Stan Lee still going strong at 85

At 85, Stan Lee is hardly spending his senior years waxing nostalgic about how he created Spider-Man, Daredevil, the Fantastic Four and two heroes hitting the big screen this summer: “Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk.”

“Virtually every major character that I created at Marvel is being turned into movies,” Lee says in his POW! Entertainment offices in Beverly Hills.

“When I go to the theater to see these, I’m able to just sit there and enjoy the movies without thinking, ‘Hey, I created that.’ “

Adding to his arsenal of old favorites, Lee is dreaming up new characters every day.

He has turned his likeness into a Japanese anime hero for a graphic novel, signed a deal to create a line of comics for Virgin mogul Richard Branson, and is developing animated series around Ringo Starr and Hugh Hefner.

“Hef’s Super Bunnies” finds the Playboy founder doing double duty as a secret agent.

Lee also is producing a documentary about his own super life. And a few months ago, during a weekend at home, he managed to write a book of amusing captions to photos of politicians. “Stan Lee Presents Election Daze” (Filsinger Publishing, $9.95) is in stores now.

As part of a first-look deal with Disney, Lee is designing new superheroes specifically for the big screen. The first batch includes characters named Blaze, Nick Ratchet and Tigress.

Every modern-day superhero sensation spawns a line of merchandising, but Lee says he does not take that into consideration when dreaming up new characters.

“I try to think of a hero or a heroine or a story that people will enjoy and want to see more of,” he says. “If you come up with the right item, you can always find a way to have dolls and toys and games, but that’s not what is on my mind originally.”

A man who values fun more than most anything, Lee concedes that the first “Hulk” movie (in 2003) proved “a little too depressing. Not a lot of fun there.”

He has higher hopes for the next installment, for which he shot a cameo just two weeks ago. Lee hints that he will be seen staring incredulously at something while marveling, “Wow.”

“I’m a ham, so I tried to prolong it to, ‘WOWWWW,’ ” he says. “But the director, Louis Leterrier, said: ‘No, Stan. Just give us a little “whoa.” ‘ “

Lee’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-him cameos have become routine in each of Marvel’s superhero films.

It “started out (with 2000’s ‘X-Men’) as a courtesy, but they’re beginning to realize that’s what brings people into the theaters,” he says, joking.

Lee’s cameo in “Iron Man” finds him dressed just like new business partner Hefner. In the scene, Lee is smoking a pipe with his arms around three blondes when he is approached by Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark.

But given the choice, he wouldn’t dream of swapping places with 82-year-old Hef.

“No way,” he says without a second thought. “I like what I do, and I know he likes what he does.

“I wouldn’t switch with anybody. I have a good time, and I enjoy other people having a good time, too.”