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I woke up to some terrible news yesterday. The previous night had robbed the multiverse of the architect of some of its most enduring fantasies, Stan Lee, or Stanley Martin Lieber.

Stan, the pain of your passing was a little too personal, your loss, a little too heartfelt. In so many ways and through so many characters, your work has inspired me. It has given me hope (when courage was in short supply) and one sketch at a time, started me off on my journey as a graphics and game level designer.

I still fondly remember drawing sketches of Spider-Man swinging across buildings with the green goblin, hot on his tail, on the back of my school books during classes. (I also remember getting chewed out by my teachers whenever I got caught.). I spent the better portion of my childhood playing as a rampaging Hulk in video games and coveting the intellect of the enigmatic Tony Stark.

Your stories have always pushed me to strive harder and to become a better person. Your characters never came in black or white. They too were entirely human. Like so many of us, despite their great strengths, they were plagued by the same kind of suffering and loss that we have to deal with every day. Your characters inspired us to rise above our own inhibitions, selfishness or self-pity; to fight for those who couldn’t fight for themselves. Your stories taught me to be selfless, to find my moral compass and stick to it and to recognize my responsibilities in the light of whatever strengths I possess. 

There are so many memories revolving around the worlds you helped shape. Assembling with my friends to watch the first Avengers movie at midnight (only tickets we could find). Bickering over who has the best superhero t-shirt and long drawn arguments with complete strangers on how the Hulk could clobber Superman(DC, Tsk tsk) any day of the week.

Stan, as a game designer and a creative, your work has shown me how our creations have the strength to inspire the good in so many. I hope that someday I too can bring about the same joy, love, kindness and hope your work and your creations have spread for generations. Thank you for everything.

“Excelsior.”