Excelsior, One Last Time

Stan Lee died on November 12, 2018, at the age of 95, and the world mourned the loss of modern mythology's most prolific architect. With artists like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, Lee co-created Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange — characters that would collectively generate more revenue than the GDP of most nations. His genius was making superheroes human: Spider-Man worried about rent, the X-Men were allegories for prejudice, Tony Stark was an alcoholic. These weren't gods on Olympus. They were New Yorkers with problems. Lee's cameos in Marvel films had become a beloved tradition — the sunglasses-wearing old man who popped up in every movie like a narrative wink. His final cameo, filmed before his death, played in Avengers: Endgame. The audience cheered, then went quiet. "Excelsior" had been his catchphrase for decades. It means "ever upward." He meant it.