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Given name -

Stan Lee’s given name was Stanley Martin Lieber.

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Origin - He was born on December 28, 1922 in New York City.

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Parents - His parents were from Romania. His father was a dressmaker by trade, but due to the Great Depression he had little work.

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Brother -

Lee had one brother, named Larry Lieber. Lieber also works for Marvel Comics, and co-created Thor, Ant-Man, and Iron Man.

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Inspiration - Lee was inspired by movies starring a heroic Errol Flynn (pictured).

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Federal Theatre Project - Lee joined the Federal Theatre Project after high school. It was a program that funded entertainment programs during the Great Depression.

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Previous jobs - In his youth, Lee held various jobs. He wrote obituaries and press releases, delivered sandwiches, ushered, and sold newspaper subscriptions.

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Timely Comics -

Owned by Martin Goodman, a comic book publisher, Lee got a job at Timely Comics thanks to some family ties. This publication eventually became what we now know as Marvel Comics.

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The beginning - While he started by generally being an office assistant, Lee worked on his first comic in 1941. It was the third issue of Captain America, and included his first trademark shield toss.

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Pen name vs legal name - Lee stated in his autobiography that he used this pen name because he had intended for his given name only to be used for more serious work. Eventually, he legally changed his name to the pseudonym.

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Promotion - When the former editors left the company due to a dispute with Goodman, he put Lee into the role of editor. It was supposed to be a temporary position, as he was only 19 at the time, but it turned into a permanent one.

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Army - Lee served in the United States Army from 1942 to 1945. According to his book, he was one of nine men in the army to be given the title of “playwright.”

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The Golden Age of Comic Books -

Taking place from the late 1930s to the 1950s, this is when modern comics were said to have been developed. During this time, Lee co-created the characters Jack Frost and Father Time.

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Superhero revival -

During the late 1950s, DC was experiencing great success with the revival of superheroes. Subsequently, Lee was assigned to come up with his own superhero team.

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Fantastic Four - The first team that he created was the Fantastic Four, with artist Jack Kirby. It was an incredible success.

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Character creation - After this great success, Kirby and Lee (and often his brother, Lieber) teamed up to create a slew of other characters, including the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, and the X-Men.

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The Hulk -

The Hulk was actually supposed to be gray. However, there was a problem with the printing ink, and he ended up green.

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Bob… I mean Bruce - Lee once accidentally wrote “Bob Banner” instead of “Bruce Banner” in one of the Hulk comics. He ended up backtracking, and revealing that his first name was actually Robert, or “Bob,” but he chose to go by Bruce.

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Co-creators -

Other than Jack Kirby, Lee collaborated with Bill Everett to create Daredevil, and Steve Ditko to create Doctor Strange and Spider-Man.

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Making a difference - Lee believed that comic books should be used for social commentary.

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Marriage - On December 5, 1947, Lee married Joan Clayton Boocock. He was married to her for 70 years, until her passing in July 2017 at 95 years old.

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‘Spider-Man' typewriter - His wife once got so angry with him during a fight that she destroyed the original typewriter he used to write 'Spider-Man.'

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Children - Lee and his wife had two children. One daughter, Jan Lee, passed away just a few days after birth. However, his other daughter, Joan Celia Lee (J.C. Lee, pictured) is an actress and producer.

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Publisher - In 1972, Lee took over for Goodman as publisher of the company.

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California - In 1981, Lee moved to California. He wanted to develop Marvel Comics for the big screen.

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The first film - The first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie that came out was 'Iron Man' (2008), starring Robert Downey Jr.

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Cameos - Stan Lee frequently showed up on the screen in his films and TV programs, boasting more than 30 cameos.

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Favorite cameo - He said that his favorite cameo was in 'Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer' (2007), as it was based on the original comics.

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Motto -

Lee was known to use New York’s state motto (“Excelsior!”) as his trademark sign off.

See also: Illustrated marvels: The history of the comic book

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