Stan Lee is one of those "problematic favourites". Yes, he absolutely had great ideas, but he also infamously took credit for other peoples' hard work and, thanks to the influence of his uncle, was apparently a shitty person to work for. However, his influence on comics and the world beyond should not be overlooked; even before I knew who Stan Lee was I was familiar with his legacy, watching repeats of the Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and Incredible Hulk cartoons.
Even with the irreverent and sarcastic treatment I've given his work in this blog, it's impossible to not recognise just how he changed the face of comics; putting characters before super-heroes, putting (occasionally quite misguided) messages in his stories that are rightly lauded as great steps for diversity and inclusivity, even sometimes by the very same people who also deride modern Marvel having more LGBTQ+ and PoC characters as being "pandering to SJWs". News flash for you, broflakes, Stan Lee was an SJW.
Anyway, as time went on Stan Lee became a beloved figure in pop culture and, to his credit, started to do some work to correct the mistakes of the past by making sure he acknowledged the contributions of Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby when interviewers would credit him as a sole creator. He always had time for fans, and even for those who don't bother with the comics became a familiar face through his cameos in various Marvel films released over the past two decades. It's going to be weird having an MCU film without him in it, but I think we all knew it was inevitable.
Rest in Peace Stanley Lieber, Joan didn't have too long to wait for you after all.
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