Stan Lee: 'Avengers' Is A 'Magnificent' Accomplishment

by Ryan Rigley

Excelsior! Fanboys and fangirls of all ages are teeming with excitement in anticipation of the "Avengers" movie, now only two weeks away. Those who have been paying even the slightest bit of attention will be quick to realize that "The Avengers" is not just a movie, but an event that's been in the making ever since Marvel released its first "Iron Man" back in 2008.

"I don't know if people are aware of what an accomplishment the 'Avengers' movie is," states Stan Lee in a recent interview promoting the "Marvel Heroes Weekend" event taking place on the EPIX channel from April 27 - April 29.

Being the creator of several of the most popular superheroes in the Marvel universe, Stan Lee also played an instrumental part in creating the original "Avengers" comic book.

"The thing that led to their creation really was the fact that I wanted all of our characters to live in the same world," recalls Stan the man. "In fact, I had most of them living in New York cause it made it easier for me. And I used to feel, well why wouldn't they bump into each other occasionally and get to know each other? And then I did a story where it was important that they got together to rid the world of some terrible menace."

Although the "Avengers" movie shares the same basic premise to its comic book predecessor, there are several keys differences between the two. Chief among those differences being the "Avengers" roster. "When we first started the Avengers I selected Iron Man, Ant Man, and his tiny little companion the Wasp. And Thor. And the Hulk," Lee explains. "They were the original Avengers. Of course the team has grown since then."

Indeed it has. Fans of the "Avengers" comic books will note that the team has had a considerable amount of changes to its lineup since its inception back in 1963. In fact, there are currently four separate incarnations of the "Avengers" team (New Avengers, Secret Avengers, Young Avengers, and Avengers Academy) in the comics, most of which have their own ongoing series.

One thing is for certain though; if it weren't for Stan Lee we wouldn't have an "Avengers" movie to look forward to. Nor would we have Iron Man, or Thor, or even the Hulk for that matter, which is why we here at MTV News tip our hats to him. Thank you for creating the best thing that has ever happened to this world, Stan Lee. We can't wait to see what ridiculous cameo role you'll pop up in next.

Tune into EPIX on April 27 for "Marvel Heroes Weekend," a television event that includes the premiere of the documentary "With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story."

Tell us what you think of Lee's thoughts on "Avengers" in the comments or on Twitter!