Austin Welcomes the Incredible Stan Lee

He’s a legend in his field. An inspiration to those just starting out and who have been in the game for years. He’s enigmatic, witty and he’s sharp as a tack given that he will be ninety-one years of age. He’s none other than Stan Lee and if you don’t know him, you’ve got some research to do.

Generations of comic fans have seen his name on the covers of their favorite pieces of work and it’s been that way for about sixty years now, allowing young and old comic fans alike to share in his work. Lee is also a staple nowadays at conventions, giving said fans possibly a once in a lifetime opportunity to have their favorite comics autographed attend a panel or have a photo taken with him. Austin Wizard World was no different.

The cake culprits! (via Saira Ramos Twitter)

The room was packed and buzzing with anticipation for Lee’s arrival and I had a front row seat to all the action. He took the stage to a standing ovation and almost immediately the crowd began into a round of Happy Birthday as Lee was presented with a rather suitable cake decorated with Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-man and the Hulk. This was Lee’s last convention before his birthday on December 28th and the moderator wanted to make sure it was memorable. Lee was so thrilled with the cake that he jokingly threatened that if anyone cut the cake, he’d kill them. Recent posts on Twitter now point to James Hong as being the cake cutting culprit and Bruce Campbell proclaiming innocence in the matter; it sounds like they might need to watch their backs now!

After the excitement of the cake, the room settled in to ask questions; eager fans lined up at one of two microphones for the chance to ask the legend their burning questions. But, not everyone was there to ask Lee something, as was evident when a young man came to the mic admitting, “Mister Lee, I have a million questions but I’ll only ask one. Unfortunately it’s not for you.” He then held up the Amazing Spider-man issue 21, where Peter Parker marries Mary Jane and announced that he too had found his Mary Jane and that he wanted to marry her. Of course she said yes and then Lee jokingly offered to marry them right then and there. This wasn’t the only romantic thing to happen during the panel though; Lee also discussed how he met his wife, whom he has spent the last sixty-six years with.

Lee also delved into the art of writing and spoke about H.G. Wells, Mark Twain and Edgar Allen Poe as some of the writers whom he was influenced by and in turn, I’m sure, influenced those in the room with the advice he had to offer. I’ll probably never try my hand at writing a comic myself (though I don’t ever want to say never), but Lee’s words even had me paying full attention.

“The writer should focus on what he or she wants to write. Don’t worry about what anyone else wants.” he advised, then addressed a question about where he finds inspiration ; “If you are a writer, then you are creating all the time.”
It might be easier said than done, but Lee certainly knows what he’s talking about. While he may have been lucky, seemingly being in the right place at the right time for the job, he still had to deliver, and with the roster of characters and story arcs under his belt, it’s more than easy enough to say he succeeded.

As the panel went on, Lee revealed some rather candid details about future projects, mentioning that a Black Panther movie is in the works. When prompted by a statement from an audience member about the diversity in comics, Lee explained that we are going to see even more in the near future.

“I feel we should have superheroes represent every race and nationality.” Lee stated to an uproar of claps and cheers from the hopeful audience.

The discussion then turned to the X-Men, and how one fan found comfort and understanding reading the series, admitting that she too knew what it felt like to be bullied for who she was.

“We need to stop hating people because they are different!” Lee said to another round of approving claps and whistles, citing the X-Men series as a whole and hoping that with time everyone can learn tolerance.

Next up was the discussion of the Marvel movies, stories from the set and which film he seemed the most happy with. It was no surprise when Lee said that Tony Stark is just “me in disguise” and it’s clear he has a soft spot for the character.

“If you ever wondered why Tony’s armor changed so much it’s because I was never satisfied with how it [the suit] looked but Hollywood, they got it right.” he told the crowd, saying that the armor was supposed to look layered and complicated just like it was in the film.

Lee could also barely contain his excitement when the mention of upcoming Marvel movies came up. He said many film companies have tried to do what Marvel and Disney have but haven’t quite been able to make it there yet.

“We are at the forefront and don’t you forget it!” He announced with a huge grin.

The time with the comic legend seemed all too short, and all good things need to eventually come to an end. He posed one question to the crowd before giving us a cheerful, “Excelsior!” and taking his leave from the stage.

The question?

“Why is Dr. Doom considered a villain when all he wants to do is rule the world?”

Lee explained that if someone walked up to a police officer and told them they wanted to rule the world, the officer might give them a funny look, but wanting to rule the world is not an arrestable offense. So why then, is Dr. Doom considered a villain?

Help us answer Lee’s query in the comments below!