Stan Lee

Stan Lee Headshot

Comic Book Writer • Producer

Birth Date: December 28, 1922

Death Date: November 12, 2018

Birth Place: New York City, New York

Stan Lee rose from a comic book writer into a global icon, famous for his superhero creations. A New York native, he began working as an assistant at Timely Comics in 1939. He worked his way into writing, beginning with an issue of "Captain America." He moved into editing while only 19, before leaving to serve in the Army during World War II. Despite his military commitments, Lee continued working on Timely titles from afar. Upon returning to civilian life, he worked on a variety of titles, and for a period wrote the newspaper comic strip "My Friend Irma." After the publisher became known as Marvel Comics, he was charged by his boss to come up with a superhero team that would rival DC Comics' Justice League of America. He joined with artist Jack Kirby to create The Fantastic Four comic book that debuted in 1961. The style of writing, with the characters that didn't always get along and struggled with knowing what the right thing was to do, was markedly different from what had come before. The success of the title kicked off an unprecedented creative outburst with Lee working with a team of artists to create new superheroes, including The Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Daredevil, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and The X-Men. Much like the DC team of heroes, the Marvel characters became joined in a group configuration called The Avengers. Lee became the voice of the comic books for legions of fans thanks to his letters to the editor forum that ran in issues, along with his column "Stan's Soapbox." He pushed his comics to deal with real issues, like racism and drug abuse. Even after largely stepping away from the day-to-day running of Marvel in the 1980s, Lee continued to act as the face of the company, making public appearances at fan conventions and tradeshows. Apart from Marvel, he worked on a variety of projects, typically under the umbrella of his companies, Stan Lee Media and POW! Entertainment. Among his most successful non-Marvel creations was the animated series "Stripperella" (Spike TV, 2003-04), with the lead character voiced by Pamela Anderson. Despite having been the creative force behind their chief competition, he partnered with DC Comics in 2001 and 2002 on a series of comic books where Lee put his own spin on the company's stable of superheroes, including Batman and Superman. He also became a recognized figure in pop culture thanks to his cameo appearances in the Marvel films, starting with "X-Men" (2000) and ending with "Avengers: Endgame" (2019). His acting extended beyond Marvel, though, as he popped up on films such as Kevin Smith's "Mallrats" (1995) and television shows like "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS, 2007-19). Not limited to strictly on-screen work, he lent his voice to several animated projects, Marvel-related and otherwise, including "The Simpsons" (Fox, 1989- ). He also hosted the television shows "Who Wants to Be a Superhero?" (Sci-Fi Channel, 2006-07) and "Stan Lee's Superhumans" (History, 2010-14). Lee died at the age of 95 in Los Angeles on November 12, 2018.

Credits

X-Men '97Stream

Creator
Series
2024
98%

X-Men '97Stream

Writer (Comic Book)
Series
2024
98%

SlugfestStream

Self
Docuseries
2021

TV Special Featurette: Black Panther

Host
Show
2021

Superhero Kindergarten

Creator
Show
2021

Panda vs. Aliens

Executive Producer
Movie
2021

Clerk

Self
Movie
2021

Marvel's Spider-Man: Maximum Venom

Co-Executive Producer
Show
2020

The New MutantsStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2020
36%

Baymax and Mochi

Voice
Fred's Dad
Show
2019

Captain MarvelStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2019
79%

X-Men: Dark PhoenixStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2019

Spider-Man: Far From HomeStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2019
90%

Avengers: EndgameStream

Actor
Driver
Movie
2019
94%

Avengers: EndgameStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2019
94%

Marvel Rising: Initiation

Co-Executive Producer
Show
2018

Marvel Rising: Initiation

Co-Executive Producer
Show
2018

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Break Out

Co-Executive Producer
Show
2018

Deadpool 2Stream

Executive Producer
Movie
2018
84%

Avengers: Infinity WarStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2018
85%

Black PantherStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2018
96%

Ant-Man and the WaspStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2018
87%

VenomStream

Executive Producer
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2018
30%

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Executive Producer
Movie
2018

Teen Titans GO! to the Movies

Voice
Himself
Movie
2018

Once Upon a Deadpool

Executive Producer
Movie
2018

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - sv.tal

Executive Producer
Movie
2018

Spider-Man: New Generation

Executive Producer
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2018

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-VerseStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2018
97%

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Executive Producer
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2018

Spider-Man: A New Universe

Executive Producer
Movie
2018

Lego Marvel Super Heroes - Guardians of the Galaxy: The Thanos Threat

Voice
Ravager Pilot
Show
2017

Lego Marvel Super Heroes

Voice
Ravager Pilot
Show
2017

Big Hero 6 The Series Shorts

Voice
Fred's Dad
Show
2017

Marvel's RunawaysStream

Guest Star
Driver
Series
2017
84%

Big Hero 6: The SeriesStream

Guest Voice
Series
2017

Robert Kirkman's Secret History of Comics

Actor
Show
2017

Timeline

Actor
Show
2017

Marvel's Spider-ManStream

Co-Executive Producer
Series
2017

Nesbitt & Lee: Two Lucky Men

Host
Show
2017

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2Stream

Executive Producer
Movie
2017
85%

Thor: RagnarokStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2017
93%

LoganStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2017
94%

Spider-Man: HomecomingStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2017
92%

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes - Guardians of the Galaxy: The Thanos Threat

Voice
Passenger
Movie
2017

Marvel's Captain America: 75 Heroic Years

Guest
Show
2016

Stan Lee's Lucky Man

Co-Executive Producer
Show
2016

Stan Lee's Lucky Man

Creator
Show
2016

Stan Lee's Lucky Man

Executive Producer
Show
2016

Stan Lee's Lucky Man

Self
Show
2016

Stan Lee's Lucky Man

Writer
Show
2016

Captain America: Civil WarStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2016
90%

X-Men: ApocalypseStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2016
47%

DeadpoolStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2016
85%

Doctor StrangeStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2016
89%

Marvel's Guardians of the GalaxyStream

Co-Executive Producer
Series
2015

Marvel's DaredevilStream

Executive Producer
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2015

Fresh Off the BoatStream

Guest Star
Himself
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2015
94%

Marvel's Agent CarterStream

Executive Producer
Series
2015
86%

Marvel's Agent CarterStream

Guest Star
Series
2015
86%

Avengers: Age of UltronStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2015
76%

Fantastic FourStream

Executive Producer
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2015
9%

Ant-ManStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2015
83%

Marvel Super Hero Adventures: Frost Fight!

Producer
Movie
2015

Nightlife Television

Guest
Show
2014

Wonderland

Actor
Show
2014

X-Men: Days of Future PastStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2014
90%

Guardians of the GalaxyStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2014
92%

Stan Lee's Mighty 7

Voice
Movie
2014

Iron Man & Captain America: Heroes United

Executive Producer
Movie
2014

COMIX: Beyond the Comic Book Pages

Actor
Movie
2014

COMIX: Beyond the Comic Book Pages

Screenwriter
Movie
2014

COMIX: Beyond the Comic Book Pages

Writer
Movie
2014

ガーディアンズ・オブ・ギャラクシー

Executive Producer
Movie
2014

Captain America: The Winter SoldierStream

Actor
Museum Staff
Movie
2014
90%

Captain America: The Winter SoldierStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2014
90%

The Amazing Spider-Man 2Stream

Executive Producer
Movie
2014
51%

Fangasm

Guest
Show
2013

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Stream

Guest Star
Series
2013
95%

Gahan Wilson: Born Dead, Still Weird

Actor
Movie
2013

Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United

Executive Producer
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2013

アイアンマン 3

Executive Producer
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2013

Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United - sv.tal

Executive Producer
Movie
2013

Iron Man 3Stream

Executive Producer
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2013
79%

The WolverineStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2013
71%

Thor: The Dark WorldStream

Executive Producer
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2013
67%

Larry King NowStream

Guest
Talk
2012

Epix Looks at the Avengers

Actor
Show
2012

Mighty Movie Superheroes

Actor
Show
2012

Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors

Voice
Stan the Janitor
Show
2012

Ultimate Spider-ManStream

Voice
Stan the Janitor
Series
2012

Broadway Previews

Actor
Show
2012

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Plus Digital Exclusive

Executive Producer
Show
2012

アベンジャーズ

Executive Producer
Movie
2012

The Amazing Spider-ManStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2012
71%

Black Panther

Actor
General Wallace
Show
2011

ThorStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2011
77%

X-Men: First ClassStream

Executive Producer
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2011
86%

Captain America: The First AvengerStream

Executive Producer
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2011
80%

Superheroes

Actor
Movie
2011

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Executive Producer
Movie
2011

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope

Executive Producer
Movie
2011

NikitaStream

Guest Star
Series
2010
85%

Stan Lee's Superhumans

Host
Show
2010

New Spiderman

Executive Producer
Show
2010

Black Panther: The Animated Series

Voice
General Wallace
Show
2010

Planète Hulk

Executive Producer
Movie
2010

Planet Hulk - sv.tal

Executive Producer
Movie
2010

Iron Man 2Stream

Executive Producer
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2010
72%

Planet Hulk

Executive Producer
Movie
2010

Let's Make a DealStream

Guest
Game Show
2009

Iron Man: Armored Adventures

Executive Producer
Show
2009

Wolverine y los X-Men

Executive Producer
Show
2009

X-Men Origins: WolverineStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2009
38%

Tromatized, Meet Lloyd Kaufman

Actor
Movie
2009

The Spectacular Spider-ManStream

Writer
Series
2008
100%

Iron ManStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2008
94%

The Incredible HulkStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2008
67%

ChuckStream

Guest Star
Series
2007
90%

The Big Bang TheoryStream

Guest Star
Stan Lee
Series
2007
81%

Stan Lee: The Condor

Actor
Movie
2007

Stan Lee: The Condor

Writer
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2007

Spider-Man 3Stream

Executive Producer
Movie
2007
63%

Ghost RiderStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2007
27%

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver SurferStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2007
38%

Stan Lee Presents: Mosaic

Executive Producer
Movie
2007

Stan Lee Presents: Mosaic

Story
Movie
2007

Stan Lee Presents: The Condor

Producer
Movie
2007

The Invincible Iron Man

Executive Producer
Movie
2007

Stan Lee's Harpies

Executive Producer
Movie
2007

HeroesStream

Guest Star
Series
2006
52%

Who Wants to Be a Superhero?

Self
Show
2006

X-Men: The Last StandStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2006
57%

Ultimate Avengers: The Movie

Executive Producer
Movie
2006

Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther

Executive Producer
Movie
2006

Ultimate Avengers - sv.tal

Executive Producer
Movie
2006

Robot ChickenStream

Guest Voice
Series
2005

American DadStream

Guest Voice
Narrator
Series
2005

The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson

Guest
Talk
2005

Fantastic FourStream

Actor
Willy Lumpkin
Movie
2005
28%

Fantastic FourStream

Creator
Movie
2005
28%

EntourageStream

Guest Star
Stan Lee
Series
2004
65%

The PunisherStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2004
29%

Spider-Man 2Stream

Executive Producer
Movie
2004
93%

Blade: TrinityStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2004
24%

Comic Book: The Movie

Actor
Himself
Movie
2004
40%

Comic Book: The Movie

Self
Movie
2004
40%

Spider-Man: The New Animated SeriesStream

Voice
Series
2003

DaredevilStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2003
43%

X2: X-Men UnitedStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2003
85%

HulkStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2003
63%

Last Call With Carson Daly

Guest
Talk
2002

Stan Lee's Mutants, Monsters and Marvels

Self
Movie
2002

Blade IIStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2002
57%

Spider-ManStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2002
90%

Spider-ManStream

Writer (Comic Book)
Movie
2002
90%

X-MenStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2000
82%

The Avengers

Executive Producer
Show
1999

BladeStream

Executive Producer
Movie
1998
58%

Nick Fury

Executive Producer
Movie
1998

The Incredible Hulk

Executive Producer
Show
1996

MallratsStream

Actor
Himself
Movie
1995
58%

MallratsStream

Self
Movie
1995
58%

Fantastic Four

Voice
Show
1994

Spider-Man: The Animated SeriesStream

Executive Producer
Series
1994

X-Men

Writer
Show
1992

Captain America

Executive Producer
Movie
1990

The SimpsonsStream

Guest Voice
Stan Lee
Series
1989
85%

How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way

Self
Show
1988

Muppet Babies

Guest Star
Himself
Show
1984

The Incredible Hulk

Narrator
Show
1982

Hulk e a Mulher das Cavernas

Actor
Show
1982

Spider-Man And His Amazing FriendsStream

Narrator
Series
1981

CBS News Sunday Morning

Guest
News
1979

The Incredible HulkStream

Executive Producer
Series
1978

The Amazing Spider-Man

Writer
Movie
1977

Tomorrow's World

Guest
Show
1965

Today

Guest
News
1952

News aboutStan Lee