Stan Lee may be gone, but his legacy will last forever. His full name, "Mr. Lee," the hashtag "#Excelsior," "Marvel," "Spider-Man," and "Rest In Peace" were all trending terms on Monday, November 12 as news of his death spread across the internet.
Fans are mourning worldwide for the 95-year-old Marvel Comics' icon, but Stan Lee's death is a particular blow for the stars who were lucky enough to work with him and bring Marvel characters to life. Many of those actors and filmmakers took to social media to share thanks, memories, and condolences. Let's start with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. Feige helped introduce many fans to Lee's characters through the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he was quick to honor the legend:
The MCU began 10 years ago with Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr. brought the character to life, and he paid tribute to the real Marvel hero:
Chris Evans plays Captain America in the MCU, and he previously played the Human Torch in the 2005 Fantastic Four movie; Stan Lee had actually named Evans the Marvel star with whom he had bonded the most. Here's Evans' heartfelt reaction to the loss of his friend:
Stan Lee always has a fun cameo in Marvel movies. Joe and Anthony Russo have directed four Marvel Studios movies so far: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and next spring's Avengers 4. The Russos also reacted to Lee's passing:
Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds aren't currently part of the MCU, but they are part of Fox's X-Men franchise, which also follows Marvel Comics characters. Reynolds (Deadpool) was one of the first stars to react to Stan Lee's death:
Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) shared a photo with and praise for Stan Lee:
MCU Spider-Man Tom Holland also took time to honor the man who made all of this possible:
Mark Ruffalo joined the MCU as Bruce Banner/The Hulk with the first Avengers movie. He has since become an indispensable part of the "Stan Lee constellation," as he put it so well:
MCU Black Panther star Winston Duke (M'Baku) shared a great message on Stan Lee:
Black Panther star Letitia Wright (Shuri) also paid tribute to Stan Lee:
Evangeline Lilly, star of Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp, joined her fellow MCU stars with this tribute:
Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes may have a long future in the MCU. The actor also shared thanks to Stan Lee for giving him this opportunity:
It's not just Marvel film stars paying tribute to Stan Lee. The cast of ABC's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. also honored the Marvel Comics maestro:
Joss Whedon directed the first two Avengers films for the MCU, and he also shared some beautiful words about Stan Lee:
Guardians of the Galaxy star Zoe Saldana (Gamora) thanked Stan Lee for everything:
Director and renowned comic book fan Kevin Smith shared a lengthy post on Stan Lee's passing:
Stan Lee's reach is everywhere, including the new Sony movie Venom, which is also based on Marvel Comics characters:
More tributes are continuing to pour in, from in and out of the Marvel Comics world. It would be impossible to post them all -- Stan Lee's impact was too great. You'd have to copy and paste the entire internet. He lived 95 years, but somehow that still wasn't enough for millions of people. That's a life well-lived. Here's what's ahead for the MCU he helped put into motion.
