Happy Birthday to the Creator, the Man, THE Stan Lee!
Stanley Martin Lieber had simple beginnings. He was born in New York City in 1922, a prolific year in which ground was broke on Yankee Stadium, the Irish Civil War began, Benito Mussolini gained power, and the Ottoman Empire broke apart.
Times were tough, especially for a small immigrant family living in Manhattan, but they made it. Stanley got to work at a young age doing various jobs including writing obituaries and press releases. At 16/12, he graduated from high school and went on to work at Timely Comics, a division that would later become the powerhouse known as Marvel.
His official debut into the comics world would come in 1941, when he was just 18 years old. He wrote the text filler for Captain America Comics #3, “Captain America Foils the Traitor’s Revenge” (a comic listed as being worth $24,000 on ComicBookRealm.com). He has used the name “Stan Lee” from that first comic and has since adopted it as his legal name. So, in honor of the man who, even at a vintage of 89 is the brilliant face of the comic book world, we here at SciFi4Me have decided to put together something of a “where would the world be without Stan Lee?”
Without Stan Lee…
The only cinematic outlet for comic book nerds would be movies like Green Lantern, Jonah Hex, and (the best of this list) Batman movies.
Sheldon Cooper, B.S., M.S., M.A., Ph.D., Sc.D. would have one less restraining order to hang on his wall.
Mallrats would be without its most epic scene!
Genetic mutation would be a novelty of science fiction.
Emma Frost would be a lot less…well, a lot less and gritty underworlds would be a lot more squeaky clean.
Superheroes would be the same infallible (i.e. boring) guys in capes year in and year out.
Thor would simply be the Norse God of Thunder.
“Iron Man” would just be known as the song from Black Sabbath’s second studio album.
Captain America would not have his signature shield throw.
Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko might not have been as well known…at least not outside of the comic book world.
Eureka would’ve been without the services of Doctor Generalissimo Lee!
Two words: Spider who?
No Stan Lee, no Stan Lee’s Superhumans.
The number 4 would be a lot less Fantastic.
The words “Hulk Smash” would simply be that of crazy people…no five-year-olds included.
Alfred Hitchcock would have no rival to his cameo claim to fame!
No Daredevil, no Jennifer Garner as Electra.
Artists? Creators? This stuff isn’t generated by monkeys?
The so-called “Marvel Method” would be a lot less, well, methodical, to say the least.
And, of course, there would be no Stan Lee Foundation.
So, needless to say, I wouldn’t want to live in a world without Stan Lee. ‘Nuff said.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Lee! and, until next time, Geek on!
