Stan Lee, whose Marvel superheroes have dominated popular culture for half a century, was honoured Tuesday when he plunged his hands and feet into cement at Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theater.
In a typically colourful comment, the 94-year-old comic book legend — whose characters include Spider-Man, the Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America and Thor — joked that he "would have asked for a raise" if he'd known how good he was.
"I've been the luckiest man in the world because I've had friends. And to have the right friends is everything — people you can depend on, people who tell you the truth if you ask for something," he said.
He paid emotional tribute to his "wonderful" wife of nearly 70 years, Joan, who died less than two weeks ago at age 93.
It has been a poignant week for Lee, who was honoured as a Disney Legend during the D23 Expo in Anaheim on Friday, where he delivered a rousing speech and received a standing ovation.
-
Marvel Comics co-creator Stan Lee places his handprints in cement during a ceremony in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese theatre in Los Angeles, California. Mario Anzuoni / Reuters -
Marvel Comics co-creator Stan Lee places his signature in cement during a ceremony in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese theatre. Mario Anzuoni / Reuters -
Marvel Comics co-creator Stan Lee poses with his daughter Joan after placing his hand, footprints and signature in cement during a ceremony in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese theatre. Mario Anzuoni / Reuters -
From left: Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, Comic book artist Todd McFarlane, Comic-book writer, editor, and publisher Stan Lee, actors Kevin Smith, Chadwick Boseman and Clark Gregg attend Stan Lee's hand and footprint ceremony at TCL Chinese Theatre. Valerie Macon / AFP -
Marvel Comics co-creator Stan Lee poses after placing his handprints, footprints and signature in cement during a ceremony in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese theatre. Mario Anzuoni / Reuters -
The handprints, footprints and signature in cement of Marvel Comics co-creator Stan Lee during a ceremony in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese theatre. Mario Anzuoni / Reuters -
Marvel Comics co-creator Stan Lee places his footprints in cement during a ceremony in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese theatre. Mario Anzuoni / Reuters -
Marvel Comics co-creator Stan Lee places his handprints in cement during a ceremony in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese theatre. Mario Anzuoni / Reuters -
A view of Stan Lee's Hand and Footprint imprints at his hand and footprint ceremony at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX. Valerie Macon / AFP -
From left: Comic-book writer, editor, and publisher Stan Lee, and actors Kevin Smith and Chadwick Boseman attend Lee's hand and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre. Valerie Macon / AFP -
Comic-book writer, editor, and publisher Stan Lee speaks at his hand and footprint ceremony at TCL Chinese Theatre. Valerie Macon / AFP
Born Stanley Martin Lieber on December 28, 1922 in New York, he began his career in 1939 as an assistant at Timely Comics with such duties as getting lunch, filling inkwells and proofreading.
His first published work was as a text filler for Captain America No. 3, published in 1941.
He wrote under the name Stan Lee, which would later become his legal name, revealing in his autobiography that he intended to save his given name for more literary work.
READ MORE:
- Marvel stuns fans with giant Avengers gathering
- Marvel to create first Chinese superhero comic star
- A look at the evolution of Spider-Man
Lee was named interim editor of Timely Comics in 1941. He became editor-in-chief for what would evolve into Marvel Comics in 1961, and was named publisher in 1972.
More than two million of Lee's comic books have been published in 75 nations and in 25 languages, and he is responsible for creating or co-creating 90 per cent of Marvel Comics' characters.
They have been featured in 24 animated television series and numerous live-action movies.
*AFP
