Esteemed comic book writer Stan Lee has been honored with a feet and hand imprint at the TLC Chinese Theatre. The ceremony added Lee to the ranks of countless Hollywood icons who have also been recognized for their significant contribution to the industry, with their incredible bodies of work.
For over seven decades, the 94-year-old legend has created some of the most iconic rosters of heroes and villains of the comic book page. He and his artist partner, Jack Kirby, humanized superheroes in a way that people find them more relatable – and his interesting and multi-dimensional characters, in turn, became Marvel’s biggest selling point. Among Lee’s most memorable creations are Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther, the X-Men, Fantastic Four and arguably his biggest one: Spider-Man. These heroes have become the backbone of both the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as, the Fox Marvel Universe, further proving that Lee’s works are timeless classics
The event was attended by some of the most prolific actors and storytellers of today who were all impacted by Lee’s career. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige, Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actor Clark Gregg, Guardians of the Galaxy writer/director James Gunn and comic book connoisseur Kevin Lee were all in the Legion M-hosted gathering held outside of the TLC Chinese Theatre. You can watch a video of the event (via Yahoo! Movies), below:
In his short but emotional speech, Lee has expressed his gratitude for the accolade bestowed upon him:
“If I had known I was so good, I’d have asked for a raise, I can’t tell you what this means to me. I’m thrilled, I’m overwhelmed.. All I can say is I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I’ve always wondered about that expression – why is the bottom of your heart more important than the top of your heart? So I thank you with all of my heart, how’s that?…Excelsior!”
The prolific writer also thanked his “wonderful” wife of over six decades, Joan, who died earlier this month. The former actress and model succumbed to stroke-related complications after being confined in the hospital for a week. The couple would have celebrated their 70-year anniversary this year. Joan was actually a huge part of her husband’s creative process, convincing him to create characters that are interesting to him.
The honor has come on the heels of Lee receiving yet another award/honor, at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, this past weekend. During that event, Lee was officially inducted as a Disney Legend together with Kirby and Star Wars actors Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, among others.
Despite his age, it seems that there is no stopping Stan Lee. The writer continues to create new content – including last year’s digital graphic novel Stan Lee’s God Woke, the print version of which won the 2017 Independent Publisher Book Awards’ Outstanding Books of the Year Independent Voice Award. On top of that, fans can bet on Lee popping up in even more Marvel Studios films for (at the least) the year ahead.
