The death of Stan Lee has essentially brought the internet to a halt. The Marvel figurehead and legendary writer/editor co-created dozens of the most recognizable, iconic, and marketable characters of the last 60 years. While Lee was an early adopter of the idea that comic book superheroes could and should thrive in other media, it seems unlikely that even he could have envisioned the kind of runaway success that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has enjoyed over the last decade, taking superheroes (and specifically Marvel superheroes) from a niche genre to one of the most dominant forces in all of pop culture.
With his passing has come a tremendous outpouring of support from the writers, directors, actors, and artists who have brought the creations of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and others to a far larger audience then they ever would have reached had they remained on the comics page.
Kevin Feige:
Chris Evans:
Robert Downey Jr.:
Samuel L. Jackson:
Russo Brothers:
Joss Whedon:
Scott Derrickson:
Anthony Mackie:
Josh Brolin:
Tom Holland:
Sebastian Stan:
Jamie Alexander:
Evangelline Lily:
Angela Bassett:
Rosario Dawson:
Winston Duke:
David Dastmalchian:
Karl Urban:
Kat Dennings:
Jason Aaron:
And yes, even Marvel’s competition is mourning the passing of Stan Lee.
Geoff Johns:
Mike Cecchini is the Editor in Chief of Den of Geek US. You can read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @wayoutstuff.