Updated: April 13, 2024

Stan Lee ( born Stanley Martin Lieber December 28, 1922 to November 12, 2018 ) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family run business to become Marvel Comics primary creative leader for two decades, leading its expansion from a small division of a publishing house to a multimedia corporation that dominated the comics industry.

In collaboration with others at Marvel particularly co writer and artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko he co created numerous popular fictional characters, including superheroes Spiderman, the X Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Black Widow, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch and Antman. In doing so, he pioneered a more naturalistic approach to writing superhero comics in the 1960's, and in the 1970's he challenged the restrictions of the Comics Code Authority, indirectly leading to changes in its policies. In the 1980's he pursued the development of Marvel properties in other media, with mixed results. Following his retirement from Marvel in the 1990's, he remained a public figurehead for the company, and frequently made cameo appearances in films and television shows based on Marvel characters, on which he received an executive producer credit. Meanwhile, he continued independent creative ventures into his 90's, until his death in 2018.

Lee was inducted into the comic book industrys Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1995. He received the NEA's National Medal of Arts in 2008.