THE MASTERMIND BEHIND MANY OF OUR BELOVED SUPERHEROS.
HE PASSED AWAY ON MONDAY.
JOE FRYER HAS MORE ON STAN LEE.
>> Reporter: CHARACTERS HE
HELPED CREATE HALF A CENTURY AGO
ARE STARS OF MOVIES THAT, TODAY,
DOMINATE THE BOX OFFICE.
EACH MAKING HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS
OF DOLLARS.
OF DOLLARS. LEE DIED MONDAY AT THE AGE OF
95.
95. UNTIL THE VERY END, SERVED AS
MARVEL’S CHAIRMAN EMERITUS.
TODAY, MARVEL SUPERHERO UNIVERSE
CAN BE SEEN THROUGH MOVIE
THEATERS ACROSS THE PLANET.
A WORLD ROOTED IN COMIC BOOKS
THAT WERE GUIDED BY STAN LEE.
>> I ALMOST FEEL GUILTY BECAUSE
MOST PEOPLE DON’T LIKE TO GO TO
WORK.
WORK. THEY CAN’T WAIT UNTIL THEY GET A
VACATION.
VACATION. I LOVE GOING TO WORK.
>> Reporter: WHEN HE WAS A
TEENAGER, LEE WAS HIRED AS A
GOPHER AT A PUBLISHING COMPANY.
IT BECAME A COMIC BOOK
POWERHOUSE IN THE ’60s, DURING
THE MEDIUM’S SILVER AGE.
>> I THOUGHT, WELL, IF I’M GOING
TO DO THIS, I’M GOING TO MAKE
THE KIND OF BOOKS THAT PARENTS
NOT ONLY WON’T MIND THEIR
CHILDREN READING, BUT WOULD WANT
THEIR CHILDREN TO READ.
>> Reporter: AS A WRITER AND ART
DIRECTOR, LEE HELPED SPAWN A
LONG LIST OF FABLED SUPERHEROS,
SPIDER-MAN, INCREDIBLE HULK,
FANTASTIC FOUR, IRONMAN, X MEN
AND MORE.
AND MORE. LEE’S SUPERHEROS WERE COMPLEX
AND INSECURE.
AND INSECURE. IN A WORD, HUMAN.
TAKE THE HULK, WHO HAD A BIT OF
A TEMPER.
A TEMPER. >> ONE OF THE REASONS MOST OF
OUR CHARACTERS ARE SO POPULAR IS
BECAUSE THEY’RE REALLY NOT
PERFECT.
PERFECT. THEY’RE GOOD AT WHAT THEY DO.
BUT THEY HAVE THE SAME FLAWS AS
YOU AND I.
>> Reporter: LEE EVENTUALLY
BECAME MARVEL’S PUBLISHER AND
ALWAYS REMAINED ITS MOST
TIRELESS PROMOTER.
TIRELESS PROMOTER. >> ANYWAY, BEFORE I WAS SO
ROADLY INTERRUPTED.
ROADLY INTERRUPTED. >> Reporter: OVER THE YEARS, HE
MADE CAMEOS IN MOVIES.
>> SECURITY CAUGHT TOOUGHT TO BE
UP MORE.
UP MORE. >> Reporter: OTHERS, NOT SO
MUCH.
MUCH. >> NICE SUIT.
>> ZIP IT, STAN LEE.
>> Reporter: MANY STARS FROM
THOSE MOVIES ARE PAYING TRIBUTE.
CHRIS EVANS SAYS, THERE WILL
NEVER BE ANOTHER STAN LEE.
FROM HUGH JACKMAN, WE’VE LOST A
CREATIVE GENIUS.
CREATIVE GENIUS. LEE’S LATER YEARS WERE MORE
TUMULTUOUS, WITH INFIGHTING
BETWEEN FAMILY AND ADVISERS.
BUT HIS TOWERING LEGACY ENDURES,
MAKING LEE A MARVEL IN HIS OWN
RIGHT.
RIGHT. HARD TO BELIEVE.
BUT STAN LEE WAS ONCE
EMBARRASSED TO BE A COMIC BOOK
WRITER.
WRITER. HE BEGAN TO REALIZE
ENTERTAINMENT WAS IMPORTANT
BECAUSE HE SAID IT KEPT PEOPLE
FROM GOING OFF THE DEEP END.
SO, HE FELT HE WAS DOING A GOOD
THING.
THING. BACK TO YOU GUYS.
>> JOE FRYER FOR US IN L.A.
THANKS, JOE.
THANKS, JOE. >> YOU GOT TO INTERVIEW HIM,
DIDN’T YOU?
DIDN’T YOU? >> JUST A CHILDHOOD IDOL.
MARK HAMILL CRYSTALLIZED WHAT I
WAS THINKING.
WAS THINKING. MARK HAMILL TWEETED OUT.
I CAN SEE IT THERE.
HE SAYS -- THAT’S A DIFFERENT --
IT WAS A DIFFERENT QUOTE.
HE SAID, YOU SHOULD NEVER MEET
YOUR CHILDHOOD IDOL.
AND THE FACT IS, YOU’RE WRONG.
HE WAS EVERYTHING YOU WANTED HIM
TO BE.
TO BE. AND HE ELEVATED THE COMIC BOOK
LEXICON.
LEXICON. HE WAS A GREAT WRITER.
HE DIDN’T TALK DOWN TO HIS
READERS.
READERS. >> AND HIS CHARACTERS WERE
COMPLEX AND INTERESTING.
>> WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE?
>> I LOVED SPIDER-MAN.
HE WAS A TEENAGER.
HE HAD TEENAGE ANGST.
WAS HE GOING TO GET MARY JANE?
WAS HE GOING TO GET HIS HOMEWORK
DONE?
DONE? I HAD THE SAME WORRIES, EXCEPT
FOR THE MARY JANE PART AND WEBS