Stan Lee, perhaps the most legendary figure in comics, made his second visit to the Middle East Film and Comic Con for the 2016 event, albeit in virtual form from the United States via a video screen.
The 93-year old is the creator of some of the biggest characters in comic-book history, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, The X-Men, Fantastic Four and The Incredible Hulk, and a former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.
He took part in a live question-and-answer session with fans, screened at a packed Imax Cinema Stage, from his California home, looking just as sprightly as he did during his previous video appearance at MEFCC two years ago.
After decades in the industry, he says the elements that made his work successful have not changed over the years.
“All I have to do is think what I would want to read about,” he says. “I’m really just pleasing myself and if you have the same taste as I have then I’m just pleasing all of us.
“I really don’t know where my inspiration comes from. If I knew where it came from I’d sit down and copy it and make royalties out of it. It just happens. I just write books I’d want to read and it seems lots of other people want to read them too.”
Lee admits that the work has not always been easy. His first job, in the late 1930s, involved refilling inkwells at New York pulp-comics publisher Timely, which later evolved into Marvel.
He made his writing debut with issue three of Timely's Captain America in 1941 and says that persistence is the key to success.
“The reason I persevered is that I needed money,” he says. “But eventually I decided to try to write stories I wanted to read, not that my editor wanted me to write. When I started doing that, that was when the books started getting really popular.”
Lee has created hundreds of characters over the years, working for Marvel, DC and other publishers, and he is convinced that his is the personalities of his creations that hook readers.
“All my characters have different personalities,” he says. “They’re not just cardboard cut-outs and that’s what makes them interesting — just like everyone out there in the real world.”
Does he have a favourite?
“I think if I could bring any one of my characters to life it would be Iron Man,” he says. “Tony Stark [Iron Man’s alter-ego] is such a great guy. I really don’t think anyone could play Iron Man as well as Robert Downey Jr does in the movies.
“Captain America is maybe the greatest superhero though. He doesn’t really have any special powers, but he’s so inspiring to so many people.”
At least one of Lee’s much-loved characters could have turned out very differently.
“With Spider-Man, I just wanted a character that could crawl up walls,” he says. “We thought about Fly-Man, Insect-Man. Spider-Man just sounded the best.
“Maybe I should do Fly-Man next. Next time I talk to you, maybe I’ll be talking about Fly-man.”
There is one other character Lee seems especially fond of, even though he did not create him.
“I wish I’d made Deadpool up, I really do,” he says with a laugh, referring to the Marvel anti-hero from the X-Men comics, who proved a smash-hit at cinemas this year with Ryan Reynolds in the title role. “That character is so great. Man, I wish I’d made him up.”
Lee did not create Deadpool, but he did have a cameo in the movie — a tradition in Marvel movies. Lee confirmed that this will continue when Captain America: Civil War is released next month, and revealed that one cameo in particular is a favourite.
"There's a scene in one of the Avengers movies [Age of Ultron]," he says. "Thor was drinking and I said 'I want a drink too.' Thor tells my character it's too strong for me, and in the next scene I'm being carried out shouting 'Excelsior!' [Lee's longtime Marvel comics catchphrase]."
Lee should have plenty more cameo opportunities to come, given Marvel’s prominent position at the global box office.
“There are new comics and movies coming but I’m not allowed to talk about them,” he says. “But you can bet there will be new comics and movies — don’t worry. We don’t wa nt to disappoint you.”
cnewbould@thenational.ae
