Stan Lee

STAN LEE (b. Stanley Martin Lieber) 28 December 1922 -

Avengers Writing: #1-34

Avengers Editor: #1-102

The “father” of Marvel Comics, Lee broke into comics in the early 1940s when Joe Simon hired him for Martin Goodman’s Timely Comics. As the years passed, Lee undertook many duties in the Timely offices and became office manager.

By the late 50s early 60s Lee was about to walk away from the comics field and it was around this time that DC, or National as it was known then, was enjoying new success in the superhero genre with a super-hero team called the Justice League of America, a team of established DC heroes such as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman. Ever the one to follow up on other’s successes Goodman tasked Lee with creating a new superhero team. With Lee ready to throw in the towel, his wife Joan urged him to experiment with stories and characters the way he wanted to present them.

Together with artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, Lee created The Fantastic Four premiering in November 1961. The title was hugely successful. Over the next few months Lee collaborated with the likes of Kirby, Steve Ditko, Don Heck, Bill Everett, and Lee’s brother Larry Lieber to create Spider-man, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Dr Strange, Daredevil, Ant-man, and the X-Men.

In the middle of all this Lee & Kirby created The Avengers, a group comprising five Marvel heroes already appearing in their own titles – Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Ant-man, and Wasp - in short the title Goodman was looking for when Lee presented him with The Fantastic Four.

Lee was writer / editor of the first 36 issue of The Avengers. Lee shared the writing credits of #14 with his brother Larry and Paul Laiken. Roy Thomas assumed the writing responsibility as of #35 and Lee continued as editor until #102. 

To the right: A copy of the first "Stan's Soapbox" as it appeared in Avengers #40 May 1967