Marvel announces a Stan Lee documentary is coming to Disney+ next year. The Marvel Cinematic Universe, the highest-grossing film franchise of all time, was built on the foundation of iconic comic book characters co-created by Lee and artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, and Nick Fury. The legendary comic book writer is also recognizable to modern audiences due to his frequent appearances in Sony’s Spider-Man movies, Fox’s X-Men films, and almost every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. In 2018, Lee passed away at the age of 95.
Now, on what would have been Lee’s 100th birthday, some surprising news has been revealed. At the end of a sizzle reel comprised of Lee’s many MCU cameos, Marvel announces that an original documentary titled Stan Lee is coming to Disney+ in 2023.
100 years of dreaming. 100 years of creating. 100 years of Stan Lee.
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) December 28, 2022
Stan Lee, an Original documentary, is streaming 2023 on @DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/2ufWu77vB8
According to Marvel, the newly announced documentary will celebrate the life and legacy of Lee, likely featuring archival footage and interviews with the comic book writer over the years. The film will probably start by covering Lee’s childhood in New York City as he grew up during the Great Depression and developed an early love of reading and writing. Later in life, Lee would rise through the ranks of a small family-run business called Timely Publications, which, with Lee’s help, would later become Marvel Comics.
In terms of Lee’s towering legacy, he left behind a massive imprint on modern superhero comics and cinema, so there is plenty for the documentary to cover there. During Lee’s earlier years at Marvel Comics, he pioneered a more naturalistic approach to superhero comics through the introduction of his characters and later challenged the unreasonable restrictions imposed by the Comics Code Authority, resulting in the CCA altering its policies. Both actions had a substantial impact on the history of comics.
The Stan Lee documentary’s purpose and tone will likely be similar to former MCU star Robert Downey Jr.’s recent Netflix documentary, “Sr.”, which recounts the life and career of his late father, Robert Downey Sr., who was an influential underground filmmaker. The documentary finally earned Downey Jr. his first 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, and now, the newly announced Stan Lee documentary has a chance to earn similar critical acclaim. Only time will tell when Marvel releases the Stan Lee documentary on Disney+ in 2023.
