Stan Lee’s Image and Voice Acquired by AI Firm for Audiobooks and Comics

Legendary Marvel artist and writer Stan Lee reportedly faced elder abuse in his later years, allegedly exploited by those managing his affairs. Now, even after his passing, his legacy is being commodified, as AI enthusiasts resurrect his voice and likeness for profit.

ElevenLabs, a company specializing in AI speech synthesis, has partnered with Stan Lee Universe to recreate Lee’s likeness and voice for its ElevenLabs Iconic Marketplace. This platform features the voices and images of various iconic figures, including actors like Michael Caine and Judy Garland. The agreement also allows Lee’s likeness to be used in a visual generator, enabling users to craft comic book panels featuring the beloved writer.

Additionally, this collaboration will launch a monthly series titled “Stan Lee Book Club of the Month,” where AI will narrate a different book each month in Lee’s voice, starting with Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.

“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,” said Chaz Rainey, a lawyer and board member for Stan Lee Universe. “This partnership is a way of continuing that. 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.”

This situation is unsettling and raises serious ethical concerns. It feels like the speculative dystopian narratives we’ve encountered in various media are becoming a reality. The fact that Stan Lee is being used as a product by those managing his legacy since his death in 2018 is reminiscent of a Black Mirror episode. As long as major creatives are treated as mere commodities, we will continue to see corporations exploit the deceased for profit, with some of the most troubling individuals eagerly consuming this content. While some celebrities can approve their likenesses for such projects, Lee has been gone longer than this technology has been widely recognized. It’s a disturbing trend, and yet the tech-driven corporations persist in presenting the deceased as if they are just another product to be marketed long after they’ve passed.