Today would have been the 100th birthday of Stanley Martin Lieber, better known as iconic Marvel comics writer, editor, publisher, and producer Stan Lee.
Lee is best known for being essentially the architect of Marvel Comics, serving as the company’s primary creative leader for two decades. He created and co-created (alongside Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby) some of the label’s most famous characters, including Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Doctor Strange, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man, Daredevil, Black Panther and more.
Lee also helped define a more naturalistic approach to superheroes, trying to ground Marvel Comics’ title in a more real-world setting and dealing with more real-life issues, and helped expand the company from a small publishing house division to a major global multimedia corporation.
Lee’s work also stretched beyond Marvel to such titles as the adult animated series “Stripperella” starring Pamela Anderson, a reality series and comics for other outlets – including DC Comics, where he reimagined much of the core Justice League for the Elseworlds style “Just Imagine” comic line.
Following his retirement from Marvel in the 1990s, Lee remained a public figurehead for the company and was known for his cameo appearances in films and television shows based on Marvel characters.
To mark today’s occasion, Marvel and the Walt Disney Company have announced that a documentary is in the works about Lee’s life. Simply titled “Stan Lee,” a short video on Disney’s YouTube channel revealed the project’s existence.
There is no further information about the film, such as the film’s core creative team or the potential onscreen participants, but it is expected to be released on the service sometime next year.
