Back in 1972, Roy Thomas was Stan Lee’s immediate successor as editor-in-chief at Marvel Comics, and he also happened to speak with the late comic book creator just a couple of days before he passed away. And when these two old friends and colleagues parted ways, the last words that Lee reportedly spoke to Thomas are enough to get a true believer misty-eyed all over again.

According to Roy’s manager John Cimino, Lee’s parting words to his successor were, “God bless. Take care of my boy, Roy.” If you’re a little confused about what the writer could’ve meant, it’s reported that Lee was referring to one of his most famous creations, Spider-Man.

Peter Parker was among the first of Lee’s characters to make the jump to live-action cinema, and he’s remained one of Marvel’s most treasured and frequently revisited characters ever since.