In a groundbreaking development that bridges comic book nostalgia with artificial intelligence, AI audio company ElevenLabs has announced an expansive licensing deal to resurrect the voice and likeness of Stan Lee, the legendary co-creator of Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the X-Men, who passed away in 2018 at age 95.
The agreement, struck with Stan Lee Universe — a joint venture between Genius Brands International and POW! Entertainment — adds the Marvel icon to ElevenLabs’ “Iconic Marketplace,” a platform where companies can license AI-generated celebrity voices and likenesses for commercial purposes.
The deal enables users to generate Stan Lee’s likeness through comic book-inspired templates and use his AI-replicated voice to narrate books via the Eleven Reader app. The voice was trained on professional recordings of Lee, according to the company. In a promotional video released by ElevenLabs, the AI-generated Lee declares: “You know what they never tell you about legends? They outlive the page.”
“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,” said Chaz Rainey, a lawyer and board member for Stan Lee Universe. “This partnership is a way of continuing that.”
The partnership also introduces a “Stan Lee Book Club of the Month” series, with June’s selection being Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island — a nod to Lee’s lifelong love of literature. Additionally, ElevenLabs is launching two comic book-inspired music filters: “Superhero Cinematic Swells” and “Retro Hero Fanfare.”
The move comes amid growing debate over posthumous AI rights. Other deceased figures available through ElevenLabs include Judy Garland, Burt Reynolds, and Albert Einstein. The deal follows Marvel’s own 2022 licensing of Lee’s name, voice, and likeness for films, TV shows, and Disney theme parks.
ElevenLabs, which achieved an 11 billion valuation earlier this year after a 500 million Series D funding round, continues to expand its presence in the AI entertainment space.
