Stan Lee, born Stanley Martin Lieber, was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He was the creative force behind Marvel Comics for two decades, leading its expansion from a small division of a publishing house to a multimedia corporation. Lee co-created iconic characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Ant-Man, the Wasp, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, the Scarlet Witch, and Black Widow. These characters introduced a more naturalistic approach in superhero comics. Lee continued independent creative ventures into his 90s until his death in 2018.