StanLee Media.[108][109] Lee was never implicated in the scheme.[110]. Following the success of 20th Century Fox's 2000 X-Men film and Sony's then-current Spider-Man film, Lee sued Marvel in 2002, claiming that the company was failing to pay his share of the profits from movies... Quora is a place to gain and share knowledge. It's a platform to ask questions and connect with people who contribute unique insights and quality answers. This empowers people to learn from each other and to better understand the world. At the time ofSpider-Man’s release, most of the rest of Marvel’s stable of superheroes was little known outside the world of comics. Sure, Hulk had some fans and the X-Men were reasonably popular, but Iron Man? stanlee in character as a cameo in fantastic four. 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection. The showmanship part is important: StanLee was not just one or Marvel's finest minds alongside Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby, but its face. Since the American superhero comic book made its debut on April 18, 1938, dozens of early writers made their mark on how they should be written. Among these writers, one man made an important impactonthe entire comic book industry during the early 1960’s. McFarlane, the Calgary-born writer who created the Spawn series and has written several Spider-Man comics, spoke to As It Happens host Carol Off about his longtime friend and mentor. Here is part of their conversation. How did you come to meet StanLee?