“Superheroes” Pay Their Final Respects to Stan Lee

Melody Mooney in a posed studio portrait depicting her unforgettable (and squeaky-clean) superhero character, Hygena. (Photo: SyFy)

“People always ask me what Stan Lee was really like. My small intersection with his large amazing world made me feel like I really could be a superhero. He was a legendmaker, a storyteller, a champion for the little guy, the underdog, and their rise to greatness. He was funny and wise and a true believer in the magic of a good cape, a good tag line, and a world where we all could be super. My heart feels very broken today, but boy, did Stan leave this world so much better than he found it. Excelsior and thank you, Mr. Lee!” —Melody “Hygena” Mooney

Stan Lee reacts to the “loud-n-proud” primal-scream of  Mary Votava’s “Monkey Woman.” (Photo: Syfy)

“A brilliant light has left the world. You will be greatly missed, Stan. Love and Excelsior forever!” —Mary “Monkey Woman” Votava

Season 2 WWTBASH winner, Jarrett “The Defuser” Crippen was ready to fight crime, “anyplace, anytime.” (Photo: giligula)

“Rest In Peace, my friend. You’ve earned it more than most. It was my honor to work with—and for—you for so many years.” —Jarrett “The Defuser” Crippen

Tonatzin Mondragon shone as the radiant “Lemuria.” (Photo: F. Scott Schafer)

“Thank you so much Stan. You gave me so much. I hope you are united with your wife and loved as much as you were in this life. To my superhero family I love you all and I am sorry for this loss.” —Tonatzin “Lemuria” Mondragon

The beautiful Aja De Coudreaux championed the use of recyclable materials (items found in the trash) to create a uniquely memorable superhero she dubbed, “Basura.” (Photo: violet photography.com)

“Excelsior, Stan Lee. Thank you for believing in me and the character I created. Thank you for the stories you gave us all.” —Aja “Basura” De Coudreaux

Stan the Man Lee and Dapper Dan Williams— Super-Friends to the very end! (Photo: SyFy)

“Stan Lee has always been an idol to me ever since I was a kid. To me, he was the personification of a comic book legend and every time you heard his iconic voice you knew you were in for some superhero fun! Stan made my childhood dreams come true when he chose me as a Superhero for his TV show, ‘Who Wants To Be A Superhero?’ I was given the chance to be Parthenon, an out and proud gay superhero on a national stage, for which the show (and I) were nominated for a GLADD award, which was the SyFy Channel’s first-ever nomination for any gay award!

This picture (above) is from the Red Carpet Premier Party for our show. It was one of the happiest nights in my life and it is how I choose to remember Stan. I truly thank Stan for all that he has done and he will be truly missed.” —Dan “Parthenon” Williams

WWTBASHs obviously over-qualified and undeniably AWESOME Steel Chambers appeared as the imposing “Iron Enforcer,” a conflicted hero-villain. (Photo: SyFy)

“Rest in peace, superhero story genius, Stan Lee.” —Steel “Iron Enforcer” Chambers

Darren Passarello’s exciting “Nitro G” held great promise as a superhero character, but (unfortunately) he was all-too-quickly eliminated from Season 1’s competition. (Photo: SyFy)

“No one ever thinks it will hurt as much as it actually does, epesically when it’s supposed to happen…but ya know what? It does…it really, really does. All day everyone has been sending condolances and asking questions. I’ve thought really hard about the words I would say to sum up what I’m feeling. The thing I will miss most is never hearing something so mundane as ‘Nitro G, where is your hat?’ Ya know something Stan, you WERE Peter Parker in the Spider-Man films. Make Mine Marvel!” —Darren “Nitro G” Passarello

Handsome and Heroic—but VERY unlucky. Most famous for being the FIRST contestant eliminated from the show, Tobias Trost’s “Levity” superhero held great promise that was—sadly—never to be revealed. (Photo: SyFy

“I only met him 3 times, but he was always lovely to me and remembered that I was on his show once. He lived a long and fruitful life, and we have a TON of amazing Marvel heroes and movies and cameos and awesomeness.” — Tobias “Levity” Conan Trost

Sexy Tonya Kay showed superhero fans how to WHIP IT—Whip it GOOD! (Photo: SyFy)

“It was my honor to meet you and work with your ‘Old Hollywood’ flair. You were a class act, Stan Lee. Rest In Peace. —Tonya “Creature” Kay

The hilarious and unforgettable Chris Watters appeared as “Major Victory” in Season 1 of WWTBASH. (Photo: SyFy)

“I always equated meeting Stan Lee with meeting my wife. It was April 4, 2006 when I met Stan and Jennifer Mae. A producer named Jeff brought her over and introduced us in our Superhero identities. ‘Major Victory this is Diamond Girl.’ We hit it off and kept in touch. From that day on, we were together.

We met on April 4th, got married on April 4th, and we both met Stan Lee on that rainy April 4th in 2006. We both wanted to leave the audition because we felt like we did not belong, but when they lined us up to meet Mr. Lee, we calmed down.

Stan was generous with his time and had great anecdotes for everyone participating in the process. He was, and will always be, a great person full of creativity and love. The best thing I remember about Stan was that he was an incredibly fast walker. Probably why he lived so long!” —Chris “Major Victory” Watters