Stan Lee

Stan Lee was an American comic book writer and editor who led Marvel Comics through a period of major creative expansion beginning in the early 1960s. Working with artists including Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, Lee co-created many of Marvel's most enduring characters, including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor and the Hulk, often giving Marvel's superheroes more personal flaws and everyday struggles than earlier comic book conventions typically allowed. Lee later served as Marvel's publisher and chairman and became a widely recognized public face of the company and of the comics industry more broadly, including through numerous cameo appearances in Marvel's later film adaptations.