Back in the 1960s when it came to comic book superheroes, there was the Marvel way and the way that everyone else did it. At Marvel, then editor-in-chief Stan Lee — who recently passed away at the age of 95 — developed a wide variety of flawed characters who were far from the gods presented by other publishers. “That came mostly out of trying to write stories that I wanted to read,” he explained. “I didn’t enjoy stories that took place in a Gotham or Metropolis. I didn’t know where those places were! Why couldn’t it be a New York, Chicago, LA? For me, to enjoy what I was writing, I needed a superhero story as realistic as I could make it. I never tried to write for other people. I liked people who had problems I might have because we all have insecurities, regrets. I like heroes who were not 100 percent perfect, who have things to take care of.” Check out the video above to get a sampling of some of Stan’s fan-favorite superhero characters!