After being absent from the MCU and other live-action adaptations based on the popular Marvel comic books since 2019 following his death a year earlier, Stan Lee is coming back to the big screen. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Marvel Studios has signed a 20-year deal with Stan Lee Universe, Lee’s company that he founded before he passed away in 2018. This newly-inked agreement will give Marvel Studios, and in turn, Disney, permission to license Stan Lee’s name and likeness for “future feature films and television products, as well as Disney theme parks, various ’experiences’ and merchandising.” Unfortunately, other insiders are quick to remind fans that this doesn’t necessarily mean we will see a Lee cameo in a future MCU film or show is the priority. For now, Marvel Studios wants to apply the likeness of the iconic writer-producer in “digital experiences.” Although, a later update clarified that Disney is not using Lee’s likeness in video games and in VR. When Stan Lee does make his inevitable MCU return, there’s no company better equipped to make sure it is done right. Other Disney-owned studios have virtually resurrected other late actors and actresses in big-budget films and shows in the past, as well as digitally de-aging performers who reprised their iconic roles. The best examples of this are Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and The Mandalorian, respectively. For now, fans can look forward to watching Lee’s lifeworks hit theaters, starting with Thor: Love and Thunder on July 8 followed by Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on November 11.
