THE LUCK OF THE DRAW

Everyone, whether they like it or not, or know it or not, is culturally impacted by Stan Lee, the seemingly immortal nonagenarian. Film franchises, comic books, television box sets: all of these have not only been infiltrated by this legend’s creations, but also dominated by them. Let’s face it, the Marvel Universe is a colossal success. Three of the top 10 grossing films of all time are Marvel movies (Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Iron Man 3). Earlier incarnations of characters such as Daredevil (2003), the Fantastic Four (2005) and Captain America (1990) were major flops, and it is only in the past decade that the full potential of Stan Lee’s creations have been realised. As well, characters that were hitherto less well known have also become unmitigated successes.