ElevenLabs has licensed the voice and likeness of the late Stan Lee to recreate him using generative AI for commercial purposes.
This deal allows Marvel and its partners to monetize the legacy of the comics legend through technology. By synthesizing his image and speech, the company can integrate Lee into new media without the need for original recordings or footage.
The licensing agreement was announced on May 27, 2026 [1]. The deal involves the U.S.-based AI firm ElevenLabs and Marvel [2]. According to the terms, the company will use generative AI to produce content for future audiobooks, comics, and other commercial projects [3].
Stan Lee died in 2018 [4]. He was 95 years old at the time of his death [4]. His presence in the Marvel universe was iconic, and this partnership seeks to maintain that presence through digital resurrection.
While some describe the move as a way to resurrect the legend, others have characterized the posthumous deal as turning Lee into a real-life Marvel zombie [5]. The technology enables the creation of new dialogue and appearances that Lee never performed during his lifetime.
The project focuses on high-fidelity audio and visual recreation. These AI-generated versions of Lee will be used to narrate stories and appear in promotional materials, effectively bringing him back to the forefront of the franchise [3].
“ElevenLabs has licensed the voice and likeness of the late Stan Lee to recreate him using generative AI.”
This partnership signals a growing trend in the entertainment industry toward the commercialization of posthumous digital identities. By securing licenses for voice and likeness, studios can bypass the limitations of archival footage to create entirely new content. This raises significant questions about the ethics of digital resurrection and the ownership of a person's identity after death.
