If you have no idea who Stan Lee is … well, you can stop reading now … that’s OK.
On the other hand, if you do know who is he, then you will know that he is now 91 and still rolling as he always did … (yes, OK, my inner geek is popping out and taking me in a completely different direction today).
If you are still wondering “Who? … then I guess I better explain. He is essentially (perhaps) the prime architect of your entire childhood and all the dreams associated with it.
Huh?
OK, I’ll spell it out a bit … he is a comic book writer, editor, publisher, media producer, television host, actor, voice actor and former president and chairman of Marvel Comics, or to put all that another way, he invented and dreamed up Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Thor, X-Men, and many others, and so here is the man himself …
Oh and least you wonder, he is also a rather decent human being as well. He started the Stan Lee Foundation with a 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.
He also has a wonderful sense of humor and enjoys the various cameos and will often, in a rather Hitchcock style, pop up in the various Marvel movies. For example …
| 2000 | X-Men | Hotdog Stand Vendor | Cameo |
| 2002 | Spider-Man | Man Saving Girl | Cameo |
| 2003 | Daredevil | Man Crossing Street | Cameo |
| Hulk | Security Guard | Cameo | |
| 2004 | Spider-Man 2 | Man Saving Innocent Person | Cameo |
| Comic Book: The Movie | Himself | Cameo | |
| 2005 | Fantastic Four | Willie Lumpkin | Cameo |
| 2006 | X-Men: The Last Stand | Waterhose Man | Cameo |
| 2007 | Spider-Man 3 | Man in Times Square | Cameo |
| Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer | Himself | Cameo | |
| 2008 | Iron Man | Himself (Hugh Hefner) | Cameo |
| The Incredible Hulk | Hapless Citizen | Cameo | |
| 2010 | Iron Man 2 | Himself (Larry King) | Cameo |
| 2011 | Thor | Pickup Truck Driver | Cameo |
| Captain America: The First Avenger | General | Cameo | |
| 2012 | The Avengers | Random Citizen | Cameo |
| The Amazing Spider-Man | Librarian | Cameo | |
| 2013 | Iron Man 3 | Beauty Pageant Judge | Cameo |
| 2013 | Thor: The Dark World | Mental ward patient (credited as “Himself”) | Cameo |
Oh OK, one final question might also pop up (in the context of my blog) … Is he a theist? … in a word Nope.
So anyway, if you happen to find yourself with a glass of something at sometime in the next day or two, then do take a moment to raise it quietly and salute the author of your childhood dreams, and wish him a happy, but slightly belated, 91st birthday.
Links
- Buzzfeed have 16 Reasons Why We Love Stan Lee
- The Washington Post also has an article here wishing him a HappyBirthday.