Stan Lee, the man who invented Spider-Man

Are you a Marvel fan? Watch this video to find out about Stan Lee, the creator of Spider-Man.

Instructions

Do the preparation task first. Then watch the video and do the exercises. Remember you can read the transcript at any time.

Transcript

Superhuman speed … jaw-dropping agility … genius-level intellect … and, of course, those unique spidey-senses …

There's no doubt that Spider-Man is one of the best superheroes ever created. And that this definitely isn't him.

The person we have to thank for Spider-Man's existence is this guy: American comic-book writer, editor and publisher Stan Lee. And Spider-Man's not the only hero Stan brought to life. Not by a long shot. He's also responsible for the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, Thor, Iron Man, Black Panther, the Fantastic Four … the list goes on. 

Back in the 1930s and 40s, when these iconic characters were nothing more than a twinkle in young Stan's eye, it wasn't the big screens that captivated superhero fans. No, it was the golden age of comic books. 

In 1939, Stan began his career as an assistant with a very small publisher called Timely Comics. But it wasn't until the 60s that he first put his biggest creations to paper. By then, the little publisher had rebranded. And you might recognise the name it went with. 

In the 60s, Marvel characters were brought to life as live action and animated heroes in movies and on TV screens.  

Today, it's a multimedia giant owned by Disney and it's worth billions of dollars …

… pumping out slickly produced blockbusters full of recognisable faces. And – fun fact – as many Marvel fans will already know, over the years, Stan snuck short cameo appearances into dozens of Marvel movies. A game of hide-and-seek that never failed to excite his fans. 

Those fans say it's really sad to say bye to Stan. 

Fan: He's kind of the one who taught me to read a little bit, you know? He's like, one of the greatest of all times. The father of comic books. 

Fan: He was 95 but to us he's a superhero. Could live as long as he wanted to. 

As do the celebs who have been lucky enough to play his characters on the big screen. 

Ioan Gruffudd: He was incredibly kind and generous and the most enthusiastic person that I've ever met on set.

And you guys told us he meant a lot to you as well. 

Fan: It was pretty sad to hear he'd died, especially seeing, um, mainly because he was the original creator.  

Fan: Stan Lee was a very successful man. He created a big franchise that made billions and billions of dollars. And it's been able to connect with me and heaps of other children. 

Critics say what always sets Stan's superheroes apart was that they're not perfect. They're all flawed and have real-life problems their powers can't solve. 

I guess you could say Stan's superpower was showing us, through his characters, that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. 

Spider-Man: Oh, help! Help! Anyone? Help!

Well, most people.

© ABC

Discussion

Do you like comic books and superheroes? Who are your favourites, and why?

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Comments

Submitted by FranklyWrittenWrong on Tue, 07/19/2022 - 02:51

Iron man is still my favorite since the first movie.

Submitted by PolinaLogvinenko on Fri, 07/15/2022 - 09:46

I like watching Marvel movies. My favourite superhero is Iron man.

Submitted by eoerenozkann on Tue, 06/07/2022 - 19:17

I like spider man better than all super hero
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Submitted by Andrii on Fri, 07/16/2021 - 15:14

I like comic books, but I'd prefer watching a film. My farourite superhero is Iron Man.

Submitted by oiertxu on Tue, 03/16/2021 - 15:45

I don't like the superheros comics because I prefer more realistic stories. Some friends like Marvel books and Marvel films. They also play videogames of Spider-man. I have seen some Marvels films but they are boring for me

Submitted by MarvelFan on Mon, 12/21/2020 - 08:31

I really like comic books and superheroes. They are very intersting and Stan Lee made a lot fo them. But my favourite superheroe isn't from Marvel. My favourite superheroe is One Punch Man, becouse he made all with his hands.

Submitted by Rosbor on Sun, 10/25/2020 - 10:29

I have been a huge fan of Stan Lee superheroes for a while, I was very sad when he died, but at least he left us his legacy, and his wisdom "that person who helps others simply because it is the right thing to do, is indeed without a doubt, a real superhero" "Life is never completely without its challenges" "I believe there is a hero in all of us. That keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and, finally alloys us to die with pride." And Stan Lee was, without any doubt, my favourite superhero. As he used to say: Excelsior!
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Submitted by iloveenglish4 on Sun, 08/02/2020 - 19:52

I'm so happy that I could get to know Stan Lee a little bit better. I love all the Marvel films, especially the avengers. Thanks to Stan I can experience magic moments watching all the comics based movies and I can't wait to watch the upcoming Black Widow movie.

Submitted by TR790 on Tue, 05/19/2020 - 14:12

The Avengers are my favourites. Thank you, Stan Lee.

Submitted by Marcel on Sun, 03/08/2020 - 19:42

one minute of silence for Stanlee... :(
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Submitted by Timothy15 on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 15:56

Poor Stan... You maybe don't know it, but Stan Lee died in 2018. Anyway... I love Spider-Man and Iron Man!
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Submitted by Zelenokumsk on Tue, 01/28/2020 - 19:53

I love this character very much! I feel gratitude to Stan Lee for this cartoon!
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Submitted by AnnieIce on Fri, 01/10/2020 - 18:35

Spiderman and Captain Marvel for sure!!!

Submitted by nguyenthuydung on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 15:04

This is good
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