What a life Marvel legend Stan Lee lived! A son, brother, husband, father, creator, veteran…… and just a great person. His creativity has touched so many lives. Not just a large percentage of people in America but a large percentage of people in the entire world. You could travel to China wearing a Marvel character shirt, meet someone who has either read the same comic or watched the same movie, and become instant friends regardless of any cultural or language barriers. Stan Lee believed every person had the strength within them to do the right thing. He regularly used his characters and stories to  highlight society’s issues and help us find a better way.

“Let’s lay it right on the line. Bigotry and racism are among the deadliest social ills plaguing the world today. But, unlike a team of costumed super-villains, they can’t be halted with a punch in the snoot or a zap from a ray gun. The only way to destroy them, is to expose them – to reveal from the insidious evil they really are.” — Stan’s Soapbox, 1968

“Another definition of a hero is someone who is concerned about other people’s well-being, and will go out of his or her way to help them – even if there is no chance of a reward. That person who helps others simply because it should or must be done, and because it is the right thing to do, is indeed without a doubt a real superhero” — Stan Lee interview, Cyperspacers.com, 2004

Our world is a better place because Stan Lee was in it and we’re now poorer having lost him. Excelsior, Stan – onward and upward. May we all be the real superheroes, holding down the fort now that you’ve joined your beloved Joanie. Thanks for all the fun.