Credit: Abijith Ka Wikimedia CommonsWhen it comes to Marvel Comics, Stan Lee has an almost Walt Disney-esque aura that has caused fans to revere him, while others say he doesn’t deserve the credit he gets. However, a former Marvel editor has stood up for his former boss and mentor.
Related: Stan Lee Documentary Reveals We Almost Didn’t Get Spider-Man
A documentary about comic book legend Stan Lee has recently come under fire for giving one man credit for what the Marvel Universe has become: himself. After all, this is the narrative audiences have been spoon-fed with constant MCU cameos and his name listed as co-creator next to such iconic characters as Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and The X-Men, to name a few.
While no one can deny the effect he has had on comics and entertainment as a whole, he wasn’t the only person making these characters a reality. Artists like Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby were responsible for the visual aspects of these beloved heroes. According to Kirby’s son and graphic novel master Alan Moore, “Stan Lee was his own greatest creation.” However, former Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas disagrees.
Neither Stan Lee nor Jack Kirby Could Have Done It Without the Other
Related: Reminder From Stan Lee As Twitter Debates if Miles Morales Is Spider-Man
The Stan Lee documentary has been attacked for its erasure of other creatives at Marvel Comics. However, it has its share of defenders as well. The most prominent supporter is Lee’s successor at Marvel, Roy Thomas, who explained in an op-ed for the Hollywood Reporter what Lee and Jack Kirby meant to each other.
“My own voice is heard only near the end of Gelb’s documentary, but I modestly suggest that I uttered what could be taken as the final word on the controversy when I said (referring primarily to Stan and Jack, though it could also refer to Stan and Steve [Ditko]) that ‘neither of them could have done it without the other.'”
In the piece, Thomas defended both points of view, saying that Jack Kirby was the creative mastermind behind “The Fantastic Four, Thor, and all the rest,” but stated that Lee was the person with the foresight to see what the Marvel Universe could be, especially since he served as a scripter and an editor.
In the end, Roy Thomas feels like the documentary did precisely what it was supposed to do: celebrate a legend who had a lasting effect on the medium of comics and entertainment as a whole. His sentiment is summed up perfectly in the last line of his op-ed:
“In my mind, Stan Lee was not the greatest creation of Stan Lee. The Marvel Universe was.”
Do you think Stan Lee deserves as much credit as he gets? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!