A Tribute to Stan Lee

“He is such a genius. He made the Avengers, and Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four. He was a really great comic book writer, and for me, the movies that he produced were truly a part of my childhood. I remember watching the first Spider-Man with Tobey Maguire even though it wasn’t Marvel—I think it was Sony. Now you see every kid wearing Captain America costumes. I look up to these heroes now. The fact that he made up these and that he gave people a role model and a figure to look to when you think of a hero that’s really strong is really amazing.” —Stephy Chen, sophomore

“I have only read a few of the Avengers comics, but I've watched almost every single Marvel movie that has come out. When I was little, I was really into the Spider-Man trilogy with Tobey Maguire. It's the series that got me into Marvel. I wouldn't watch anything else when I was little. As I grew older, I watched the other movies and the TV shows as they came out. I haven't made comics since I can't really draw, but it's hard to imagine what I would've been like if Stan Lee didn't exist, since he created Spider-Man. He was my doorway into imagination.” —Aiswariya Suresh, senior

“Stan Lee has actually made a pretty significant impact on my life. His characters in the [Marvel Cinematic Universe] (MCU) are generally great and inspire me to be the best person I can be, and they have shaped who I am as a person at this time. Captain America is my favorite. He tries to do whatever he believes is right even if it is not generally accepted. He will still do what he feels is right and try to save everyone no matter how impossible that is.” —Jason Ye, junior

“Stan Lee created superheroes, and superheroes inspire me to be a better person and to push ahead whenever times get hard. Death is inevitable, but Stan Lee lived to an old age, and he did see his work impact others.” —Athena Lam, sophomore

“It’s sad, of course. But Stan Lee was 95. He did a lot of good work in the realm of superheroes, and he got to see the evolution of his ideas into movies.” —Naomi Khanna, sophomore

“I grew up watching Stan Lee’s work. Some of my best memories are watching the Avengers and other products of his work. He brought comics to a whole new level of popularity. It’s sad that the last time we’ll ever see him is next year in ‘Avengers: Annihilation.’” —Daniel Lin, junior

“Stan Lee took a pretty big role in creating Marvel and I feel like Marvel movies won’t ever be the same again. He played a strong role in my form of entertainment and I feel that he was a nice person to get to know. He had such a creative mind and was able to include us in it. We just lost someone who makes life more enjoyable.” —Kevin Lu, junior

“Stan Lee created characters that I came to love growing up. The heroes he created have amazing powers, but they are still human, and they have to deal with all of the difficulties of balancing those two sides. His stories allow people to see parts of themselves and relate to the heroes, maybe even strive to be more like them. Characters like Spider-Man had to deal with money problems, bullying, grades, and his love life all while fighting criminals under a secret identity. It isn’t just because he has a cool suit that I became interested in his stories. Not only were Stan’s stories relatable, they were filled with wonder and fantasy. They ranged from Nordic gods to blind lawyers, billionaires, African kings, and everything in between. I found it so easy to get lost in this world he created because it seemed like every type of story you could think of was there. Whenever I went to see Marvel movies, it was cool to see Lee cameo in them, as if he [was] still involved in the stories and was watching over them. It breaks my heart to know that I will no longer see him participate in the universe he created. Fortunately, Lee’s legacy will live on as future generations discover his spectacular world of super heroes.” —Stefan Manafov, junior