Let’s make this clear: I love Stan Lee.
Not only did he revolutionize superhero archetypes by introducing a radically diverse group of flawed, relatable characters and relevant, issue-driven stories to an art form that no one took seriously, but he also helped bring Spiderman (my all-time favorite hero) to life, something for which I’m eternally grateful.
With that being said, how much of Marvel’s legacy is really owed to Stan Lee? Almost anyone who has ever read a comic or watched an entry from the Marvel Cinematic Universe knows who he is, as he has reached iconic status over the years.
But what about everyone else involved?
It’s a known fact that Lee didn’t create his most famous characters by himself. He had the help of legendary comic artists Jack Kirby (Fantastic Four, X-Men, Hulk, Iron Man, etc.) and Steve Ditko (Spider-Man, Doctor Strange) to solidify Marvel Comics as the powerhouse it has become today.
Most people just assume that guys like Kirby and Ditko simply drew what Lee wanted based on his scripts. According to a handful of comics historians and Lee himself, however, Marvel artists were almost entirely responsible for the looks, backstories and personality traits of many of the company’s most popular characters.
By using the famed “Marvel Method,” Lee wrote a plot outline of a comic and sent it to an artist. The artist would then draw all of the artwork based on the outline, sending it back to Lee to fill in the dialogue. The artists had as much creative control over the comics as Lee, editor-in-chief of Marvel during the ‘60s.
If it weren’t for Ditko, Spiderman never would have donned his trademark red and blue suit. If it weren’t for Kirby, the Fantastic Four most likely would have never existed, meaning that Marvel Comics would have disappeared into obscurity like many of its past competitors.
If that had happened, society never would have been introduced to the first black superhero, as well as a variety of complex female heroes who were more than damsels-in-distress, sidekicks or characters who reminded us that no matter how much power they wielded, they’re still humans like the rest of us.
Stan Lee is still one of the most important figures in comics history, but the continuous growth of his already huge media presence has obscured the legacies of his co-creators for future generations of comic fans.
Simply put, Lee absolutely deserves his credit, but I, along with a legion of vocal comic fans, believe that Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko deserve an equal amount of credit for their countless contributions to Marvel’s success. ‘Nuff said!
