Stan Lee

We all have lost something in our lifetimes. It’s undeniable. Something or someone has disappeared from our hearts and left behind a hole, whether small or gaping. By the time we “grow-up,” something has stuck with us for so long that we hold onto it so tightly and feel empty when it is gone. While heroes like Spiderman, Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther, and Deadpool will forever reside within my nerdy little heart, their creator, and, by extension, the greatest hero to have ever walked this Earth is gone. Never again will we witness new, entertaining cameos, new heroes, or new comics from the legendary writer, creator, editor, and publisher of Marvel Comics. At the ripe age of 95 years old, Stan Lee has left this world for the next.

The Weight in Our Hearts

There are a lot of people out there who will now never get to meet him and tell him how their “insignificant” lives were changed by his heroes. He would have probably looked at them, smiled, and said something like, “My dear boy, there is nothing insignificant about you.” Now, I’m not saying that’s what he would have said exactly. Who knows what words he would have spoken, but I know that they would have been the most inspirational words I would have ever felt in my life. Now, that opportunity will never come for me and for thousands of others. We will never know what that opportunity would have felt like, and we will never be able to express to him the connections we made. We will never be able to tell him how his heroes changed our lives. Individuals around the globe who connected with heroes like Spiderman, villains like Killmonger, and inspirations like Oden will now feel an emptiness with the release of every new text and movie that Marvel will have to offer.

Then, there are those out there who will never know who Stan Lee was. They will watch a Spiderman movie, The Incredible Hulk, or one of the Avenger films and never connect like so many fans around the world have. Despite this lack of connection, Stan Lee will live in his heroes forevermore. He has gifted all of us with an immortality that may never be experienced quite the same way again. And it’s beautiful. Those who never knew about Stan Lee before his death will experience him in his heroes as long as they live on in the hearts and minds of those who may express themselves as “nerds,” “geeks,” or otherwise.

Sharing Positivity

While it is hard to be positive upon Stan Lee’s passing, and while I have already written a lot of negative things about the way many of us feel about his life, we all know that isn’t what he would have truly wanted. He would want his fans to continue to smile and enjoy his deviously clever works. So, in his passing, I will share with you some history on someone who became one of the greatest fictional heroes of my life.

Spiderman, in my opinion, is one of the heroes in Stan Lee’s comics that had a difficult time contributing to saving to society. After the loss of his uncle Ben, the small, spider-bitten nerd that is Peter Parker struggled with his guilt for a long, long time. Though, with his ability to break the fourth wall and his youthful humour, he sought the best of every situation and fought crime in New York even with enemies like the press and the police who sought to bring him down. Later, he travels through time in alternate realities, meets and mentors Miles Morales (The Spiderman of the future,) and joins the conflicted, much-loved Avengers. He has several squabbles with Deadpool, who insists that Spiderman has copied his suit preferences, hence the rise of the ship “Spideypool.” All throughout his journey, he remains very relatable.

While I have not spent much time on my hero, I would like to ask the reader who has related to them the most. Sit and reflect on this relation and admire the character that Stan Lee has gifted to you. While I don’t want to make light of his death or assume what he would have wanted, I believe that is something that he would want to see in his fans...even after his passing.

Excelsior!!!