Marvel

Watch Hugh Jackman Pay Tribute to Stan Lee on ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’

Following Stan Lee’s death early on Monday morning, X-Men and Wolverine movie star Hugh Jackman […]

Following Stan Lee‘s death early on Monday morning, X-Men and Wolverine movie star Hugh Jackman appeared on CBS’ The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and shared his memory of the legendary comic book creator.

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Jackman remembered what it was like to meet Lee.

“Let me just say to the family and to the legions of fans that I remember Stan as a true gentleman that had this glint in his eye,” Jackman said. “He was a creative genius. He thought outside the box. He created a whole universe that changed the lives of many people, mine included.”

Jackman then shared a story of how, at Comic-Con, he was completely overlooked by 300 photographers who were busy taking photos of Lee instead.

Jackman’s comments on The Late Show echo comments he shared on Twitter earlier in the day.

“We’ve lost a creative genius,” Jackman tweeted. “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.”

Technically, Wolverine isn’t actually one of Stan Lee’s characters. The fan-favorite X-Man was created by the late writer Len Wein, artist John Romita Sr., and then-Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas. Lee, along with collaborator Jack Kirby, was responsible for creating the Marvel Universe that Wolverine exists within in the pages of Fantastic Four #1 and later the X-Men as a team and a concept.

Lee was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center early Monday morning from his home in Hollywood Hills. He died at the hospital later that day. No cause of death has been named as of yet, but Lee has suffered from sickness recently, including a bout of pneumonia. He was 95 years old.

Born Stanley Martin Lieber, Lee began working in comics in 1939, back when Marvel Comics was still Timely Comics, but rose to prominence in the 1960s. With Kirby, he created the Fantastic Four and birthed the Marvel Universe. With Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man and redefined what a superhero could be. He co-created several more popular comic book and now television and film characters, including the X-Men, the Avengers, Black Panther, Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, and Daredevil.

Lee’s wife of 70 years, Joan, died in 2017. He is survived by his daughter, JC, who issued a statement after Lee’s death saying, “My father loved all of his fans. He was the greatest, most decent man.”