Stan Lee: Iron Man Creator

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By Dan Verdick -- School Library Journal, 05/05/2010

Iron Man 2 hits the big screen on Friday, and we caught up with Stan Lee, the creator of the popular superhero who originally appeared in comics published by Marvel Comics.

You often make cameo appearances in movies that feature characters you’ve created—Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and now Iron Man. What does it feel like to have movies made about characters you dreamed up almost 50 years ago?
It's like a dream come true. When I wrote those stories so many years ago I never could have imagined that they would one day be the basis for such enormous motion picture hits. I can still hardly believe it when I sit in the theater and hear people applauding when the movie's title appears.

You were only 17 when your first comic book story—“Captain America Foils the Traitor’s Revenge”—was published in Captain America #3 in 1941. What advice do you have for teenage writers today?
I was tremendously excited to see my name next to a story that had actually been published in a magazine. The best advice I can give to any young person who wants to become a writer is read! Read all you can. Read stories by the best authors so that you learn to appreciate good writing. The more you read, the easier it will be to do your own writing when the time comes.

In the 1960s, you and Marvel came out with an astonishing cast of characters who revolutionized the form because they were human, flawed, troubled, and sometimes even antiheroes. Now these same characters are packing movie houses across the country. Were you aware that you were onto something different with these characters?
Yes, I knew I was doing something different, something I had always wanted to do, although I never suspected that it would become as successful as it did. What I wanted to do at that time was write about characters who were a little more realistic, who acted more like real people than comic book characters. Those were the type of characters I personally enjoyed reading about and I hoped the readers would feel the same way. I'm happy to say that apparently they did.

So many teachers and librarians say their kids are drawn to Iron Man, a character who was created decades ago during the heart of the Cold War. You once said you purposely created Iron Man as a weapons-manufacturing character so he would go against what so many of your readers were thinking back during the anti-war youth movement of the 1960s. But instead they loved him, and the character still appeals to generations of young people. Why do you think Iron Man has so much appeal?
As far as Iron man's appeal is concerned, my guess is that it stems from a few things. One is the fact that he has an injured heart, so no matter how strong his armor is he's still always very vulnerable. Then two, he's wealthy and not uncomfortable with that fact. I think most readers would want to be as wealthy as Tony. Of course, the fact that he's handsome and glamorous endears him to the hearts of many female readers. Finally, he actually has no super power of his own—only his fantastic armor; and without that armor he's just as human as any of his readers.

Was there a librarian or teacher who inspired you when you were a kid?
There was one teacher. I still remember her name, Miss Fried. I must have been about nine or 10 years old. She taught English and always impressed on us how important it was to read—to read all different types of books: adventure stories, history, biography, science, anything as long as it was a good, well-written book. She herself would read passages aloud to us from interesting books. Also, my parents always encouraged me to read. And finally, I didn't really need that much encouragement because I myself loved to read—and I still do.

This interview was conducted by Dan Verdick, director of marketing for Abdo Publishing Group. Abdo’s Spotlight division publishes many of the Marvel comics, including Iron Man