Stan Lee is no more. With his death we've lost an icon of contemporary pop-culture who's influence on our collective consciousness is of a magnitude far surpassing that of any super power wielded by his fantastical creations.
Stan Lee, 1922 - 2018
source: Wikimedia Commons
In recent years Stan Lee was that funny old man who appeared for a few seconds in every film released in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). To be clear, he didn't create our favorite superheroes all by himself; co-writers and artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko particularly, were also responsible for the birth of household names like Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, and Ant-Man.
The comic book is for a lot of us the ultimate form of escapism; who hasn't fantasized what it would be like to have some sort of superpower, to be invincible. The attraction to serve one's own interests would be huge, I imagine, but Stan's creations use their super powers for the good of the common folks; they are, essentially, deities watching over us, protecting us from all sorts of evil. Now, I won't argue that these comics are high literature, but it can't be denied that they do carry some strong and important moral ideas, like "with great power comes great responsibility", a lesson our friendly neighborhood spiderman learned from his dying uncle.
During his life, Stan Lee was also very concerned and outspoken about the evils of hatred and racism. Now, after his death on November 12th 2018 at the age of 95, a column he wrote in the year I was born has resurfaced on Twitter, and would like to share it with you:
"Stan's Soapbox" column, 1968
source: Reddit
Stan's characters represented the best of us, the best in us. And although they were bigger than life, gifted with fantastical powers and completely unrealistic, we could all learn from their morals and their unwillingness to stop doing what's right and just. How many times have these superheroes inspired someone somewhere to simply do what's right. To not take the easy way out, but to overcome obstacles to reach a goal that's greater than just themselves? We'll never know.
"You know, my motto is 'Excelsior.' That's an old word that means 'upward and onward to greater glory.' It's on the seal of the state of New York. Keep moving forward, and if it's time to go, it's time. Nothing lasts forever."
Stan Lee, Playboy
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