So... Stanley Martin Lieber, a.k.a., Stan Lee, the guy who's cameoed in damn near every single Marvel Comics films, was the founder and former president of Marvel Comics, has passed away...
I've spent the last couple of days reflecting on this whole event, feeling down in the dumps along with the rest of the pop culture world that's surely mourning his death...
But, I think this needs to be said;
...
Please hear me out on this;
While it's sad that he is gone from this world, we should also take heart and comfort in the knowledge that he has lived one of the most exciting, amazing-filled life that, he probably never expected to happen to him.
Stan Lee brought countless hours of entertainment, joy and happiness to many people all over the world with the stories and characters he created...
And we, the comic book readers and collectors, the movie fans, the gamers, the cosplayers, the nerds, the geeks, the LARPers, the con-goers, and the fans in general, have brought countless hours of entertainment, joy and happiness to Stan Lee in return...
Whether it was meeting him at a convention, looking for his latest cameo in a Marvel film, tv show, cartoon, internet webisode or videogame, buying and collecting his comics, autographs and memorabilia, investing money into some of his personal pet projects that he was working on before he died, or just getting a chance to meet him in person, even if only for a short time, or even if it was through his creations that inspired us to become artists and comic book writers, I don't think any of us can deny that we all had a huge, positive impact on his life.
Even if you never got to meet or see him at a convention, even if you've never seen any of the movies he cameo'ed in, and even if you never owned a Marvel comic book, but rather, read them at your local comic shop, I'd still consider that as having a positive impact upon Stan Lee, along with the positive impact he left upon all of us.
So while many of us consider him as a hero for everything that he has contributed to the world...
...I think that all of us, in turn, are heroes to him as well. For giving him the best, and most exciting, amazing, fulfilling, and, dare I say it, action-packed life that he has ever lived, or could ever ask for.
That is my message to all of you today;
While Stan Lee was our hero and our idol, and we will truly miss him, his catchphrases and his appearances in the entertainment media, let's not forget that in a way, all of us are his heroes too. For giving his characters a chance, for making them into the household pop culture phenomenon that they and their universes have become, and for making his life into the amazing journey that he got to experience.
So even though many of us are still grieving for his passing, I hope what I've written here today will help perk your spirits up.
And in closing;
Rest in Peace, Stanley Martin Lieber, a.k.a.; Stan Lee.
And for one last time...
Excelsior!
