Creative & Beyond

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Stan Lee

Even if you haven’t heard of Stan Lee, or Stanley Martin Lieber, you’re probably familiar with his work. He was the creative force behind many of Marvel’s iconic superheroes, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, and Black Panther (to name just a few).

Sadly, he passed recently at the age of 95, but not without leaving behind a legacy. Stan was a man of charisma and humor who breathed a new sort of life into the fiction characters he worked on. Unlike some comic writers, who focused more on the incredible powers of their superheroes, Stan chose instead to highlight their human side, letting their weaknesses and faults stand out as their defining characteristic.

I had the pleasure of meeting Stan at my work some years ago and he was as friendly and energetic as ever. Even though the project we were working on with him didn’t end up going anywhere, he showed a good deal of enthusiasm for it. I got the impression he brought that same excitement to all of his creative undertakings. As a side note: I always thought that he and my grandpa looked alike, though they had dissimilar personalities.

Stan has been known to make cameo appearances (usually humorous in nature) in most of the recent Marvel films. I appreciated that he always seemed to be having fun and loved what he was doing. He didn’t take himself too seriously, but he was serious about his work.

An editor friend of mine sent me an article with some quotes from Stan. It seemed like a good final word from the man himself and a great representation of his outlook on life. Most of his advice could be applied to any creative field.

I hope you enjoy these 17 nuggets of wisdom from Mr. Excelsior himself.

17 Must-Read Screenwriting Lessons From Stan Lee