If there's one man that personified the world of comic books, it was the late Stan Lee. Born Stanley Leiber in 1922, the one time aspiring Novelist ushered in the silver age of comics with his grounded, more realistic take on superheroes, Lee (together with Jack Kirby) created some of the most iconic characters to grace the pages of Marvel.
However, the man who would come to be known as the face of Marvel was not always exclusive to the company. In the early 00s, Lee would dip his toes in the waters of DC Comics and reinvent some of their most iconic characters with the same uncanny, "grounded" flair that only "The Man" was able to imagine.
7 It Was Stan's Idea... Sort Of
It all started with a joke. During the summer of 89, Stan, along with Bob Kane, were attending the premier of Batman when Stan jovially suggested that Batman would've been better if he had had a hand in the character's creation. As the joking between the two comic giants continued, Michael E. Uslan (the producer of Batman) overheard this conversation of harmless joshing and was hit with the idea of Lee working on DC's line up of characters. This idea would remain with Uslan years after the good-natured joking.
6 His Vision Was Met With Mixed Reviews
When the idea was first introduced to the public, Stan's "Just Imagine" universe was met with anticipation and excitement. The long-time face of Marvel was now free to stretch his creative muscles (that had been dormant for far too long) and try his hand at some of the most iconic characters in comic book history. However, his take on the likes of Superman, Batman and other classic characters was met with a rather mixed reception. In fact, many fans critics found Lee's take uninspired and underwhelming. In the end, Lee's vision just didn't live up to the hype.
5 We Could Have Seen Spider-Man Over At DC
When Marvel filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, Lee's contract became loose enough to let him work elsewhere. Once Lee ventured over to DC, Former executive vice president of Marvel Sherrill Rhoads was quoted as saying, "Stan's contract implied that his employment gave Marvel rights to the characters he created, so by cancelling the contract, there was a legal argument that the characters reverted to Stan." This loophole was noticed right away and when Stan came back to Marvel, his contract was revised.
4 Marvel Wasn’t Happy
It goes without saying that Marvel and Stan Lee are as iconic a pair as peanut butter and jelly. So, when Lee left Marvel's hallowed halls for DC, "the House of Ideas" was less than enthused. Wasting little time, Marvel decided to draft up a brand-new contract for Lee. The new contract would ensure that Lee would be exclusive to marvel and, in turn, Marvel would have their public face back where it belonged.
3 His Presence Within The DC Offices Was Strange
The idea of Stan Lee walking the halls of DC Comics would've been as unlikely as the late Julius schwartz (long-time editor of DC) en route to his office at Marvel. So, when Stan found himself in that very position, the DC staff were taken aback to say the least. Though, business was conducted as normal, Stan Lee's presence within the company was felt as surreal, even flat out strange. Former DC Comics editor Joan Hilty was quoted saying, "It was a stunt, frankly. There was nothing organic about Stan Lee imagining Aquaman. We thought it was strange. It was a fun, brief idea, but I didn't know exactly what the motive was," Hilty continued, "I think you could argue that it did have the effect of subconsciously saying to the editors, 'Your ideas aren't good enough. We need Stan Lee."
2 His Decision To Change Both Race And Gender Of The Characters He Worked On Was Not For Diversity’s Sake
Fans of DC are very familiar with the look, feel and overall disposition of the flagship characters that make up the company's pantheon. Like most fans, a feeling of comfort comes along with the knowledge that their beloved characters will always (for the most part) remain the same. But when Stan took the reins of the DC roster, he ventured outside the established box and decided to overhaul everything about the DC heroes. From Batman being African American to the Flash now being a young woman, Lee flipped the company on it's head with these radical changed. But these changes were not for diversity's sake, rather just be as different from the norm. Change for change’s sake was the only motivation needed for the Spider-man creator.
1 He Had Full Creative Control
When Stan was brought over to work for the company that was his rival for years, he was given complete creative freedom over the characters he was reimagining. The characters would exist within an "Elseworld" outside the DC proper, and any of his character's exploits would not interfere with other storylines. Stan Lee's Just Imagine ... was, however, a connected universe in and of itself, with its colorful cast of eccentric characters coming together to thwart a global threat.