Taking a moment during his promotional tour for The Front Runner,
Hugh Jackman paid tribute to a man who had a massive impact on his career, Stan Lee. The actor and Late Show host Stephen Colbert shared kind words and memories of the Marvel Comics creator, who died at the age of 95 this week.
“To the family and to the legions of fans, I remember Stan as a true gentleman who had this glint in his eye,” Jackman said. “He’s a creative genius, he thought outside the box, he created a whole universe, he changed the lives of many people, mine included.”
Jackman played Wolverine across the X-Men films, which were based on Lee and Jack Kirby’s X-Men comics, before retiring the adamantium claws with the R-rated Logan. But, at Comic-Con, no one felt more important than Stan “The Man.”
Jackman recalled, “If you ever want to get a clear understanding of where you are in the world, and you think, ‘I’m Wolverine, I’m walking into Comic Con, this is my spot, right? This is a good day for me,’ I was on a red carpet and I was the only one on there and no one was taking my photo because at the other end was Stan Lee.”
Colbert, too, had words for Lee. He began The Late Show by sharing the news of the creator’s passing with his audience, as well as one of his many stories.
“He was also a World War II veteran, a screenwriter, and married to his wife, Joanie, for 70 years after they dated for two weeks and flew to Reno so she could get a quickie divorce and marry Stan on the same day. That’s a story,” Colbert said. “So thanks for all the great stories, Stan, and I know you’re hearing this a lot today, but excelsior!”
