A pair of powerful columns Stan Lee penned back in 1968 about the evils of racism are being re-shared by fans following the death of the Marvel Comics mogul.
Lee passed away in LA yesterday (November 12) at the age of 95. Tributes to the writer and former Marvel president have poured in from across the entertainment world as fans and stars alike unite to remember Lee’s life and career.
- READ MORE: Excelsior! Stan Lee’s 10 greatest Marvel creations – and how he found humanity in superhumans
In the wake of his passing, LA Times writer Jen Yamato shared two excerpts from Lee’s old Marvel column Stan’s Soapbox in which he spoke out against racism and bigotry during the peak of the Civil Rights movement in the US.
Published in 1968, the pair of columns see Lee use his ‘soapbox’ to criticise those who hold racist and bigoted convictions. “Bigotry and racism are among the deadliest social ills plaguing the world today,” he wrote in the first column. “But, unlike, a team of costumed super-villains, they can’t be halted with a punch in the snoot, or a zap from a ray gun.
“The only way to destroy them is to expose them — to reveal them for the insidious evils they really are.”
The second column sees Lee pressing the view that “a story without a message… is like a man without a soul.” See the two columns below.
"Bigotry and racism are among the deadliest social ills plaguing the world today." "A story without a message… is like a man without a soul."
RIP Stan Lee #StansSoapbox pic.twitter.com/S8PvuDassx
— jen yamato (@jenyamato) November 12, 2018
Following the news of his passing, numerous reports have claimed that Stan Lee filmed a number of cameos prior to his death – including for Avengers 4 and Captain Marvel.