There was an outpouring of tributes on Twitter on Monday and Tuesday following news of American comic writer and Marvel legend Stan Lee’s death. The former Marvel editor-in-chief and chairperson died aged 95 in Los Angeles on Monday.
Born Stanley Martin Lieber in Manhattan in 1922, Lee began his association with Marvel in 1939 and went on to co-create some of its most popular superheroes and leagues including Black Panther, Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Mighty Thor, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Doctor Strange, Daredevil and Ant-Man, all of which have also spawned film adaptations. After his retirement from Marvel Comics, Lee continued to serve as the company’s figurehead and public face.
Among those who celebrated Lee’s legacy on Twitter were actors who have played many of the superheroes created by Marvel, including Chris Evans, who plays Captain America, Chris Pratt (Peter Quill, Guardians of the Galaxy), Zoe Saldana (Gamora, Guardians of the Galaxy) and Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk).
There will never be another Stan Lee. For decades he provided both young and old with adventure, escape, comfort, confidence, inspiration, strength, friendship and joy. He exuded love and kindness and will leave an indelible mark on so, so, so many lives. Excelsior!!
— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) November 12, 2018
Thanks for everything Stan Lee! What a life, so well lived. I consider myself extraordinarily lucky to have gotten to meet you and to have played in the world you created.
— chris pratt (@prattprattpratt) November 12, 2018
🙏♥️ pic.twitter.com/ryUjG7PL8D
We’ve lost a creative genius. Stan Lee was a pioneering force in the superhero universe. I’m proud to have been a small part of his legacy and .... to have helped bring one of his characters to life. #StanLee #Wolverine pic.twitter.com/iOdefi7iYz
— Hugh Jackman (@RealHughJackman) November 12, 2018
No one has had more of an impact on my career and everything we do at Marvel Studios than Stan Lee. Stan leaves an extraordinary legacy that will outlive us all. Our thoughts are with his daughter, his family, and his millions of fans. #ThankYouStan #Excelsior!
— Kevin Feige (@Kevfeige) November 12, 2018
THANK YOU, @TheRealStanLee. You gave us characters that continue to stand the test of time and evolve with our consciousness. You taught us that there are no limits to our future as long as we have access to our imagination. Rest in power! #EXCELSIOR #StanLee #rip pic.twitter.com/hnSmnHIDln
— Winston Duke (@Winston_Duke) November 12, 2018
Stan...more than a master of stories, you always seemed like a master of living. I will look to you for inspiration for the rest of my life. You live on. xoxo Your Wasp
— Evangeline Lilly (@EvangelineLilly) November 12, 2018
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#liveon #StanLee pic.twitter.com/JRA2aRM3bG
Today we lost one of the greats. @TheRealStanLee, you were a inspiration and superhero to us all. Thank you for contributing so much- and giving us all something to aspire to! 💚
— Zoe Saldana (@zoesaldana) November 12, 2018
#ripstanlee pic.twitter.com/GzFhwgU0WA
Thank you @TheRealStanLee for the escape from this world & great joy inhabiting the ones you created!! You made so many believe in the good, the heroic, the villainous, the exciting, most of all, you were giving & gracious to us all. RIP
— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) November 12, 2018
Sad, sad day. Rest In Power, Uncle Stan. You have made the world a better place through the power of modern mythology and your love of this messy business of being human... pic.twitter.com/x6yZ6ClNSX
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) November 12, 2018
His contribution to Pop Culture was revolutionary & cannot be overstated. He was everything you hoped he would be & MORE. I loved this man & will never stop missing him. They say you should never meet a childhood idol. They are wrong. #RIPStanTheMan pic.twitter.com/6OKH07ahJg
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) November 12, 2018
Stan Lee created a universe where, if a character was beloved enough, they could never really die.
— Joss Whedon (@joss) November 12, 2018
Now THAT’S thinking ahead.
Thanks for so much of my life. You’ll never not be in it.
Permanent cameo in heaven. #RIPStanLee https://t.co/ZnIv2hXMVy
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) November 12, 2018
So touched by all of the celebrities posting pictures of themselves with Stan Lee... no better way to commemorate an absolute legend than putting up a picture of yourself.
— Armie Hammer (@armiehammer) November 12, 2018
Apart from his prolific writing output, Lee, in later years, would also make regular cameo appearances in films based on Marvel characters. This later expanded to non-Marvel movies and television series as well.
Lee’s first cameo was in the television movie The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989), which was followed by blink-and-miss appearances in, among others, X-Men (2000), Spider Man (2002) and Daredevil (2003) and Hulk (2003).
Some of these included speaking roles. In Spider-Man 3 (2007), Lee offers a few words of wisdom to protagonist Peter Parker. “You know, I guess one person can make a difference,” he tells Parker as the two of them read a news report about Spider-Man, ending with his catchphrase, “Nuff [enough] said”.
The BEST Stan Lee cameo. At the age of 95, this man leaves us today. One who has touched so many hearts and inspired so many souls. It deeply saddens me. Rest In Peace, friend. You will be remembered. You truly made an incredible difference. pic.twitter.com/HiGOpbcKVC
— Spencer Ford (@EarthlyEl) November 12, 2018
Lee also appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, starting with Iron Man. In the 2008 film, Lee swaggers into a gala with three women, leading Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark to mistake him for Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.

In Thor (2011), Lee appears as a truck driver who unsuccessfully tries to lift the God of Thunder’s hammer. Thor’s weapon, named Mjolnir, was created by Lee in the 1962 comic Journey into Mystery #83.

In The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), Lee plays a visitor at a library who listens to classical music as Spider-Man and the Lizard face off behind him.
In memory of Stan Lee, I will be sharing my favorite cameo by him! pic.twitter.com/2YI4M992uX
— Kevin T. (@cinematicmemes) November 12, 2018
“Superheroes in New York? Give me a break,” Lee scoffs in his cameo in the first Avengers movie (2012). In Avengers: Age of the Ultron (2015), Lee’s World War II veteran cannot handle Thor’s celestial liquor. “Excelsior,” he slurs, invoking his trademark motto, as he is escorted away from the bar.
In the latest Avengers installation, Avengers: Infinity War (2018), he plays a bus driver unmoved by the sight of a spaceship on a New York street. “What’s the matter with you kids – you’ve never seen a spaceship before?” he remarks as the teens in the bus go into a tizzy.
Lee has also reportedly filmed his cameo for the 2019 Avengers movie.
This will forever be my favorite Stan Lee cameo in any Marvel film. pic.twitter.com/wjAQwJR44g
— tay saw borhap x2 (@idkchrisevans) November 12, 2018
Lee has also made cameos in The Big Bang Theory (2010), Heroes (2006), Entourage (2010) and The Simpsons (2002).
Even Stan Lee's cameo on The Simpsons was legendary. pic.twitter.com/snAVMcZqaP
— Consequence of Sound (@consequence) November 12, 2018