Stan Lee Dies at 95, Lives Forever in Vinyl and Plastic

When Stan Lee passed away this week at the age of 95, he left behind a towering legacy. As one of the earliest driving forces at Marvel Comics, he was responsible for countless classic comic books, and their related movies, TV shows, and merchandising. All to the tune of billions of dollars in revenue.

Like no comic creator before him, he became a celebrity in his own right, making frequent appearances in those comics, movies and shows. He showed up as himself, and as a slightly exaggerated version of himself, and as other characters fictional and real (Hugh Hefner in Iron Man!) He could be simultaneously self-deprecating and slightly pompous, always on brand, but always engaging.

And like any great character, he also was recreated in miniature collectible form, several times over.

stan lee simpsons

stan lee hot toysStan Lee appeared as himself on an episode of The Simpsons, or at least a slightly pompous overly confident version of himself. As such, he was immortalized as a yellow action figure. Lee was actually an easy person to caricature, because he had a distinct look and fashion sense, and that look basically didn’t change much over the last 40 years of his life.

Hot Toys created a hyper-realistic 12-inch figure of Lee, complete with director’s chair (right). You can almost hear him promoting his next film as you gaze upon the incredibly real textures.

Funko has had lots of fun with Lee, in several guises. The most prevalent would be his Pop! figures, representing just about every MCU cameo he’s ever made. And a few versions wearing a superhero outfit complete with cape. Throw in several versions created just for individual conventions and events (he’s usually tearing his shirt open to show the event logo), and there are at about 30 different variants to collect.

stan lee pops

He also shows up in the Funko Vinyl Idolz series, as a tall, bug-eyed version of his normal self. And as a Dorbz character, a short, round, close-eyed variant. Just to cover all the bases.

stan lee funko pez

Finally, being a man of great taste, Lee even became a Pez dispenser just a few months before he died. As someone who dispensed of colorful comics and films over the years, it seems like a fitting final appearance.

Excelsior!