Stan Lee, Marvel Comics co-creator, career highlights: Spider-Man, Hulk, X-Men and beyond

The Marvel Comics co-creator gave the world some of its best-loved superheroes — and made cameos in dozens of Marvel projects.

In some comic book lovers’ eyes, Stan Lee was their very own superhero. The Marvel Comics co-creator gave the world some of its most iconic superheroes, including the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk — just to name a few.

Lee, who died on Monday at the age of 95,launched his comic book career at Timely Comics as a teenager in 1939, Marvel notes on its website. Right away, Lee got to work providing “filler text” for Captain America, written by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. It was at Timely Comics, which later turned into the famous Marvel Comics, his career in comics truly began.

“I think when it comes down to it, it’s the relatable nature of all of the heroes that makes them resonate (with people),” Lee told Variety in July 2017.

Stan Lee has died aged 95. Picture: Getty

Despite his age, Lee said at the time that he had no plans to stop his creative juices from flowing.

“I love what I do,” he said. “If I had to do anything else, I’d be miserable. If I weren’t coming into the office and working with the people here, I would be sitting at home, watching television.”

Lee revealed on National Comic Book Day in September: “Stan Lee’s name and co-creations have appeared in over two billion comic books and in countless languages across his almost eight decades in the business.

“That’s gotta be a world record of something, right?”

Here’s a look back at some of Lee’s legendary contributions to the comic book world, including Spider-Man, the Hulk and X-Men, which went on to become a series of blockbuster films.

FANTASTIC FOUR

Kate Mara as Sue Storm and Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm, in Fantastic Four. Picture: Ben Rothstein/AP

The first issue of The Fantastic Four was released in 1961. The characters, plot and text were created by Lee and illustrations were done by famed Marvel artist Jack Kirby.

In the original comic, the Fantastic Four became powerful after becoming exposed to cosmic rays in outer space.

“Rejecting the notion that super heroics were juvenile, Lee redefined comics by founding a team that struggled with recognisable issues. In their first year, the FF dealt with the Cold War and bankruptcy,” Marvel said.

“The characters would be the kind of characters I could personally relate to; they’d be flesh and blood, they’d have their faults and foibles, they’d be fallible and feisty and — most important of all — inside their colourful, costumed booties they’d still have feet of clay,” Lee explained in The Origins Of Marvel Comics.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK

The Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok.

“Tortured Bruce Banner would resonate deeply with readers, particularly adults. Lee and Kirby present another Silver Age wonder — the irradiated monster Hulk,” Marvel describes on its website, noting the Hulk was released in 1962.

CBS turned the Hulk into a successful TV series, with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno portraying the doomed scientist from 1978-82. The superhero has also featured in several turns on the big screen. In 2003, Aussie actor Eric Bana played the tortured hero in Hulk, and in 2008 the film The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton made $US55.4 million its opening weekend.

The character has also appeared in other superhero films including Thor: Ragnarok.

SPIDER-MAN

Stan Lee with one of his most famous creations, Spider-Man. Picture: AP

Lee also gave the world Peter Parker — your neighbourhood hero — in 1962.

“Lee’s inspiration for Spider-Man came of his desire to depict an adolescent hero who wasn’t relegated to sidekick,” Marvel says. “Finding spiders ‘spooky’, Stan and artist Steve Ditko created Marvel’s most globally recognised hero.”

A Spider-Man TV series ran briefly in 1978. The character was also featured in an animated TV series. In 2002, the film Spider-Man starring Tobey Maguire took in more than $US400 million.

X-MEN

X-Men has become a highly successful film franchise. Pictured, 2016’s X-Men Apocalypse.

What started out as The Mutants turned into the popular X-Men, a teen dream team. Lee, along with Kirby, developed the new group of heroes with “inborn powers” in 1963.

The first big-budget movie based on Lee’s characters, X-Men, was a smash in 2000, earning more than $US130 million in North American theatres. It has since become a hugely successful film franchise, with sequels, prequels and spin-offs.

PUBLISHED

Lee also published several books, including The Superhero Women in 1977 and How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way the following year, when he was named publisher of the year by the Periodical and Book Association of America.

RECENT CONTRIBUTIONS

Recent projects he helped make possible range from the films Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther and Guardians Of The Galaxy to such TV series as Agents Of S.H. I. E. L. D and Daredevil.

CAMEOS

Lee had cameos in at least 56 Marvel-related projects. His first cameo came in 1989 when he pretended to be a concerned jury member in the TV film The Trial Of The Incredible Hulk.

From playing a surprised bystander in Spider-Man to putting on a badge as a security guard in the Hulk, Lee’s thick grey moustache and slicked back hair always stood out to comic book enthusiasts.

He’s also been featured in Marvel TV shows, as an animated character in video games, and had appearances on shows such as The Big Bang Theory.

The Associated Press contributed to this report, which was first published on Fox News and appears here by permission

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