Marvel Star Mark Ruffalo Remembers Late Stan Lee On His 99th Birth Anniversary

Mark Ruffalo stepped into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as The Hulk ten years ago in 2012, and the actor took a moment to remember the late Stan Lee, who created the fictional superhero sixty years ago, on his 99th birth anniversary.

The 54-year-old actor took to Twitter on Tuesday to share an edited photo of Lee. In the photo, Lee could be seen smiling with a background collage of pages from the many comic books he helped create over decades of his illustrious career, including "Iron Man," "The Hulk," and "X-Men."

"Thinking of Stan Lee and everything he’s done for our extended Marvel family today," Ruffalo captioned the photo.

Fans took to the comments section to share their love for the artist.

"Thank You Mr.Lee For Creating some of the best Superheroes ever and making my childhood amazing," a fan wrote along with an artwork. Another fan wrote about Lee used to do cameos in every Marvel movie until he died.

Actress Tara Strong, who worked in Marvel’s TV series “Loki” alongside Tom Hiddleston also commented, "He was the greatest."

Lee's official Twitter handle also shared a tribute to the comic book writer. They shared a black and white photo of Lee blowing candles along with actors who played Spider-Man and Captain America in 1979.

"Today, Stan would have turned 99," they wrote. "The colorful characters & thrilling tales he created captivate & entertain fans & will do so for generations to come. To celebrate his birthday, share your favorite Stan story, sighting, cameo or comicbook with us & we'll retweet a few!"

William Shatner, who worked in the "Star Trek" franchise, also paid tribute to Lee and tweeted, "My friends, today @TheRealStanLee would have been 99 years young. I want to celebrate his life and remember him by getting the hashtag #STANLEE99 Trending." Shatner further encouraged fans to use the same hashtag.

Stan Lee began his career in 1939 as an assistant and created the first superhero named the Destroyer for Mystic Comics, which was dropped in 1941. Credited with the creation of some of the most famous superheroes in the 20th century, the legendary comic book creator and producer passed away on Nov. 12, 2018, a month before his 96th birthday, after being rushed to a hospital in Los Angeles for a medical emergency.

Ruffalo, meanwhile, will be next seen in an MCU TV series, "She-Hulk," which is currently under post-production. He will reprise his role of Bruce Banner in the series.