Mark Ruffalo Pays Tribute to Stan Lee

By Timothy Adams

Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo has shared a tribute to the late Stan Lee on what would have been his 99th birthday. The influential Marvel creator passed away on November 12, 2018, with fans still grieving his loss to this day. However, each year on Stan Lee's birthday, fans and those influenced by his creations make sure to share their love for him on social media. Ruffalo, who portrays Dr. Bruce Banner in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has always paid respect to the comic book creators who brought life to the many characters inside the MCU. Today, Ruffalo used his Twitter account to pay respect to Stan Lee, thanking him for his many contributions.

"Thinking of Stan Lee and everything he's done for our extended Marvel family today," Mark Ruffalo wrote on Twitter. He also shared an image of Stan Lee surrounded by covers for the Fantastic Four, X-Men, Amazing Fantasy, Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man, and Incredible Hulk. Together with Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, Stan Lee helped co-create many of these Marvel superheroes. These heroes became household names long before their big-screen exploits, as readers followed their adventures in the comics.

Each year members of the MCU come together to celebrate Stan Lee's birthday and remember his passing. In December 2018, Mark Ruffalo posted a touching tribute to Lee on his Instagram account. It featured a piece of wall art with different Marvel characters' faces. The Instagram caption read, "Thank you always for your vision and magic, Stan. Happy birthday." When Lee passed away in November 2018, the Bruce Banner actor also shared a touching tribute to the Marvel icon.

"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...," Ruffalo wrote. "You let us be extra human... superhuman even. I am deeply honored to have been a small part in the Stan Lee constellation." A photo showed Ruffalo with his Avengers castmates Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey, Jr., and Chris Hemsworth.

Stan Lee was a fan of Mark Ruffalo's portrayal of Hulk, citing in a 2012 interview with Total Film how the star "nailed it."

"Generally it's been wonderful," Lee said at the time. "They hadn't quite found the right formula with the Hulk but he's very good in [The Avengers]. They made him too big in the first two movies -- I don't think he had to be as big as King Kong. I think they're gonna be OK with the Hulk from now on, though. Mark Ruffalo nailed it."

Mark Ruffalo can be seen next year in the Disney+ series She-Hulk, starring Tatiana Maslany.

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