Stan Lee has co-created an empire of comic superheroes, from X-Men, to Hulk, to Iron Man. He started in 1922 and was the public face of MARVEL for decades. This paper will look at two of his amazing characters and the man himself.

This is Hulk. His real name is Bruce Banner; Bruce was an amazing astrophysicist in the Army, before the accident. Dr. Banner was testing a gamma-radiation bomb when a teenager walked into the testing area; Dr. Banner ran into the danger zone and pushed the teen into a ditch but did not hide in time. The bomb exploded, and though Dr. Banner survived, the after effects of the gamma radiation made him into a green rage monster during the night hours. Eventually, his condition worsened to if he was startled or angry, he would turn. Hulk is invincible: the only way to “defeat” him is to draw him away from what you’re trying to save, and hope his anger subsides. Hulk is different than most characters because he (in his human form) is the type that would “lay down over the wire and let the other soldier crawl over him”.

This is Iron Man. His real name is Anthony (Tony) Stark. Tony Stark grew up being the type of boy that liked to take things apart and learn how they worked. Unfortunately, he was also very lazy. He took undergraduate classes at a college near his school and graduated with 2 master’s degrees by age 19. From there, he went to work with Stark Industries (his parent’s company) but proved to be more interested in leading an immoral lifestyle. He suddenly became owner of the company when his parents were killed in an arranged car crash. During the testing of one of his weapons at an international plant, Stark and his group were attacked by terrorists. A land mine exploded while they were fighting sending shrapnel into Tony Stark’s chest near his heart. Stark was captured and commanded to make weapons; instead, Tony made a suit of armor and escaped, albeit paying a price. In order to survive, Stark made an electromagnetic shield plate to keep the debris inside him from entering his heart. He also created more suits of armor to protect him in battle. Tony Stark is by far, the most proud of all the Avengers; he described himself as a “billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and genius”.

This is the creator of the past characters. He’s not famous for his extra-terrestrial powers or amazing bravery: he is the Marvel man and all the characters wherein. I consider him to be a genius because of the way he has sold his stories. The stories themselves are quite boring and repetitive; reading his ex-company’s comics is like doing Algebra. There are too many variables; for instance, if he says someone is dead, it doesn’t really mean that because they always end up thought to be dead but really just abducted. The plot is always the same in all the Avenger’s lives, and their stories never end! Stan Lee has advertised his stories in such ways as to appeal to all audiences, and people like them. That, in and of itself, is amazing. He is the true “Tony Stark”, a self-made billionaire.