For any dedicated Marvel fan, Nov. 12, 2018 was an extremely sad, almost surreal day. Stan Lee, creator of the many iconic Marvel characters that we know and love today, passed away at the wonderful age of 95 years old. For a few years now, I have been prepping myself with the reality that Mr. Lee, a beloved icon of modern entertainment, would someday pass on, but I still was not ready to accept that his death would come this soon.

Marvel Comics, as we know them today, were launched almost sixty years ago by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby. Previously, Marvel Comics had been published under the name Timely Publications and then later as Atlas Comics; under the new name Marvel Comics, the company released The Fantastic Four, which Mr. Lee was responsible for co-creating. Now, I never really got into the Fantastic Four, but my Dad loved them as a boy, so thank you, Mr. Lee, for dreaming up my father's childhood superheroes.

While I did not grow up completely immersed in the comic book culture, Spider-Man did play a large role in my childhood. I was older when I eventually got around to watching the movies, but I can remember having a lot of fun with friends as we "roleplayed" as Spider-Man comic characters. The memories I have of these times are a bit fragmented, but I still have Mr. Lee to thank for the good times his web-slinging hero brought about.

The first Marvel movie I ever watched was Captain America: The First Avenger, and I have become an avidly devoted Marvel Cinematic Universe fan ever since! I could spend another entire article discussing my love for the MCU, but for this post, I want to just say what joy Mr. Lee's movie cameos brought to me.

Now, it did take me a few movies to catch on that his was a recurring role, but once I realized Mr. Lee was in every MCU installment, I thoroughly enjoyed having a small, meaningful cameo to look forward to in every movie. It's honestly near impossible to try and imagine Marvel movies without him in them; I am hoping, really hoping, that Marvel somehow mentions his passing in an honoring way in upcoming movies.

So here's to you, Stan Lee! Thank you for all the amazing work you did and thank you for blessing us with some wonderfully amazing characters and comics. Thank you for inspiring us to move upward and onward to greater glory, or, as you so often said, Excelsior!