Stan Lee’s Comeback Is Here — And It’s Powered by AI

Here’s one for the ‘didn’t see that coming’ files: Stan Lee — yes, the Marvel legend himself, who died back in 2018 at the solid age of 95 — is making a comeback. Well, kind of. His voice and likeness are about to be all over the place again, but with a very 2024 twist: AI is running the show.

Stan Lee's Likeness Signs Up for the AI Age

So, what's actually happening? An AI company called ElevenLabs has struck a deal with 'Stan Lee Universe' (that’s a joint project between Genius Brands International and POW! Entertainment, in case you’re not tracking all the comic book business entities). This gives them the green light to recreate Lee’s voice and mug using artificial intelligence — officially, mind — and offer it up through their 'Iconic Marketplace'.

The marketplace, as you might expect, is a shop window for celebrity voice clones and likenesses, all up for grabs to businesses who fancy a dash of star power in their projects. And yes, they're already advertising the Stan Lee 'experience' by running an AI recreation of his patented narration style. There's even a sample up on their Vimeo, apparently — because nothing says 'modern resurrection' like a voiceover reel on social media.

What Does This Actually Involve?

• AI Voiceovers: ElevenLabs has trained its model on professional recordings of Stan, so their system can now convincingly read any text in his voice. You could have AI Stan narrate a greeting card, a corporate presentation, or, let's be honest, probably some birthday memes if you were so inclined.
• Comic Book Music Filters: They’re introducing two self-branded music presets for their generator. One’s 'Superhero Cinematic Swells', the other 'Retro Hero Fanfare' — both supposedly inspired by Lee’s work, and aimed at delivering that golden-age comic book vibe.
• The Book Club Gimmick: There’s a new series, 'Stan Lee Book Club of the Month', kicking off on the company’s Eleven Reader service. Basically, AI Stan will read out a different book every month, starting with Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Treasure Island'. All public domain stuff, which helps avoid any row over copyright. The idea is, this keeps the 'literary love' flame burning in Lee’s name.
• Visual Generator Tools: Users can produce images and videos of Stan Lee in comic book panel style using his AI likeness — but there are restrictions: these creations are for non-commercial use only, so don’t get any ideas about launching your own franchise just yet.
• Pick Your Own Adventure: For even more AI Stan content, you can have his voice narrate any book you fancy in Eleven Reader, not just the official book club picks.

This Isn’t Stan’s First Digital Encore

If you’re feeling déjà vu, you’re not wrong. AI Stan made an appearance as a hologram at L.A. Comic-Con last year, cracking jokes with fans. So the digital legacy tour was already underway even before this new ElevenLabs deal.

What Do the Powers That Be Say?

Chaz Rainey, who’s both a lawyer and a board member at Stan Lee Universe, put out this statement:

'Stan always believed in meeting his fans where they were: in the pages of a comic, at a convention, or in a quick on-screen cameo. This partnership is a way of continuing that. Fans have always told us that when they read his comics, they hear the words in Stan’s voice, and now, thanks to ElevenLabs, we can make that a reality.'