Chinese fans of Marvel's superheros flocked to social media on Tuesday to mourn the loss of the man who created countless comic book legends.
Stan Lee, the creator of iconic characters such as Spider-Man, the X-Men and Iron Man, died in a Los Angeles hospital on Monday at the age of 95.
A famous writer at Marvel Comics and later its publisher, Lee was considered the architect of the contemporary comic book. He helped revive the industry in the 1960s with sophisticated plots and dialogue, satire and science fiction.
But it was his cameo roles in Hollywood superhero blockbusters that expanded his popularity in China, the world's second-largest cinema market-expected to surpass the US by the end of the decade.
From Iron Man in 2008 to Avengers: Infinity War earlier this year, Marvel's 19 films have grossed 12.9 billion yuan ($1.85 billion) in China, making it one of the country's most successful franchises, with a huge fan base eagerly awaiting every new release.
Venom, which had Lee play a dog-walking passerby, has been dominating China's box office charts since it opened on Nov 9.
As of Tuesday, the Sony feature with Marvel and Tencent Pictures as its production partners, has grossed nearly 900 million yuan in the Chinese market.
Many mourning fans sharing their sorrow on sites like WeChat and Weibo say they will watch or re-watch Venom to commemorate the late master, and expect to see him again on the silver screen in the upcoming Captain Marvel and Avengers 4, which also contains his cameo scenes.
During Lee's last trip to China in December, the then 94-year-old climbed the Great Wall in Beijing and said he wished to feature martial arts in superhero stories to help it gain a more global appeal.
His studio's official account on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, stated in October that Lee was inspired by the voice of Hong Kong singer-songwriter Gloria Tang Tsz-kei to create a female superhero.
Probably Lee's first Chinese superhero, her origin story starts with a mysterious incident connected to her grandmother and a charm bracelet. She fights against villains while disguising her daily life as a pop star, according to Billboard Radio China.
"Thank you for bringing the world so much inspiration, hope and courage, and making so many people believe in themselves in a world of turbulence," Tang wrote on Weibo on Tuesday.
Her sorrow was echoed by numerous fans online. "I'm so lucky to have met him once during a red carpet event this May. It's so memorable as he gave autographs for almost all the fans who asked as he was sitting in his wheelchair, and with his assistant handing out posters," said Wei Jing, a Weibo user.
A number of Chinese netizens equated the loss of Lee with the passing of Louis Cha, the legendary martial arts novelist who saw his 15 novels adapted to around 120 films and TV dramas. Better known by his pen name Jin Yong, Cha died on Oct 30 in Hong Kong.
"Like Jin, Lee created a world of characters that will always be there with us," said Mian Lang, a painter and illustrator.
Chinese filmmakers reportedly planned to cooperate with Lee in making several superhero movies, including casting A-list actors.
