Found out the news from a friend just as I was starting to watch Thor: Ragnarok at home, and decided to dedicate my enjoyment of it especially to him.
Without Stan Lee, none of the current popularity of superheroes would be possible. He kicked off an incredible, ongoing era of superhero domination by writing realistic, flawed, and relatable characters who elevated common humanity to the heights of adventure and excitement. Without him, so many cultural changes would have never made their way into the comic book world until, likely, far later, particularly the inclusion of more diverse characters like Falcon and Black Panther. He was a truly great man, and though I've never met him, I've heard that he was an incredible person and really fun to talk to. He leaves the world having definitely made it a better place, and wherever he is now, I hope he is experiencing ten times as much happiness as all of that which his creations brought to fans around the world, because he deserves it.
