Did Stan Lee Base Magneto and Professor X on Martin Luther King and Malcolm X? [Hot Linked]

This idea about the influence of MLK and Malcolm X on Stan Lee's creation of the mutant leaders in X-Men comics has been circulating on the interwebz for years now. Amusingly, I even saw it mentioned in a short film recently. So I decided that it was finally time for Professor XXL to weigh in on whether or not this one is fact or fiction.

Oh, but do know that I've known the answer all along. And now you–if you don't know already–will, too. You can check out the essay by clicking here.