Stan Lee is a legend. Period. There isn't an asterisk next to his creative genius because he created comic books, a medium that was widely considered to be for children only for decades. Superheroes aren't only for kids though. There are millions of "adult" novels that highlight some type of protagonist who needs to defeat a villain against all odds. Both the James Bond and Jason Bourne book series are a great example. In the movie media as well, people are introduced to heroes like Indiana Jones, Neo, Mad Max, or Han Solo. Even cartoons like South Park and Big Mouth prove that a medium which is usually connected with kids (cartoons), can be fine-tuned for adult entertainment as well. For some reason though, Bill Maher thinks the idea of heroes is for children.
Maher wrote an op-ed piece in the wake of Stan Lee's death that throws shade at the comic book creator and his fans. "The guy who created Spider-Man and the Hulk has died, and America is in mourning," he wrote. "Deep, deep mourning for a man who inspired millions to, I don’t know, watch a movie, I guess. Someone on Reddit posted, 'I'm so incredibly grateful I lived in a world that included Stan Lee.' Personally, I’m grateful I lived in a world that included oxygen and trees, but to each his own." His shade didn't stop there though.
"But the assumption everyone had back then, both the adults and the kids, was that comics were for kids, and when you grew up you moved on to big-boy books without the pictures," he continued. "But then twenty years or so ago, something happened – adults decided they didn’t have to give up kid stuff. And so they pretended comic books were actually sophisticated literature. And because America has over 4,500 colleges – which means we need more professors than we have smart people – some dumb people got to be professors by writing theses with titles like Otherness and Heterodoxy in the Silver Surfer." Maher's ridiculous remarks were torn apart by the comic book community immediately. Check out the reactions below.
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