"The pleasure of reading a story and wondering what will come next for the hero is a pleasure that has lasted for centuries and, I think, will always be with us."

― Stan Lee

I just watched Endgame, and there's something I want to say.

(I'm not spoiling anything. If you want that, ask Tom Holland.)

Stan Lee was an amazing person, and a huge inspiration to me growing up. Yes, I write novels, and he did comics, but that doesn't matter. Stories are universal. Stan could have just as easily written novels.

"Comics are stories. They're just like novels or anything else. So the first thing you have to do is become a good storyteller."

Stan is a hero in his own way, changing and affecting lives. He proved that not all heroes wear capes.

I loved Marvel growing up. The stories, the characters, the movies, they're all amazing. And I always found it incredible that Stan had such an impact on the world. The universe he created is amazing, and such a big part of so many lives.

He never actually retired. As he put it, "Most people say they can't wait to retire so they can go golfing or whatever. If I was playing golf, I would want to finish so I could go dream up a new TV show."

He was always my favorite part of any marvel movie. My brother and I always got excited when we saw him. 

Stan did much more than simply write comics. He taught us many things.

Don't discriminate. What do looks and religion matter when they don't define who we are? Take black panther, scarlet witch, captain marvel (who I found out was originally Muslim), falcon, black widow, and more.

You have one life. Make it count. Make your mark on the world.

It's okay to be different. Not being popular, or cool, doesn't matter. What you do does.

Nobody's perfect. Iron man was cocky. Thor was arrogant. Spider-Man is unsure of himself. They can't be perfect. But that's fine.

Fight for what's right. Even if it takes you down, don't give up.

Read. As much as you can. "Reading is very good. And you can quote me on that!"

You can still read books with pictures when you're an adult.

And finally, with great power, comes great responsibility.

We can forget some heroes, heck there are probably lots I've forgotten about. But we will never forget the writer. The dreamer. The creator of so many beloved stories.

As far as I'm concerned, there's only one hero in the Marvel Universe. He proved that not all heroes have powers. He didn't wear a cape, or fight crime. He died on November 12, of 2018.

R.I.P. Stan.

Here's some fanart that I did. It's not good, as I have no artistic ability, but I still want to share it.

"Excelsior!" -Stan Lee

Author Note: all the quotes are Stan's. I take no credit for them.