Hollywood Stars Pay Tribute to the Great Stan Lee

The news broke this week that legendary comic book creator Stan Lee passed away at the age of 95. Lee was easily the most iconic face behind publisher Marvel and created many of the world’s most famous superheroes, including Spider-Man, The Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Loki, Nick Fury, and the X-Men.

For decades Stan Lee worked on creating new and interesting heroes and villains, and then fleshed them out with back stories, adventures, and flaws. Comic books may have started out as somewhat of an underdog pastime when compared to regular books, and they’ve certainly faced opposition from concerned parents over the years, but today superheroes are everywhere and not a year goes by without at least one big superhero flick hitting cinemas.

Several well-received super heroes films were released in the early 00’s, including the Spider-Man films starring Tobey Maguire and the early X-Men films but, in 2008, Marvel Studios released Iron Man and kicked off the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU has spanned over 10 years and has seen some of the most iconic heroes and villains battle it out in action packed blockbuster films.

These films have cast many of Hollywood’s most high profile talents and has also launched the careers of several newcomers. A running gag in the films was that Stan Lee would make a small appearance for audiences to watch out for and as a result many stars have fond memories of meeting the creator of the characters they play. Following Lee’s passing many of these actors and actresses have paid tribute to him.

Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor, published a post on Instagram:

Zoe Saldana portrays Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy films called Lee an “inspiration”.

Ryan Reynolds who stars in the Deadpool films thanked Stan.

Hugh Jackman who played Wolverine for almost 20 years described Lee as a “creative genius”.

Tom Holland, who was recently cast as Spider-Man said we’re indebted to Stan.

Chris Pratt who plays Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy said he felt extremely lucky to have met Stan.

Joss Whedon, who directed 2012’s The Avengers wrote:

Several notable artists from outside the MCU also paid tribute. Star Wars’ Mark Hamill wrote:

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson recalled how Stan Lee encouraged him when he first entered the acting business.

Given what a huge contribution Stan Lee made to pop culture, no doubt millions of people are mourning his passing. Stan Lee created hugely influential work and, though we may feel sadness at his death, lets not forget to celebrate his extraordinary life!