Spectacular. Amazing. Ultimate.
These words are used to describe Spider Man and many other Marvel heroes but can also describe Stan Lee himself.
Unfortunately, we lost the legendary comic creator due to cardiac arrest triggered by respiratory and congestive heart failure on November 12 at the age of 95, according to People and TMZ.
“Stan Lee had a great imagination and it’s sad he passed away,”said Aaron White, Delta College student.
Lee was a co-creator of many iconic Marvel Comics characters, including Spider-Man, the Hulk and the X-Men. These comics have been around for years before the shows and movies and has become a common ground that creates bonds beyond time. To test this theory all someone has to do is go watch a Marvel movie in a movie theatre.
Stan Lee helped creating a world that took people out of their day to day lives to a world where criminals are caught by bystanders-turned-heroes.
Everyone has a different type of hero who they admire. Whether it is Captain America with his heart of gold and his need to protect his country, or genius billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark who tries to right his and his family’s wrongs by fighting for the people who he unintentionally hurt.
“I grew up watching the original Spider Man movies … and watching Avengers for the first time after a long buildup of marvel movies made me very happy,” said Ernest Espiritu, Delta College student.
Many people, Marvel fan or not, could probably recognize Lee from his cameos in any Marvel movie from the 2000s and up.
He first live action cameo was in “The Trial of the Incredible Hulk” and his first cinematic Marvel Cameo was as a hot dog vendor in “X-Men” in 2000 according to Insider.
His cameos were long a fixture of Marvel films, and Lee could regularly be seen in their margins. They were often brief and comedic, like in “Iron Man,” where Tony Stark when Tony Stark pats him and calls him Heff. But they could have wider plot implications and nods to his fans, like in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” where his character was seen giving information to the Watchers. Watchers are extraterrestrials who are committed to observing and compiling knowledge on all aspects of the universe without any interference according to marvel.wikia.com.
This followed online speculation by his fans over whether Lee’s many varied appearances might have a deeper meaning.
Lee’s cameos didn’t limit themselves to Marvel, either. Surprisingly, he showed up in “Teen Titans Go: The Movie” — a product of rival comics giant DC. He was also briefly seen in Disney’s “Wreck It Ralph: Ralph Breaks the Internet.”
“The most memorable thing about him to me were all his cameos. They always brought a smile to my face. I liked his cameo in ‘Big Hero 6!’,” said Paola Maciel, Delta College student.
These cameos are more than just him making people laugh but helped people feel closer to a person who offered you escape and taught you life lessons in color.
Marvel lost their co-creator but fans lost a hero.
The legend left but he did many great things and it’s safe to say he lived a full life.
“And I think the movies won’t be different at all, I think that Marvel will do their best to respect and live up to Mr. Stan Lee’s expectations,” said Espiritu.