Marvel signs agreement to use name and resemblance to Stan Lee in future projects

Stan Lee was a beloved character among Marvel fans, and his death in 2018 was a huge blow. The co-creator of Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, X-Men and many more was seen as the father of Marvel and made iconic cameos in almost every Marvel movie out there.

Stan Lee’s last appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was in Avengers: Endgame, released just months after his death. While subsequent Marvel projects have hailed Lee, audiences have accepted that the era of the Stan Lee comedy is coming to an end. Or is it? THR reported today that Marvel Studios has signed a 20-year deal with Stan Lee Universe for “licenses the name and image of Lee for use in future feature films and television productions, as well as Disney theme parks, various ‘experiences’ and merchandising.“

Stan Lee Universe is a project between Genius Brands International and POW! Entertainment. Genius Brand’s Chairman and CEO Andy Heyward said the agreement, “really ensures that Stan, through digital technology and archive footage and other forms, will live in the most important place, the Marvel movies and the Disney theme parks. It’s a broad agreement.Now, that doesn’t mean a digital Stan Lee will suddenly show up in future MCU movies, but it does give Marvel Studios permission to use his name, voice, likeness, and signature in movies and TV projects. “The audience honored Stan, and if it is done with taste and class and respect for who he was, [uses of his likeness] will be welcomed,said Heyward.He’s a beloved personality, and long after you and I are gone, he will remain the essence of Marvel.“

We’ve seen studios digitally revive people before in movies, such as Peter Cushing in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but it almost always causes controversy. How would you like a digital Stan Lee to appear in future Marvel projects?