Excelsior in Latin translates to ever upward, and its the word that became the catchphrase of Marvel Editor-in-Chief and Chairman Stan Lee in the 1960s. He used it as the sign-off for his monthly column Stans Soapbox , where he would discuss his opinions on everything from the Vietnam War to his progressive views on race in America.

Excelsior! was a fitting catchphrase for our now-fallen hero, who passed away on Monday at 95, because he helped change the lives and raise the hopes of so many members of the worlds most marginalized communities and move them ever upward.

Lee saw the importance of using the Marvel Universe to shed light on issues plaguing marginalized communities. So he created a universe with stories that would be an allegory for the racial strife in America.

He also created superheroes that strayed from the convention of straight white males, characters that could help represent these underrepresented communities in a positive light that celebrated their cultures and differences. Of these characters and storylines, two of the most famous are the X-Men and Black Panther.

Inspired by the civil rights movement in America, Lee and Jack Kirby created the X-Men comic universe, a world in which some people, known as mutants, were born with a gene that gave them special abilities but also often made them look different than typical humans.

Because of this, mutants were often persecuted, oppressed and even killed for being different. Rather than fighting foes from outer space and stopping crimes, the X-Men focused on fighting the daily oppression mutants faced at the hands of society and the government.

Lee and Kirby also found inspiration and an opportunity to broaden public understanding of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Its long been rumored that Lee based the characters of Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, and Erik Lehnserr, aka Magneto, on the two icons.

Dr. King is said to have inspired Professor Xs character, while Malcolm inspired Magnetos. Both men wanted liberation for their people, but each had a different ideology as to how liberation could and should be accomplished. Professor X, like Dr. King, chose a nonviolent route, while Magneto took more of a proactive stance in fighting against the prejudices and oppression plaguing their people.

The creation of the X-Men comic didnt just help show the perils that many groups were facing in America. It also helped many people feel that for the first time, the world of comics included them. Thus, a new community of Black nerds was finally able to read about characters who felt and looked like them.