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VIDEO: Marvel Comics91Ƶ Stan Lee dies

Marvel co-creator was well-known for making cameo appearances in superhero movies

Stan Lee, the creative dynamo who revolutionized the comic book and helped make billions for Hollywood by introducing human frailties in superheroes such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Incredible Hulk, died Monday. He was 95.

Lee was declared dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to Kirk Schenck, an attorney for Lee91Ƶs daughter, J.C. Lee.

As the top writer at Marvel Comics and later as its publisher, Lee was widely considered the architect of the contemporary comic book. He revived the industry in the 1960s by offering the costumes and action craved by younger readers while insisting on sophisticated plots, college-level dialogue, satire, science fiction, even philosophy.

Millions responded to the unlikely mix of realistic fantasy, and many of his characters, including Spider-Man, the Hulk and X-Men went on to become stars of blockbuster films. Recent projects he helped make possible range from the films 91ƵBlack Panther91Ƶ and 91ƵDoctor Strange91Ƶ to such TV series as 91ƵAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D91Ƶ and 91ƵGuardians of the Galaxy.91Ƶ

In this Jan. 10, 1976, file photo, Stan Lee, standing, publisher of Marvel Comics, discusses a "Spiderman" comic book cover with artist John Romita at Marvel headquarters in New York.
91ƵI think everybody loves things that are bigger than life. 91Ƶ I think of them as fairy tales for grown-ups,91Ƶ he told The Associated Press in a 2006 interview. 91ƵWe all grew up with giants and ogres and witches. Well, you get a little bit older and you91Ƶre too old to read fairy tales. But I don91Ƶt think you ever outgrow your love for those kind of things, things that are bigger than life and magical and very imaginative.91Ƶ

Lee considered the comic-book medium an art form and he was prolific: By some accounts, he came up with a new comic book every day for 10 years.

91ƵI wrote so many I don91Ƶt even know. I wrote either hundreds or thousands of them,91Ƶ he told the AP in 2006.

He hit his stride in the 1960s when he brought the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Spider-Man, Iron Man and numerous others to life.

His heroes, meanwhile, were a far cry from virtuous do-gooders such as rival DC Comics91Ƶ Superman.

The Fantastic Four fought with each other. Spider-Man was goaded into superhero work by his alter ego, Peter Parker, who suffered from unrequited crushes, money problems and dandruff. The Silver Surfer, an alien doomed to wander Earth91Ƶs atmosphere, waxed about the woeful nature of man. The Hulk was marked by self-loathing. Daredevil was blind and Iron Man had a weak heart.

91ƵThe beauty of Stan Lee91Ƶs characters is that they were characters first and superheroes next,91Ƶ Jeff Kline, executive producer of the 91ƵMen in Black91Ƶ animated television series, told The Blade of Toledo, Ohio, in 1998.

Lee91Ƶs wife and partner in nearly everything, Joan Lee, died on July 6, 2017.

He is survived by his daughter, Joanie, and a younger brother who also worked in comics, Larry Lieber.

The Associated Press

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In this April 11, 2012, file photo,Stan Lee arrives at the premiere of The Avengers in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)


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