On December 28—the day that would have been Stan Lee’s 100th birthday—Marvel announced a new Stan Lee documentary, titled Stan Lee, coming to Disney+ in 2023.
It’s impossible to overstate how significant Stan Lee was not just to Marvel, but to the entire history of comic books and superhero media. Lee, born in 1922, got his start as a teenage editorial assistant at Timely Comics, the company that would eventually become Marvel. In 1961, Lee worked with artist Jack Kirby on the Fantastic Four, which launched Marvel to new heights of fame. Lee was also involved in the creation of hundreds of other Marvel characters, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor (with a little assist from Norse mythology), the Silver Surfer, and Black Panther. Stan Lee’s name is practically synonymous with Marvel.
Lee also appeared in numerous cameo appearances in Marvel films. He appeared as all kinds of characters, from a delivery guy to a bus passenger to a Sakaarian barber. Seeing where Lee popped up in each MCU entry was fun not just because of the pleasure of finding an Easter egg, but because seeing Marvel characters alongside one of their creators lent an extra bit of magic to the films. Sadly, the tradition came to an end when Lee died in 2018.
However, despite his fan base, Lee’s career was marked by controversy, with his collaborators claiming that he took more credit for Marvel comics than he deserved. Jack Kirby, for instance, stated in a 1989 interview that he and Lee “never collaborated on anything,” and that the Fantastic Four were Kirby’s creation.
So what’s going to be in this documentary? Here’s what we know so far!
Is there a trailer for the Stan Lee documentary?
The official trailer for Stan Lee came out on June 9. The trailer highlights the archival footage and interviews with Lee that the documentary will highlight, along with behind the scenes footage of some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films he appeared in.
The teaser trailer for the documentary came out last winter, when the documentary was announced.
Since the documentary is being produced by Disney and Marvel, it’ll probably be pretty kind to the comics legend.
When is the release date for the Stan Lee documentary?
Marvel has announced that the Stan Lee documentary will come out on Disney+ on June 16, 2023. However, if you’re at the Tribeca Film Festival, which runs in New York City from June 7 to June 18, you can catch the documentary early, since it will premiere during the festival.
Is this the first Stan Lee documentary?
If you’re desperate for some Stan Lee content, don’t worry! Another documentary, With Great Power: the Stan Lee story, came out in 2010. There are also several Stan Lee biographies, including True Believer: the Rise and Fall of Stan Lee, and A Marvelous Life: the Amazing Story of Stan Lee.
(featured image: Disney+)
