Stan Lee celebrated his 95th birthday with an imprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theater IMAX in Hollywood, and many Marvel stars and celebrities sent their well-wishes via a video compiled by media company Legion M.
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The video includes message from Loki actor Tom Hiddleston, Magneto actor Ian McKellen, X-Men movies director Bryan Singer (who sent Lee his best “Excelsior!”), Ant-Man and the Wasp director Peyton Reed, Mark Hamill (who even did a Lee impersonation), Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch, Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi and star Chris Hemsworth, Spider-Man: Homecoming star Tom Holland, Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr., and Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds, who pointed out the irony that Lee would be standing near a “drunk Spider-Man” and “deadbeat Iron Man,” as well as a “slightly less drunk Jack Sparrow or two.”
One running theme in all of these stars’ messages was how thankful they were for Lee’s legacy of creations, which are keeping them all employed today.
Stan Lee was honored for his 78 years in the superhero business, which is now largely owned by Disney, with a Disney Legends award at this year’s D23 Expo. Lee was so moved by the award that he couldn’t keep himself from getting emotional when giving his acceptance speech.
Stan Lee began working for the company that would become Marvel Comics, then called Timely Comics, in 1939. Lee made his debut as a writer with a prose Captain America story in 1941 and was promoted to editor at the age of 18 in 1942. In 1961, Stan Lee teamed up with Captain America co-creator Jack Kirby and created the Fantastic Four. That marked the birth of the Marvel Universe, and it changed comics forever. Stan went on to co-create several more of Marvel’s most iconic character with Kirby and some of Marvel’s other legendary artists. These included Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, the X-Men, Daredevil, and Falcon. Lee became Marvel’s editorial director and publisher in 1972 and later was named chairman emeritus.
To modern fans, Lee is most recognizable for his cameos in various Marvel films and television series. His next film cameo will be in Thor: Ragnarok, releasing this November.
Thor: Ragnarok currently has a 4.17 out of 5 ComicBook.com User Anticipation Rating, making it the third most anticipated upcoming comic book movie among ComicBook.com readers. Let us know how excited you are for Thor: Ragnarok by giving the movie your own personal ComicBook.com User Anticipation Rating below.
In Thor: Ragnarok, Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok – the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization – at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger – The Incredible Hulk!
Thor: Ragnarok is directed by Taika Waititi from a screenplay by Eric Pearson, and stars Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, and Anthony Hopkins.
Thor: Ragnarok opens in theaters on November 3, 2017.
