September 1978, {{ISBN|978-0-671-24225-1}}

====Other====
* ''[[Heroman]]''
* ''[[How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way]]''
* ''[[Karakuri Dôji Ultimo]]'' (manga original concept)
* ''[[Big Boy Restaurants|Adventures of the Big Boy]]'' (Writer of early comic strips.)

==Accolades==
[[File:President George W. Bush congratulates Stan Lee.jpg|thumb|Stan Lee is congratulated by President [[George W. Bush]] on receiving the [[National Medal of Arts]] in 2008]]
* The [[County of Los Angeles]] and the [[City of Long Beach]] declared October 2, 2009, "Stan Lee Day".<ref name="insidesocal.com">{{cite web |last=Meeks |first=Robert |url= http://www.insidesocal.com/modernmyth/2009/10/its-stan-lee-day.html |title=L.B. Comic Con: It's Stan Lee Day! |publisher=Insidesocal.com |date=October 2, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117183640/http://www.insidesocal.com/modernmyth/2009/10/its-stan-lee-day.html |archive-date=January 17, 2012 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref>
* [[Boston]]'s Mayor [[Marty Walsh]] named August 2, 2015, as "Stan Lee Day" for the city during the annual Boston Comic-Con event.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.boston.com/culture/entertainment/2015/08/02/mayor-walsh-declares-august-1-stan-lee-day | title = Mayor Walsh declares August 1 Stan Lee Day | first = Matt | last = Juul | date = August 2, 2015 | access-date = August 5, 2019 | work = [[The Boston Globe]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190806002758/https://www.boston.com/culture/entertainment/2015/08/02/mayor-walsh-declares-august-1-stan-lee-day | archive-date = August 6, 2019 | url-status = live }}</ref>
* The office of New York City Mayor [[Bill de Blasio]] announced that October 7, 2016, was "Stan Lee Day" for the city during the [[New York Comic Con]] event.<ref name="geek insider nyc">{{cite news | url = https://www.geekinsider.com/excelsior-october-9-2016-becomes-stan-lee-day-iconic-writer-conquers-nycc/ | title = Excelsior! October 9, 2016 Becomes Stan Lee Day as the Iconic Writer Conquers NYCC | first = Tom | last = Herles | date = October 11, 2016 | access-date = August 5, 2019 | work = Geek Insider | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190806002757/https://www.geekinsider.com/excelsior-october-9-2016-becomes-stan-lee-day-iconic-writer-conquers-nycc/ | archive-date = August 6, 2019 | url-status = live }}</ref>
* At the onset of the 2016 [[Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo]] in Los Angeles, the [[Los Angeles City Council]] announced that October 28, 2016, was "Stan Lee Day".<ref>{{cite web | url = https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2016/09/27/la-city-council-dedicates-stan-lee-day/ | title = LA City Council Dedicates Stan Lee Day | date = September 27, 2016 | access-date = August 5, 2019 | work = [[KCAL-TV|KCAL]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190806002757/https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2016/09/27/la-city-council-dedicates-stan-lee-day/ | archive-date = August 6, 2019 | url-status = live }}</ref>
* On July 14, 2017, Lee and [[Jack Kirby]] were named [[Disney Legends]] for their creation of numerous characters that later comprised Disney's [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=McMillan|first1=Graeme|title=Jack Kirby to Be Named 'Disney Legend' at D23 Expo in July|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/jack-kirby-be-named-disney-legend-at-d23-expo-july-1014421|access-date=July 16, 2017|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=July 16, 2017|archive-date=November 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116114602/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/jack-kirby-be-named-disney-legend-at-d23-expo-july-1014421|url-status=live}}</ref>
* On July 18, 2017, as part of D23 Disney Legends event, a ceremony was held at the [[TCL Chinese Theatre]] on [[Hollywood Boulevard]] where Stan Lee imprinted his hands, feet, and signature in cement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/stan-lee-imprints-hands-feet-cement-tcl-chinese/story?id=48706538|title=Stan Lee imprints his hands and feet in concrete at TCL Chinese Theatre|date=July 19, 2017|publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]| archive-date=March 1, 2018| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180301091739/http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/stan-lee-imprints-hands-feet-cement-tcl-chinese/story?id=48706538|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The [[New York City Council]] voted on July 23, 2019, to name a section of University Avenue in the [[Bronx]], between Brandt Place and West 176th Street, as "Stan Lee Way".<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://nypost.com/2019/07/23/city-council-votes-to-name-bronx-street-for-stan-lee/ | title = City Council votes to name Bronx street for Stan Lee | first1 = Rich | last1 = Calder | first2 = Max | last2 = Jaeger | date = July 23, 2019 | access-date = August 5, 2019 | work = [[New York Post]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190806002756/https://nypost.com/2019/07/23/city-council-votes-to-name-bronx-street-for-stan-lee/ | archive-date = August 6, 2019 | url-status = live }}</ref>

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Nominated work
! Result
|-
| 1974
| [[Inkpot Award]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot |title=Inkpot Award |year=2016 |publisher=[[San Diego Comic-Con]]|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170129155249/http://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot |archive-date=January 29, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|
| rowspan="6" {{won}}
|-
| 1994
| [[The Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comic-con.org/awards/hall-fame-awards?page=5 |title=Will Eisner Hall of Fame |year=2014 |publisher=[[Eisner Award|The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110110527/http://www.comic-con.org/awards/hall-fame-awards?page=5 |archive-date=January 10, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|
|-
| 1995
| [[Jack Kirby Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.myfoxla.com/story/23841532/stan-lee-its-all-in-the-cameos-with-marvel-movies|title= Stan Lee: It's All In The Cameos With Marvel Movies |first=Stormy |last=Curry |date=October 31, 2013|publisher= [[KTTV]]|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140313015855/http://www.myfoxla.com/story/23841532/stan-lee-its-all-in-the-cameos-with-marvel-movies |archive-date=March 13, 2014|url-status=dead|df= mdy-all}}</ref>
|
|-
| 2002
| [[Saturn Award]]
| [[The Life Career Award]]
|-
| 2007
| [[Comic Art Professional Society|Sergio Award]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comicsbeat.com/caps-honors-stan/ |title=CAPS Honors Stan |last=MacDonald |first=Heidi |date=November 13, 2007 |website=comicsbeat.com |publisher=Comics Beat |access-date=December 21, 2021 |quote=}}</ref>
|
|-
| 2008
| [[National Medal of Arts]]<ref>{{Cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/17/AR2008111701659.html|title= Stan Lee and Olivia de Havilland Among National Medal of Arts Winners|first= Joel|last= Garreau |date=November 18, 2008 |access-date=February 6, 2016|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url-status=live|archive-date=February 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201011531/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/17/AR2008111701659.html}}</ref>
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|2009
| [[Hugo Award]]<ref name="Hugo09">{{cite web |url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2009-hugo-awards/ |title=2009 Hugo Awards |publisher=World Science Fiction Society |access-date=April 19, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110507164818/http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2009-hugo-awards/ |archive-date=May 7, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation- ''[[Iron Man (2008 film)|Iron Man]]''
| rowspan="1" {{nom}}
|-
| [[2009 Scream Awards|Scream Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/17772 |title= TV: Video Highlights from the 2009 Spike TV Scream Awards|publisher=Bloody-disgusting.com|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121010231341/http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/17772/ |archive-date=October 10, 2012|url-status=live|access-date=April 27, 2010|date= October 21, 2009}}</ref>
| [[San Diego Comic-Con International|Comic-Con]] Icon Award
| rowspan="5" {{won}}
|-
| 2011
| [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Simpson |first=David |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/video-stan-lee-picks-2428th-68294 |title= Video: Stan Lee Picks Up 2,428th Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame |newspaper=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=January 4, 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120602071624/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/video-stan-lee-picks-2428th-68294 |archive-date=June 2, 2012|url-status=live|access-date=September 14, 2012}}</ref>
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|2012
| [[Visual Effects Society Awards]]
| Lifetime Achievement Award
|-
| [[Producers Guild of America]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/stan-lee-spider-man-marvel-vanguard-award-259343 | title=Stan Lee to Receive 2012 Producers Guild Vanguard Award |date=November 9, 2011|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120524151533/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/stan-lee-spider-man-marvel-vanguard-award-259343 |archive-date=May 24, 2012|url-status=live|access-date=March 4, 2012}}</ref>
| Vanguard Award
|-
| 2017
| National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers<ref>{{cite web|title=2016 Awards|url=http://navgtr.org/winners/2016-awards/|publisher=National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers|archive-date=August 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829144612/http://navgtr.org/winners/2016-awards/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| Performance in a Comedy, Supporting
|}

==Fictional portrayals==
{{Further|List of comics creators appearing in comics#Stan Lee}}

===Marvel Comics===
Stan Lee appears in one panel as "third assistant office boy" in ''Terry-Toons'' #12 (September 1943). Stan Lee is featured prominently as a story character in ''Margie'' #36 (June 1947).

He later appears in a mask on the cover of ''Black Rider'' #8 (March 1950), albeit as a character model, not as Stan Lee.

[[File:FF10.jpg|thumb|Lee and Kirby (bottom left) as themselves on the cover of ''[[Fantastic Four|The Fantastic Four]]'' #10 (January 1963). Art by Kirby and [[Dick Ayers]]]]
Lee and Jack Kirby [[List of comics creators appearing in comics|appear as themselves]] in ''[[Fantastic Four|The Fantastic Four]]'' #10 (January 1963), the first of several appearances within the fictional [[Marvel Universe]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/leestanl.htm |title=Stan Lee (as a character) |first=Jeff |last=Christiansen |date=February 15, 2014 |publisher=The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140222092213/http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/leestanl.htm |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> The two are depicted as similar to their real-world counterparts, creating comic books based on the "real" adventures of the Fantastic Four.

Kirby later portrayed himself, Lee, production executive [[Sol Brodsky]], and Lee's secretary [[Flo Steinberg]] as superheroes in ''[[What If (comics)|What If]]'' #11 (October 1978), "What If the Marvel Bullpen Had Become the Fantastic Four?", in which Lee played the role of [[Mister Fantastic]].

Lee was shown in numerous cameo appearances in many Marvel titles, appearing in audiences and crowds at many characters' ceremonies and parties. For example, he is seen hosting an old-soldiers reunion in ''[[Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos]]'' #100 (July 1972), in ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' #169 (June 1977), as a bar patron in ''[[Marvels]]'' #3 (1994),<ref>Brick, Scott (March 2007). "Alex Ross". ''[[Wizard (magazine)|Wizard Xtra!]]''. p. 92.</ref> at [[Karen Page]]'s funeral in ''[[Daredevil (Marvel Comics series)|Daredevil]]'' vol. 2, #8 (June 1998), and as the priest officiating at [[Luke Cage]] and [[Jessica Jones]]' wedding in ''New Avengers Annual'' #1 (June 2006). Lee and Kirby appear as professors in ''[[Marvel Adventures Spider-Man]]'' #19 (2006).

He appears in ''[[Generation X (comics)|Generation X]]'' #17 (July 1996) as a circus ringmaster narrating (in lines written by Lee) a story set in an abandoned circus. This characterization was revived in Marvel's "Flashback" series of titles [[cover-date]]d July 1997, numbered "-1", introducing stories about Marvel characters before they became superheroes.

In ''[[Stan Lee Meets Superheroes]]'' (2007), written by Lee, he comes into contact with some of his favorite creations.<ref name="Richards8242006" />

===DC Comics===
In the first series of ''[[Angel and the Ape]]'' (1968–1969), Lee was parodied as Stan Bragg, editor of Brain-Pix Comics.

Lee was parodied by Kirby in [[Mister Miracle]] in the early 1970s, as [[Funky Flashman]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ugo.com/the-goods/funky-flashman-1|title=Jack Kirby's Greatest WTF Creations|last=Jensen|first=K. Thor|publisher=UGO.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523174927/http://www.ugo.com/the-goods/funky-flashman-1|archive-date=May 23, 2013|url-status=dead|access-date=May 31, 2012}}</ref>

A humorously illustrated Lee briefly appears in ''[[Teen Titans Go! To the Movies]]''. The character is depicted in a cameo, before being informed by another character that is a DC film. Despite DC Comics being a competitor, Lee himself actually provides the voice for the character.

===Other publishers===
Lee and other comics creators are mentioned in [[Michael Chabon]]'s 2000 novel set in the early comics industry ''[[The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chabon |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Chabon |date=2012 |title=The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XIga7RhvVOIC&pg=PA479 |location=New York |publisher=[[Random House]] |page=479 |isbn=978-0-8129-8358-6}}</ref>

Under the name ''Stanley Lieber'', he appears briefly in [[Paul Malmont]]'s 2006 novel ''The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bookgasm.com/features/interviews/qa-paul-malmont/|title= Q&A with ''The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril's'' Paul Malmont |first=Rod |last=Lott |date=July 18, 2006 |publisher=Bookgasm.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118213922/http://www.bookgasm.com/features/interviews/qa-paul-malmont/ |archive-date=January 18, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In [[Lavie Tidhar]]'s 2013 ''The Violent Century'', Lee appears – as ''Stanley Martin Lieber'' – as a historian of superhumans.<ref>{{Cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/25/violent-century-lavie-tidhar-review |title=''The Violent Century'' by Lavie Tidhar – review |first=Stuart |last=Kelly |date=October 25, 2013 |work=[[The Guardian]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031052142/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/25/violent-century-lavie-tidhar-review |archive-date=October 31, 2013 |url-status=live |access-date=January 5, 2014}}</ref>

==Film and television appearances==
{{Further|List of cameo appearances by Stan Lee}}
Lee had cameo appearances in many Marvel film and television projects, including those within the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/stan-lee-marvel-cameos-updated/|title=Stan Lee's Marvellous Cameos&nbsp;– Now With Even More Cameos|first1=Chris|last1=Hewitt|first2=Al|last2=Plumb|website=Empire|access-date=December 7, 2017|date=April 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208123850/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/stan-lee-marvel-cameos-updated/|archive-date=December 8, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> A few of these appearances are self-aware and sometimes reference Lee's involvement in the creation of certain characters.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/stan-lee-cameo-spider-man-homecoming-34-more-films-tv-shows-1018027/item/spider-man-homecoming-2017-1033370|title=Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)—From 'X-Men' to 'Spider-Man': 35 of Stan Lee's Most Memorable Cameos|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=July 19, 2017|access-date=December 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208070628/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/stan-lee-cameo-spider-man-homecoming-34-more-films-tv-shows-1018027/item/spider-man-homecoming-2017-1033370|archive-date=December 8, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> He additionally voiced a cameo appearance as himself in the 2018 [[DC Comics]] movie ''[[Teen Titans Go! To the Movies]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/stan-lee-does-his-first-ever-cameo-in-a-dc-film-with-teen-titans-go-to-the-movies |title=Stan Lee does his first ever cameo in a DC film with Teen Titans GO! To the Movies |last=Bullard |first=Benjamin |date=July 21, 2018 |website=[[Syfy Wire]] |access-date=November 12, 2018 |archive-date=October 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005032541/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/stan-lee-does-his-first-ever-cameo-in-a-dc-film-with-teen-titans-go-to-the-movies |url-status=dead }}</ref> Out of respect for Lee, [[Marvel Studios]] enacted a new policy following his death that forbids cameos by Lee in new films by using archive footage of him,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/simpsons-marvel-loki-short-stan-lee-cameo-al-jean-interview-reaction/|title=The Simpsons Showrunner Reveals What Marvel Wouldn't Let Them Do in Loki-Themed Short|first=Patrick|last=Cavanaugh|date=July 7, 2021|access-date=July 12, 2021|publisher=comicbook}}</ref> with ''[[Avengers: Endgame]]'' (2019) marking his final appearance; the film was released several months after his death.

Lee was featured with his colleagues and family in the 2010 documentary ''With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story'', which explored his life, career, and creations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2012/05/review-with-great-power-the-stan-lee-story-is-breezy-and-somewhat-superficial-but-tons-of-fun-252303/|title=Review: 'With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story' Is Breezy and Somewhat Superficial But Tons of Fun|first=Drew|last=Taylor|publisher=Indiewire|access-date=April 20, 2019|date=May 3, 2012|archive-date=August 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818014212/https://www.indiewire.com/2012/05/review-with-great-power-the-stan-lee-story-is-breezy-and-somewhat-superficial-but-tons-of-fun-252303/|url-status=live}}</ref> A special titled ''Stan Lee'', chronicling the life and legacy of Lee, was released on June 16, 2023, on [[Disney+]]. It was directed by [[David Gelb]] and first premiered at the [[Tribeca Festival]].<ref name="StanLeeDocumentary">{{Cite web |last=Clark |first=Mitchell |date=December 28, 2022 |title=Disney's releasing a Stan Lee documentary in 2023 |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/28/23529646/disney-marvel-stan-lee-documentary-announcement-2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228202124/https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/28/23529646/disney-marvel-stan-lee-documentary-announcement-2023 |archive-date=December 28, 2022 |access-date=December 28, 2022 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref><ref name="StanLeeDocumentaryRelease">{{Cite web |last=Flook |first=Ray |date=April 18, 2023 |title=Stan Lee Doc Set to Hit Disney+ This June; Tribeca FF Premiere Set |url=https://bleedingcool.com/tv/stan-lee-doc-set-to-hit-disney-this-june-tribeca-ff-premiere-set/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419011947/https://bleedingcool.com/tv/stan-lee-doc-set-to-hit-disney-this-june-tribeca-ff-premiere-set/ |archive-date=April 19, 2023 |access-date=April 18, 2023 |website=[[Bleeding Cool]]}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Comics|Film|Speculative fiction}}
{{div col}}
* [[List of American comics creators]]
* [[Lists of American Jews]]
* [[List of Eisner Award winners]]
* [[List of Harvey Award winners]]
* [[List of Jewish American authors]]
* [[List of Marvel Comics people]]
* [[List of pseudonyms]]
* [[List of science-fiction authors]]
* [[With great power comes great responsibility]]
{{div col end}}

==Explanatory notes==
{{Reflist|group=n}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

*

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Jordan |first1=Raphael |last2=Spurgeon |first2=Tom |author-link2=Tom Spurgeon |year=2003 |title=Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book |publisher=[[Chicago Review Press]] |isbn=978-1556525063}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=McLaughlin |editor-first=Jeff |year=2007 |title=Stan Lee: Conversations|publisher=University Press of Mississippi|location= Jackson|isbn=978-1578069859}}
* {{cite book |last=Ro |first=Ronin |year=2005 |orig-year=first published 2004 |title=Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and the American Comic Book Revolution |publisher=Bloomsbury|isbn=978-1582345666}}

==External links==
<!-- Per [[WP:ELMINOFFICIAL]], choose one official website only -->
{{Sister project links|d=Q181900|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|s=no|wikt=no|c=Category:Stan Lee}}
* {{Official website}}
* [http://www.maelmill-insi.de/UHBMCC/naml15.htm#N164 Stan Lee] at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics
* The [https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv636387 Stan Lee papers] at the [[American Heritage Center]]
* {{Comicbookdb|type=creator|id=98}}
* {{ISFDB name|id=Stan_Lee}}
* {{IMDb name|498278}}

'''Videos'''
* {{The Interviews name|stan-lee|Stan Lee}}
* [https://www.webofstories.com/play/stan.lee/1 Stan Lee] at [[Web of Stories]]
* [https://nyti.ms/2z5MtPM ''The Last Word'' – Video (05:26)] (''[[The New York Times]]''; November 12, 2018)

{{S-start}}
{{S-bus}}
{{Succession box|title=[[Marvel Comics#Publishers|Publisher of Marvel Comics]]|before=[[Martin Goodman (publisher)|Martin Goodman]]|after=[[Shirrel Rhoades]]|years=1972&ndash;1996}}
{{Succession box|title=[[Marvel Comics#Editors-in-chief|Marvel Comics editor-in-chief]]|before=[[Joe Simon]]|after=[[Vincent Fago]]|years=1941–1942}}
{{Succession box|title=Marvel Comics editor-in-chief|before=Vincent Fago|after=[[Roy Thomas]]|years=1945–1972}}
{{Succession box|title=''[[Fantastic Four (comic book)|Fantastic Four]]'' writer|before=n/a|after=[[Archie Goodwin (comics)|Archie Goodwin]]|years=1961–1971}}
{{Succession box|title=''Fantastic Four'' writer|before=Archie Goodwin|after=Roy Thomas|years=1972}}
{{Succession box|title=''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' writer|before=n/a|after=Roy Thomas|years=1962–1971}}
{{Succession box|title=''The Amazing Spider-Man'' writer|before=Roy Thomas|after=[[Gerry Conway]]|years=1972–1973}}
{{Succession box|title=''[[The Incredible Hulk (comic book)|The Incredible Hulk]]'' writer<br />(including ''[[Tales to Astonish]]'' stories)|before=n/a|after=[[Gary Friedrich]]|years=1962–1968}}
{{Succession box|title=''The Incredible Hulk'' writer|before=Gary Friedrich|after=Roy Thomas|years=1968–1969}}
{{Succession box|title=''[[Thor (Marvel Comics)|Thor]]'' writer<br />(including ''[[Journey into Mystery]]'' stories)|before=n/a| after=Gerry Conway|years=1962–1971<br />(with [[Larry Lieber]] in 1962)<br />(with [[Robert Bernstein (comics)|Robert Bernstein]] in 1963)}}
{{Succession box|title=''[[The Avengers (comic book)|The Avengers]]'' writer|before=n/a|after=Roy Thomas|years=1963–1966}}
{{Succession box|title=''[[Uncanny X-Men|(Uncanny) X-Men]]'' writer|before=n/a| after=Roy Thomas|years=1963–1966}}
{{Succession box|title=''[[Captain America (comic book)|Captain America]]'' writer<br />(including ''[[Tales of Suspense]]'' stories)|before= n/a|after=Gary Friedrich|years=1964–1971}}
{{Succession box|title=''[[Daredevil (Marvel Comics series)|Daredevil]]'' writer|before=n/a|after=Roy Thomas|years=1964–1969}}
{{end}}
{{Stan Lee|state=expanded}}
{{Navboxes
|title= Awards for Stan Lee
|list1=
{{Disney Legends Awards 2010s}}
{{Inkpot Award 1970s}}
{{The Life Career Award}}
{{National Medal of Arts recipients 2000s}}
}}
{{Navboxes
|title=Stan Lee's Marvel characters
|list1=
{{Ant-Man and Wasp}}
{{Avengers}}
{{Black Panther}}
{{Black Widow (Marvel Comics)}}
{{Brotherhood of Evil Mutants}}
{{Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics)}}
{{Daredevil}}
{{Doctor Strange}}
{{Fantastic Four}}
{{Goblin (Marvel Comics)}}
{{Hawkeye}}
{{Hercules}}
{{Howling Commandos}}
{{Hulk}}
{{Inhumans}}
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{{Ka-Zar}}
{{Man-Thing}}
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{{Peggy Carter}}
{{S.H.I.E.L.D.}}
{{She-Hulk}}
{{Silver Surfer}}
{{Sinister Six}}
{{Skrull}}
{{Spider-Man}}
{{Thor (Marvel Comics)}}
{{X-Men}}
}}
{{Marvel Comics|state=collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

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