One of the most influential writers of all time, Stan Lee, has died at age 95, according to THR.
The legendary comic book writer teamed up with some of the best artists in the world to create the very same superheroes that dominate pop culture. As one of the first writers at the fledgling Marvel Comics back in the early-‘60s, Lee was responsible for co-creating characters such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, and many, many more.
Basically, if you’ve seen a Marvel superhero film in the last 20 years or more, you’ve been introduced to one of Lee’s creations. In fact, not only was Lee responsible for creating so many incredible superheroes, the writer-editor became the mascot for Marvel Comics and was front and center in many of the publisher’s promotional materials.
As a matter of fact, Lee is probably best known to newer generations as the guy who always has a cameo in every Marvel film. Dating back to 2000’s “X-Men” film, directed by Bryan Singer, Lee showed up in a special highlighted cameo in every Marvel film in the last 18 years. And while Lee has now passed away, fans might still see the iconic writer cameo in more upcoming films. Back in 2016, it was revealed that James Gunn and other filmmakers shot a slew of Stan Lee cameos for upcoming films, as his deteriorating health made it difficult for him to shoot one at a time. It’s likely that Marvel Studios has a few cameos in the studio’s back pocket.
Unfortunately, Lee had a rough couple of years recently. After his wife, Joan, passed away in July 2017, the Marvel Comics legend became the subject of controversy as reports of elder abuse came out, as well as reports that some people in his own inner circle were stealing money from Lee. Sadly, even though Lee created dozens and dozens of classic superhero characters, his work is all owned by Marvel Comics (and now Disney), since it was all done under contract with the publisher. So Lee wasn’t able to reap the immense benefits that he (and his artistic co-creators) were probably entitled to.
READ MORE: Not A Joke: Fox Want To Make An Action Movie About Stan Lee In The 1970s
That being said, Stan Lee will forever be known as one of the most influential writers in comic book history (if not fiction, in general). The cause of his death was not immediately known.
In honor of Stan Lee, let’s take a look at all his cameos in film and TV: