The $11 billion AI audio company secured rights to the late Marvel legend's voice and likeness, trained from archival recordings, for audiobooks and comic-panel generation.
Stan Lee died in 2018 at 95 years old. Now his voice is narrating audiobooks.
ElevenLabs, the AI voice synthesis company, has locked down a licensing deal with Stan Lee Universe to recreate the Marvel icon’s voice and likeness using generative AI. The agreement, finalized on May 27, 2026, makes Lee one of the first deceased celebrities whose voice has been officially licensed for AI-generated content at this scale.
The AI voice itself was built from professional recordings made during Lee’s career. The result will show up across ElevenLabs’ product ecosystem, from audiobook narration in the company’s Eleven Reader app to AI-generated comic panels featuring Lee’s likeness.
What the deal actually includes #
ElevenLabs is making Lee’s AI voice and likeness available through its Iconic Marketplace, where users can access licensed celebrity voices for various commercial applications. The audiobook narration feature means users can listen to stories read in a voice that sounds like Lee himself.
The deal also includes a non-commercial layer. Fans will be able to access public-domain audiobook narration and non-commercial comic templates.
Chaz Rainey, a member of the Stan Lee Universe board, framed the partnership as a bridge between eras.
“Fans can now truly hear the words of the comics in Stan’s voice.”
Stan Lee Universe itself is a joint venture between Genius Brands International and POW! Entertainment, the company Lee co-founded. The entity manages the rights to Lee’s intellectual property, and this deal represents its most significant foray into generative AI licensing.
The company behind the voice #
ElevenLabs closed a $500 million funding round in February 2026, pushing its valuation to $11 billion. The Stan Lee deal adds to what ElevenLabs describes as a growing catalog of iconic voices available through its platform.
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