I am extremely saddened by the fact that I even have to write an article like this, but in today’s world this is becoming the norm. A famous person passes away, and instead of letting his/her fans mourn and the celebrity rest in peace, people feel the need to spit on said celebrities’ grave.

I’m not going to acknowledge any individual tweet, Facebook post or what have you. If you want to see what sick people are out there simply search Stan Lee problematic on twitter and that’s just the beginning. But the consensus from the uneducated masses seems to be that Stan Lee was a homophobic racist bigot, and a womanizer. These people have no idea who Stan Lee really was and are just empty vessels looking for attention on the internet.

They don’t take the time to learn anything about the man and just repeat the rallying cry of the stupid. They believe something they see in a 10-word tweet about a man they know nothing about, because that’s what people do on social media. So, I want to take a moment to teach you who the man was and why these fools think the way they do. And maybe if you run into one of these morons you can show them this article and shut them up.

Stan Lee hated bigotry in all its forms. He, in his own small way, was a champion of the Civil Rights movement (he created Black Panther to elevate black people and bring them more exposure to help with the Civil Rights movement). Let’s start by looking at his legacy. He created many minority characters such as Black Panther, Falcon and Goliath and many strong female characters like Black Widow, Jean Grey and Captain Marvel, just to name a few. The X-Men are allegory for minorities that have been mistreated and shunned by society. He would have never created any of these characters if he was racist or sexist. Read the comics and you will see how this man felt about such things.

Next we have the words the man said himself in a very famous Stan’s Soapbox (Stan’s Soapbox was a feature that use to appear in the back of Marvel Comics where Stan would write his opinion on different things and talk with the fans) he wrote:

“Let’s lay it right on the line. Bigotry and racism are among the deadliest social ills plaguing the world today. But, unlike a team of costumed super-villains, they can’t be halted with a punch in the snoot, or a zap from a ray gun. The only way to destroy them is to expose them — to reveal them for the insidious evils they really are. The bigot is an unreasoning hater — one who hates blindly, fanatically, indiscriminately. If his hang-up is black men, he hates ALL black men. If a redhead once offended him, he hates ALL redheads. If some foreigner beat him to a job, he’s down on ALL foreigners. He hates people he’s never seen — people he’s never known — with equal intensity — with equal venom.

“Now, we’re not trying to say it’s unreasonable for one human being to bug another. But, although anyone has the right to dislike another individual, it’s totally irrational, patently insane to condemn an entire race — to despise an entire nation — to vilify an entire religion. Sooner or later, we must learn to judge each other on our own merits. Sooner or later, if man is ever to be worthy of his destiny, we must fill our hearts with tolerance. For then, and only then, will we be truly worthy of the concept that man was created in the image of God ― a God who calls us ALL ― His children.

“Pax et Justitia, Stan.”

So that was the man who created the Marvel Universe. Where is all this negative stuff being said about Mr. Lee coming from now? Well it all stems from an old news article that stated the details of the movie licensing deal for the character of Spider-Man. The deal, penned by Stan Lee, states that Peter Parker was/is to be portrayed as a white, straight male and thus the internet went crazy. Why? Peter Parker is a white, straight male in the comics, why wouldn’t the contract specify that the movies are to stay true to Marvel’s property’s characteristics?

Now before you hit back with, what about Miles Morales, the movie licensing contract for Spider-Man was written in the 80s long before Miles was created in the Ultimate Universe. Also the stipulation os for Peter Parker to be portrayed that way, not Miles.

And also bare in mind Stan was not silent on this topic, he replied to the controversy in a Newsarama interview:

“I think the world has a place for gay superheroes, certainly,” he said. “But again, I don’t see any reason to change the sexual proclivities of a character once they’ve already been established. I have no problem with creating new, homosexual superheroes.”

In short, Lee feels Peter Parker is well established in the public consciousness after 53 years of being Peter Parker.

“It has nothing to do with being anti-gay, or anti-black, or anti-Latino, or anything like that,” Lee said. “Latino characters should stay Latino. The Black Panther should certainly not be Swiss. I just see no reason to change that which has already been established when it’s so easy to add new characters. I say create new characters the way you want to. Hell, I’ll do it myself.”

Which is a very valid point, but it’s a controversy that is even brewing in comics today (#comicsgate). But the real issue is that we shouldn’t appropriate a popular character to appease a specific group, but instead let’s create new characters or celebrate and elevate the already existing minority characters. When you do something for appeasement you diminish the original source material.

But was Stan Lee some kind of bigot? No, and there is significant evidence to support the truth about the man. Like I said, Stan Lee loved ALL people and was not a bigot by any stretch of the imagination. His legacy will live on long after the bitterness of a few uneducated people fades.  For now Rest in Peace, Stan.

Don’t forget to check out Super Hero Speak’s tribute episode to Stan Lee here: http://superherospeak.com/wp/283-a-tribute-to-the-true-believer/