Stan Lee on Tom Holland: "It's As If We Created a Living Being To Be Spider-Man"

Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee -- the co-creator of iconic heroes like Iron Man, Spider-Man and more -- recently appeared for a Q&A session at Denver Comic Con, where he discussed his thoughts on "Captain America: Civil War" star Tom Holland as Spider-Man, his film cameos, why he loves Deadpool and more.

Asked who his favorite character is, he shared, "Well, I love them all, but -- if I have to pick a favorite -- I think it would have to be Spider-Man. Good ol' Spider-Man! Have you ever noticed I call him Spidey? I used to call Iron Man 'Shell Head.' I had nicknames for all of them. Over at DC, they never called Superman 'Supey,' or Batman 'Batty.' I wonder why they're so formal... but that's not part of this. Forget that I said that!"

He followed up by discussing Holland's work as Spider-Man, saying, "Oh, he's wonderful! I was with him the other day. He is great! I can't believe it. It's as if we created a living being to be Spider-Man, and it turned out to be him."

Another fan wanted to know what his favorite Marvel cameo was. "You know, it's hard to pick my favorite cameo, because -- as you know -- they're all masterpieces," he said with a laugh. "Unfortunately, this will frustrate you a little, I have a favorite but I can't tell you what it is, because it hasn't appeared yet. I did it -- I had to go to... where did I go? Somewhere on the East Coast in Georgia. Atlanta! I don't know, somewhere. But I had to go there and do three cameos for three movies at the same time. One of the cameos I did is for the --" Here, he was interrupted and asked not to divulge which movies he'll appear in by a staff member.

"I can't even mention the movie?! Well, let me put it this way, it's a movie that will come out soon. You're gonna all want to see it because it's one of your favorites, and -- in that movie -- I have a cameo where I'm dressed up as... I won't tell them! But you are gonna love it!"

"I would love to say that I create those cameos, because then you would say to yourself, 'Man! He's even better than I thought!' But no, they'll say, 'Stan, we'd like you to come to the studio. We're ready to do your cameo.' And I have no idea what I'm going to do," he explained. "I go there, and they say, 'Okay, stand over there. Say that. Thank you. Now, go on and get home so you don't bother the actors.'"

"I get a big kick out of 'Mallrats,'" he added. "It wasn't a cameo; I really had a role in the movie. Funny thing about that: in the movie, I'm talking to the boy who was the lead, who was very unhappy because he was having trouble with this girlfriend and I mention to him, 'I remember I once had a girlfriend and I've lost her but I've never forgotten her, and I think about her all the time' -- something like that. Well, I went home, and my wife said to me, 'Now, what is this about that girlfriend?' And I learned you have to be very careful how you explain movies to your wife!"

When one fan asked what inspired him to create Deadpool, he said, "Oh, I wish you hadn't asked that. I hate to say this, but I can't win them all. I did not create Deadpool. I wish I had! I love Deadpool. He's a brilliant character! I didn't create him. So I can't tell you what my inspiration for him was, except I just hate the guy who created him, whose name I forget. But I do know him, I don't have the greatest memory. Oh, the actor is wonderful. You know, I think one of the funniest lines in any superhero movie was in 'Deadpool' when he's fighting and shooting all these other bad guys and he looks at the shells left in his gun and he says, 'I've only got 11 shells. You'll have to share.' I think that was brilliant!"

He also revealed his favorite Marvel Comics villain, saying, "Well, he's not our biggest villain at Marvel-dom, but my favorite has always been Doctor Doom. I'll tell you one funny thing about Doctor Doom. I don't know if you've ever thought of this -- see, I like opening up your minds, helping to expand your minds... and giving you things to think of that you've never thoughts of. Have you ever thought that Doctor Doom is not really a criminal because all he wants to do is rule the world? Now, anyone of you could walk up to a police man at any time outside and say, 'Officer! I want to rule the world!' He can't arrest you! It's not a crime to want to rule the world! So I don't know why they make such a big thing about Doctor Doom being a bad person. Maybe I'm hopelessly naive."

To conclude, he spoke about his latest project. "You'll see him in about a year; we're working on him at my company, Pow Entertainment. He's called The Annihilator. I'm not allowed to tell you anything about him, but you're going to love him. He'll be out in about a year or so, and he'll be my first brand new Spider-Man/Ant-Man/Iron Man type of superhero. So remember: The Annihilator."