AI Brings Marvel’s Stan Lee Back as ElevenLabs Secures Voice and Likeness Rights

Stan Lee’s voice and likeness are being brought back through artificial intelligence in a new partnership between ElevenLabs and Stan Lee Universe. The deal will allow fans to hear an AI-generated version of the Marvel legend’s voice and even create comic-style images inspired by his appearance.

Stan Lee, who co-created iconic Marvel heroes like Spider-Man and Iron Man, passed away in 2018 at the age of 95. Now, years after his death, his voice has been recreated using professional recordings and added to ElevenLabs’ growing collection of celebrity AI voices.

The company announced that users can now use Lee’s recreated voice through its Eleven Reader app, where it can narrate books and stories. ElevenLabs also launched visual templates that let users generate comic-inspired images featuring Stan Lee’s likeness. According to the company, these images and videos are limited to non-commercial use.

In a promotional video released by ElevenLabs, the AI-generated version of Lee says, “You know what they never tell you about legends? They outlive the page.”

The partnership was made with Stan Lee Universe, a joint venture connected to POW! Entertainment and Genius Brands International. Chaz Rainey, a lawyer and board member for Stan Lee Universe, explained why the team agreed to the project.

He said, “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.” Rainey added, “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.”

The company is also launching something called the “Stan Lee Book Club of the Month.” The feature will use Lee’s recreated voice to narrate a different public domain book every month. The first title is Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.

The project is part of a larger trend in Hollywood and the entertainment industry, where celebrities and estates are exploring how artificial intelligence can be used with famous voices and likenesses. ElevenLabs has already worked with other well-known names including Michael Caine, Judy Garland, Burt Reynolds, David Hasselhoff, and Albert Einstein.

The discussion around AI recreations has also raised questions about ethics, consent, and creative control. Lori McCreary, producer and co-founder of Revelations Entertainment with Morgan Freeman, spoke about the need for balance between technology and creativity.

She said, “Technology companies and the entertainment industry need to work together to create AI systems that respect consent, protect name, image, and likeness rights, and preserve the value of human creativity.”

ElevenLabs has been growing quickly over the last year. The company recently raised major funding and expanded its AI tools into music, voice narration, and visual content. The Stan Lee partnership is one of its biggest entertainment-related projects so far.

The recreated version of Lee even closes the company’s promotional video with one of his most famous lines: “With great power comes great responsibility. Excelsior!”

For Marvel fans, the project offers a new way to experience the voice and personality of one of comics’ most influential creators years after his passing.

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