The world”s oldest kid, comic book legend Stan Lee, hit the red carpet Tuesday at the Captain America: Civil War world premiere and dropped some serious knowledge about why superhero movies are so popular.
The 93-year-old Lee, who created such iconic characters as The Hulk, Spider-Man and Iron Man among countless others, explained that at the end of the day, comic books are essentially fairy tales for grown ups.
“Young kids love fairy tales because they”re stories of giants and witches and magicians. The kids get a little older [and] they can”t keep reading fairy tales,” Lee said. “But along come these superhero stories and they”re really fairy tales for older people with people who can fly and are super strong and have super power. How can you not be fascinated by that if they”re written well for grown ups, but simple enough so kids can enjoy them?”
Considering his experience in the comic book world spans back to the late 1930s, not to mention his incredible success, it”s hard to argue with the Marvel maven.
Captain America: Civil War is just the latest movie adaptation to include characters from Lee”s fertile mind. The film stars Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson and Don Cheadle as well as a cameo from Lee himself.
Civil War is out in theaters May 6.
Check out the video above for the full interview.