Excelsior: Celebrating the 101st Birth Anniversary of Stan Lee

101 years ago, on 28th December 1922, the legendary comic book writer Stan Lee was born. With his creativity and ingenuity, he changed the world of popular culture and entertainment by creating comic characters such as Iron Man, Hulk, Spiderman and many more. 

Born in a small family in Manhattan, New York, Stan Lee was originally named Stanley Martin Leiber. Since childhood, he showed a keen interest in writing and was fascinated by the exciting world of fiction. Stan Lee’s parents, Jack and Celia Leiber, were immigrants who moved to the USA from Romania. 

To support his family, Stan Lee took up delivering papers, writing obituaries and such. In 1939, he was hired by the Timely Comics as an office assistant. The Timely Comic was the publishing house that evolved to become the Marvel Comics we know today. Stan Lee’s first breakthrough came from the creation of the Fantastic Four, and later he went on to create many more such spectacular characters. 

Stan Lee first appeared in the 1989 movie, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk in a short role. After that, he became a regular appearance in every Marvel or Marvel-related movie. Soon, he became the face of the Marvel Comics. Also, unknown to many, Stan Lee worked for Marvel’s competing Detective Comics (DC).  

On 12th November 2018, Stan Lee passed away at the age of 95. His 100th birth anniversary was celebrated in 2022, with love pouring in from fans and celebrities alike. Stan Lee’s legacy continues to thrive to date, as his works live in the heart of millions of fans.