Stan Lee (1922–2018) began his career with wartime Timely Comics, and staying the course throughout the Atlas era, Stan the Man made comic book history with Fantastic Four #1, harbinger of a bold new perspective in story writing that endures to this day. With some of the industry’s greatest artists, he introduced hero after hero in Incredible Hulk, Amazing Spider-Man, X-Men, and more, forming a shared universe for rival publishers to measure themselves against. After an almost literal lifetime of writing and editing, Lee was involved in movies and television via his company POV! Entertainment. He was Marvel’s chairman emeritus and best-known public representative.

Dan Slott has built a loyal fan base by combining old-school fun with stories and characterizations friendly to new readers. Following a run on She-Hulk which combined his sly humor and encyclopedic Marvel knowledge with an imaginative take on a comic-book law firm Slott moved into the upper echelon of Marvel writers, launching Avengers: The Initiative and taking the reins on Mighty Avengers from Brian Michael Bendis.

When Marvel gave Spider-Man a fresh start in 2008, Slott was one of several rotating writers on a thrice-monthly Amazing Spider-Man. Through three years and a hundred issues, Slott became the writer most closely identified with the web-slinger's "Brand New Day" era. Amazing hit the "Big Time" when Slott took over as full-time writer, chronicling a new chapter in the life of Peter Parker with artists such as Humberto Ramos, Stefano Caselli and Marcos Martin.