We here at Respawning were very sad to learn of the passing of Stan Lee last night. A pure genius who created one of the greatest and largest universes that has gone on to become arguably the greatest of movie franchises as well as a source for many amazing games, series and obviously comics. This man embodied nerdiness and Fandom and truly left his mark on the world. We all just wanted to write a few words on what Marvel and Stan meant to us.
Javier
This is a weird one for me as I think this is the only celebrity death which has actually made me feel sad. I have a large canvas of him next to my desk at work as we were all asked to pick someone we admire, someone we look up to. And Stan Lee was the first and only person I thought of.
The main reason is that if it wasn’t for him and the characters he created I don’t know what i’d do in my spare time. Apart from video games my other main hobby is comic books and any Marvel related shows. From a young age I’ve been watching Spider-Man, Xmen ,iron man etc and these 90s cartoons made me the massive nerd I am today. I then picked up some comic books and never looked back.
The other reason is just that he was a great man, he did a hell of a lot for charity and had an amazing mind for creativity and business. He kept Marvel afloat through many challenges and kept it alive until it became the powerhouse it is today. We all dream of achieving something as great as he did and I know he will be missed.
Excelsior Stan Lee, you were one of a kind.
Luke
I was quite bullied in my school years and suffered quite a bit during school at being a “nerd” and an outcast and felt that because I was different I had no place – It wasn’t until I picked up my first Spider-man comic that I realised being different made me special.
That is the impact that Stan Lee (And Ditko obviously) had on my life and whilst I will keep this short – it doesn’t speak for how much better I am for you having existed.
Exelsior.
William
Like Luke has mentioned school was tough! Though for me it was because I had a habit of confronting bullies and I hung out with the losers and outcasts. And why did I decided to always stand up for people?
Spider-Man. Stan Lee created the perfect hero for everyone to look up too and we all have so much to thank him for! Name a marvel hero and that man had a hand in it if he didn’t just create them himself! He will be missed but I’ve got no doubt he’s looking back down on what he’s done with pride. Do you agree? True believers?
Clarissa
Stan Lee was a creative genius. Someone with a vast and incredible imagination who dared to dream. He’s bought so much joy into so many lives and he will be dearly missed. Future Marvel films just won’t feel the same without his cameos. He’s left one vast multiverse sized legacy behind to fill!
Rest in peace
Excelsior
Will
We all recognize what Stan Lee did directly with his work- helping to create such brilliant characters as the Fantastic 4, Spider-Man, Captain America, and countless others, and in the process establishing one of the business that would go on to define three generations (so far!) of entertainment for kids and adults alike- eventually culminating in the MCU, which I’ll be damned, it’s surpassed Star Wars within my generation in terms of cultural reach, and they’re the films we’ll be sticking on at Christmas for years to go.
But we haven’t stopped to think of the true reach of Stan Lee’s work- the true mark he’s left on the world.
Without Stan Lee, Superheroes might not even have been a thing. Without superheroes, comics would be even more of a niche than they already are today- and as a result, there’d be a whole generation of artists today who’d never have made it, or maybe would never have even gotten into art in the first place. I’m no Da Vinci, but I love to draw and I never would have picked the pen up as an adult if I hadn’t grown up surrounded by Spider-Man, Bionicles, and Gorillaz: NONE of which would exist without comics, and therefore never would have existed without Stan Lee.
Thank you, old man.