The iconic comic book writer who helped create Marvel’s greatest superheroes and villains now has a street named after him in the Bronx.
Council Member Fernando Cabrera held the street re-naming event on Thursday at University Avenue between Brandt Place and West 176th Street to honor Stan Lee’s Bronx roots by naming the street after the late comic book legend.
Lee, who died three years ago at 95 years old, is known for being among the masterminds to create superheroes like Spider-Man, the Hulk, Black Panther, the X-Men and more.
“Stan Lee was a Bronx native who grew up in my district,” Cabrera said when his proposal to rename the street got approved. “Stan Lee was a creative genius who co-created iconic super heroes including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Hulk, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Black Panther and more. Mr. Lee’s amazing talent brought joy and entertainment to countless children and adults and he deserves to be permanently memorialized in his home borough, the Bronx.”
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As the top writer at Marvel Comics and later as its publisher, Lee was widely considered the architect of the contemporary comic book, alongside Jack Kirby. He revived the industry in the 1960s by offering the costumes and action craved by younger readers while insisting on sophisticated plots, college-level dialogue, satire, science fiction, even philosophy.
Millions responded to the unlikely mix of realistic fantasy, and many of his characters, including Spider-Man, the Hulk and X-Men went on to become stars of blockbuster films. He won the National Medal of Arts in 2008, among countless other recognitions and awards.
