10 Things You Need To Know About The Fantastic Four
9. The FF Convinced Stan Lee To Say In Comics
If it were not for the Fantastic Four, who knows what other classic comic book characters we'd have missed out on.
Having spent two decades as the editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics - including the company's years known as Timely Comics - Stan Lee was all ready to quit the industry in 1961. Disgruntled at the business and feeling tired at the overplayed superhero tropes of the time, Lee made plans to exit the comic book world.
According to Stan, it was this sense of resignation that caused him to create what we now know as the Fantastic Four. Wanting to for once have a superhero who he could relate to, the Man wanted to try his hand at creating a character who had very real problems and wasn't simply an all-powerful god-like figure. Having seen the success of the Justice Society of America books of the time, Stan developed his initial idea to be that of a team of relatable heroes - and that team ended up becoming a family unit.
Still, even after The Fantastic Four #1 was put out onto newsstands, Lee still intended to leave the comic book business behind. Upon seeing the huge success of that debut issue, Stan was convinced to remain in the industry.
It's crazy to think what the landscape of comic books and superheroes would've looked like had Stan Lee, as intended, left the world of funny books behind in 1961.
In a nice touch, Lee made a cameo appearance in 2005's Fantastic Four as the Baxter Building's mailman, Willie Lumpkin.