WHEN the Mad Titan Thanos snapped his fingers, having collected the six powerful ingots into the Infinity Gauntlet, he wiped out half of all life in the universe. We saw in the film “Avengers: Infinity War,” a number of our superheroes disintegrate including Black Panther, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Winter Soldier, Falcon, Scarlett Witch and the Guardians of the Galaxy: Star-Lord, Groot, Drax and Mantis.
On Nov. 12, 2018, Stan Lee, not a superhero but the genius behind most of the Marvel characters, died at the age of 95. If Thanos had his way, he would unsnap in order to keep Stan alive. But then we are not in the comics world.
Not only have media and opinion makers taken a strong interest in Stan Lee’s passage and legacy, social media is inundated with comments not only from players in the film and publishing industry but also from ordinary people who have, in one way or the other, been touched by Marvel comics heroes. There have been debates on how much Stan Lee contributed to the creation of the countless characters, both good and bad, but no doubt he had the drive to bring his creations to mass appeal.
That road towards the successes of Marvel movies and with all the comics and other merchandise was tough. The journey was spiked with legal obstacles, but like most of his superheroes, Stan Lee came out the victor. He once said, “Life is never completely without its challenges.”
There were animations and films created in the ‘60s and ‘70s on Marvel characters, but they were crude, if not downright awful. It must have embarrassed the comics legend, but the stories kept coming. And then it happened: the technology in filmmaking leapfrogged with the introduction of Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI). Everything that was drawn in the comic books could now be shown on the screen. The acquisition by Disney of most of Marvel’s characters was a game changer, and it has brought audiences back to theaters.
I guess one the key elements of why Marvel characters are more popular than DC is that they are flawed. I loved the original Thor whose alter ego was lame. There was the blind Matt Murdock a.k.a. Daredevil. And yes, it has fun and exciting story lines too. Stan Lee explained his approach to life: “I don’t know where the hell I’ll be in five years. Maybe I’ll be producing movies, maybe I’ll be in a corner selling apples. I don’t know, but I’m having a hell of a lot of fun.”
The outpouring of condolences is simply a testament to Stan Lee’s imagination and works. In his last breath, he must have restated his quote: ‘If it’s time to go, it’s time. Nothing lasts forever.” But one’s good works do last forever.
As we say, “Farewell, Stan.”
(Condolence to the family of my college buddy, Gaspar “Bebot” Tormis, who passed on to life beyond.)