In an exclusive deal between Marvel and Stan Lee Universe , the pioneer is set to continue his legacy in the MCU
Here’s some news that is both unexpected and yet in other ways not unexpected at all. Stan Lee Universe and Marvel have agreed a deal that will see the late
Spiderman creator remain a firm fixture in Marvel properties. The twenty year deal will ensure that Lee, who sadly passed away in 2018, appears in future Marvel properties in cinema, television and more via the use of his likeness and image. The deal also includes appearances on Marvel merchandise, theme park attractions and other “experiences”.
Andy Heyward, the CEO of Genius Brands who, alongside POW! Entertainment launched the venture Stan Lee Universe, said that “It really ensures that Stan, through digital technology and archival footage and other forms, will live in the most important venue, the Marvel movies, and Disney theme parks. The audience revered Stan, and if it’s done with taste and class, and respectful of who he was, [uses of his likeness] will be welcomed. He is a beloved personality, and long after you and I are gone, he will remain the essence of Marvel”.
Using the likeness of people who have passed on is nothing new in Hollywood of course. The most obvious example in recent years can be seen in the
Star Wars franchise, when the late Peter Cushing was resurrected via CGI to appear as Grand Moff Tarkin for a cameo in 2016’s
Rogue One, alongside a young Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia. Both of these cameos caused considerable controversy and there is an ongoing debate as to the ethical implications of the practice.
We wait and see how things pan out this time. At least there’s not an NFT involved…
THR
—
Thank you for visiting! If you’d like to support our attempts to make a non-clickbaity movie website:
Follow Film Stories on Twitter here, and on Facebook here.
Buy our Film Stories and Film Stories Junior print magazines here.
Become a Patron here.
Related Stories
- Spider-Man 4 looking likely to be delayed by six months
Spider-Man 4, starring Tom Holland, is likely to miss its originally planned summer 2026 release date. More on the news here.
Sony and Marvel may have confirmed that the next outing for Spider-Man would release in May of 2026, but that date looks like it will almost certainly get pushed back. A month ago, Disney and [...]
- Spider-Man 4 | Japanese press release appears to hint at another crossover movie
The upcoming Spider-Man 4 will contain another major crossover - if a press release published by Sony Pictures Japan is to be believed...
Following the huge commercial success of Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021, a number of reports suggested that Sony and Marvel were at loggerheads regarding the creative direction of the title character. Marvel [...]
- New Thunderbolts* trailer arrives
Marvel's own version of The Suicide Squad, Thunderbolts*, has a shiny new trailer to herald its arrival in May.
"The Avengers are not coming," Julia Louis-Dreyfus says in the new trailer for Marvel's Thunderbolts*.
Instead, we're getting Marvel's slant on The Dirty Dozen (or, more likely, The Suicide Squad). The trailer even offers a hint [...]
- Marvel TV slate for 2026 and 2027 takes shape
Blonde Phantom! Vision Quest! More Hawkeye! Just some of the wonderful TV shows Marvel reportedly has planned for the distant years 2026 and 2027.
We already know what 2025 looks like on the small screen for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As well as adopting a more budget-conscious, streamlined approach to TV production with the recent Agatha [...]
- Marvel now said to be overhauling two future projects
According to new reports, Marvel Studios has gone back to the drawing board with two of its longer-term projects: Midnight Suns and Armor Wars.
As it heads into 2025, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) seems to have regained some of its former momentum after suffering a pretty torrid couple of years.
One of those projects is Midnight [...]
