WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WFMY) – Stan Lee was likely one of the biggest icons in the comic book world, especially in the own universe he co-created, Marvel.
Lee died Monday at age 95, and fans across the world paid tribute to the Marvel legend.
In Winston-Salem, 12-year-old Isaiah McFarland probably looked back at the day he met his idol, his very own hero, Stan Lee.
In 2015, an 8-year-old Isaiah, who goes by ‘Zaya', went to Heroes Con in Charlotte with his father Rick McFarland.
He could've dressed up as any superhero, but instead he dressed up as Lee, who participated as one of the celebrity guests at the convention.
“I told Stan that I’m one of his most enthusiastic fans and ‘I came as you.’ He told me the same thing he told the fake Stan Lee at the 2011 ComicCon: ‘You look more like me than I do,’” Zaya told the Charlotte Observer.
Zaya got a pretty neat portrait with Lee and his dad, and he also autographed a sketch he’d drawn of Iron Man.
McFarland describes his son as “a talented and remarkably well-rounded young man with a tremendous heart and wealth of abilities.”
He shared that his interest in superheroes began when he was even younger than he is today thanks to them both spending time looking at Marvel comic book together.
“I’d read them to him,” McFarland said.
Zaya says his favorite Marvel character was Iron Man when he was younger, but now it's Captain America.
When he grows up, Zaya hopes to become a comics artist or a filmmaker, all thanks to the inspiration of Stan Lee.
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