Stan Lee, creator of some of comics books’ most enduring characters and the former president of Marvel Comics, has died aged 95. Lee created The Fantastic Four, Spiderman, The Incredible Hulk and X-Men among others.
As a writer and editor charged with keeping multiple stories going at the same time, Lee wove them together into a seamless fictional world where Iron Man could join forces with the Fantastic Four, and Captain America could find himself a wedding guest alongside Doctor Strange.
In its heyday, Marvel sold 50 million copies a year. Until he retired from editing in 1971, Lee wrote all the copy for Marvel’s covers. He was also known for making a cameo in every Marvel film. His characters brought the humans behind the heroes to life for the first time. Lee’s daughter has paid tribute to her father, describing him as “the greatest, most decent man”.