On Monday, November 12th, Stan Lee, the legendary editor and comic creator for Marvel Comics passed away at age 95.

Stan Lee started creating comics as a teenager and worked his way up through the chain of command at Timely Comics, which would later evolve into the iconic company that is Marvel Comics.

Stan Lee, alongside Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, were responsible for creating legendary characters such as Spider-Man, the X-Men, Hulk, Thor, Black Panther, and Iron Man.

These characters sparked a revolution in the media world. People of all ages enjoyed reading the never before seen creations, as a new edition was released each week.

These characters withstood the challenge of time and left an impact on several generations of comic book readers. These comics evolved into television cartoons, live action series’, and the highly popular movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Lee’s passing was all of the buzz in the world of social media as “Stan Lee” was the number one trending topic on twitter as the news first broke. Millions of broken-hearted fans reminisced on Lee’s legacy, and some of these fans were local community members.

“I couldn’t believe it when I first heard it (of Lee’s passing),” said Normal West senior Landon Powell. “I was pretty taken aback, because he’s been in every single Marvel movie. Ever since I was growing up, I’ve been seeing him in all of them. There was a big impact because he made Spider-Man and all of them, and they were a big part of my childhood.”

Not only was Lee responsible creating new characters and stories, he was also responsible for shaping the imagination in kids all over the world.

“Kids could go home to a not so good life, but they could start reading these comics and be put into these other worlds and become powerful heroes,” said Powell.

“He really showed that anyone could make a hit out of anything, whatever your heart’s desire. I mean the idea of someone getting bit by a spider could be lame or even barbaric, but in the end he’s one of the greatest heroes and a lot of kids look up to him,” said senior Jason Miranda.

Stan Lee was also very important in empowering people from almost all walks of life.

“He inspired a lot of people, and left a great legacy, especially with the newer movies empowering women,” said Media Specialist, Mrs. Hafferman.

“His work was more relatable than a Batman or a Superman. With Spider-Man, he’s a high school student who wants to do good and happens to have powers,” added Miranda.

Stan Lee had a special charisma, from the cameos in his movies, to the TV shows, and to the comic books, everyone could recognize him and his work. Lee’s heroes made people of any race or religion feel like they could be heroes, and for that, he will be forever recognized.