This seminal series of work, curated between 2012 and 2018, was the result of a collaboration between Marvel’s Chairman Emeritus, the late, great Stan Lee and Castle Fine Art’s publisher, Washington Green. For this swansong release, we bring you The Amazing Spider-Man, Captain America, The Avengers, the Fantastic Four and The Mighty Thor.

Two years before Captain America first rallied The Avengers with his famous line, “Avengers, assemble!”, Stan Lee recognised a need for an ensemble cast of characters who would bring together diverse personalities and strengths to defeat their enemies. Thus, Fantastic Four, Marvel’s “first family” was born, marking a new direction for the company in the sixties. Fantastic Four #49 sees the superhuman group joining forces with The Silver Surfer, originally sent to Earth by the villainous Galactus to destroy it. Crucially, this issue sparked a move towards Stan Lee expanding upon his superheroes’ alter egos; a shift in the narrative bestowed almost equal importance on the characters’ personal lives, solidifying the aim to keep his heroes both relatable and relevant.

Due to the phenomenal success of the films, The Avengers is arguably the better-known band of heroes. Stan was able to reintroduce Captain America into the Marvel Universe in The Avengers #4 after a hiatus of nearly 20 years, having debuted him in the 1940s under Timely Comics. The Captain represented the American ideal and, as a character that Stan Lee worked on with Jack Kirby at a time when both men were in far less senior positions, it was of great significance to them both to breathe new life into his story arc. It also presented an opportunity for the duo to retell Captain America’s journey into the popular domain, satisfying previously unconvinced comic fans by taking his narrative back full circle, where it first began.