Stan Lee, the mastermind behind beloved characters like Spider-Man, the X-Men, Thor, Iron Man and the Fantastic Four, passed away on Nov. 12 at the age of 95. The reported cause of death is pneumonia. 

“We all knew he was going to pass away at some time, we just hoped that it would never happen,” reminisced Marvel fan, freshman Sara Bailey. “He made this whole franchise, and he worked really hard on it – literally put his whole life into it.”

Lee left behind a legacy that will be remembered for generations to come, for his revolutionizing of comic books in the 1960s and forward. And most recently because of the success of the Marvel comic book to movie adaptations on the big-screen. 

Lee was known for his colorful and fun personality, as well as his knack for creating characters with imperfections, insecurities, back-stories, and an awareness of the trends of our society (often paired with humor.)

“It’s just really awesome cause you get to see all these characters from different backgrounds really make a difference in the world,” said fellow Marvel fan, Maggie Merz. “You get to see everyone be able to become a superhero, no matter what their circumstances are.”

Lee was universally recognized by his tinted aviators and tightly trimmed mustache, that it seemed only he could pull off. 

His cameos were an Easter egg that thousands, if not more, fans anticipated in each movie. He will be deeply missed by comic book fans and movie nerds alike. Stan Lee’s last confirmed cameo is set to be in the last unnamed Avengers movie coming out in 2019.