By the time the Marvel Cinematic Universe experienced its Big Bang with the 2008 smash Iron Man, Stan Lee had long since retired from official duties at Marvel, settling into a role as a revered spiritual grandfather to the comic book world, as close to a flesh-and-blood superhero as fans could hope to get.
But though Lee was no longer actively involved in steering the panoply of characters he had helped create – including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Hulk, Black Panther, Thor and the Fantastic Four – his legacy as a key architect of what would quickly become Hollywood's dominant genre was already firmly established.
