Stan Lee is back — sort of. Eight years after his death in 2018, ElevenLabs just licensed the late Marvel legend's voice and mannerisms so a digital Stan can pop up in audio and visual projects. Yes, it is exactly the kind of idea that will divide the room.
What ElevenLabs is actually doing
ElevenLabs struck a deal with Stan Lee Universe (the rights holder) to bring Lee's presence to its platform across multiple formats. The company put it this way:
"ElevenLabs is proud to announce a landmark partnership with Stan Lee Universe, bringing the voice, likeness, and spirit of one of pop culture 's most beloved icons to our platform - across voice, image, and music."
Marvel has spent decades reviving characters. Now tech is doing the same with the guy who helped create them.
- Lee's cloned voice is live now on the ElevenLabs Iconic Marketplace and inside the Eleven Reader app, built from professional recordings to capture his warmth, wit, and energy.
- Commercial use is on the table: an AI Stan Lee can be licensed for audio and visual projects.
- Eleven Reader is launching a Stan Lee Book of the Month Club. His voice will narrate some of his favorite books, starting with Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Treasure Island', followed by 12 more titles over the next year (13 total).
- Lee is also available in the ElevenLabs Image & Video Marketplace, so users can create new cameos in the spirit of his MCU walk-ons.
- Music inspired by his aesthetic and energy is part of the rollout, too.
The rollout, in practice
ElevenLabs announced the partnership on May 27, 2026, with a teaser showing the AI voice in action and highlighting that the voice is synthesized from historical professional recordings. They also surfaced an AI-voiced clip tied to a joint venture announcement between Genius Brands International and POW! Entertainment, featuring a line that begins: "You know what they never tell you about legends? They outlive the..." Very on-brand tease.
Who is behind the license
The agreement runs through Stan Lee Universe and feeds into ElevenLabs' Iconic Marketplace, including the Iconic Voice Marketplace and the Image & Video Marketplace. In short: voice, image, and even music are all officially sanctioned under this deal.
Why this is a big swing
This is a high-profile test case for how AI handles legacy artists. On one hand, it preserves a distinctive voice and invites new storytelling; on the other, it raises real questions about boundaries, consent, and how far a persona should live on after the person is gone. Expect debate.
Quick refresher on what Lee actually built
Stan Lee, often working with Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, co-created Spider- Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Panther, and the Fantastic Four. His trick was making superheroes flawed and human, which helped turn Marvel from a comics publisher into a global pop-culture machine. Now, his digital voice is being positioned as another way to extend that legacy.
Whether an AI-powered Stan Lee becomes the new normal or the latest flashpoint, we are about to find out.