# Stan Lee ‘Returns’ Under AI Pact: ElevenLabs Licenses Marvel Legend’s Voice and Likeness > Source: > Published: 2026-05-27 16:00:00+00:00 Marvel Comics has long resurrected iconic characters for second acts. Now [ElevenLabs](https://variety.com/t/elevenlabs/) is doing the same for Marvel’s most famous creator, [Stan Lee](https://variety.com/t/stan-lee/) — in a sense. The AI audio company on Wednesday said it struck an expansive deal with Stan Lee Universe, the joint venture between Genius Brands International and POW! Entertainment, to add the late Marvel Comics writer’s voice and likeness to the ElevenLabs Iconic Marketplace, its collection of [celebrity personality voices and likenesses](https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvariety.com%2F2025%2Fdigital%2Fnews%2Fmatthew-mcconaughey-michael-caine-ai-voice-elevenlabs-1236574041%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ccbolies%40variety.com%7C59d5bf4cb09c45f3ec6d08debb34b589%7Ce950f25546e44144a778a6ff4f557492%7C0%7C0%7C639154032215859606%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=FLMwr4gpc88hazv30ftfV70pY0Bs4ZQHJp3BOs2FKpI%3D&reserved=0) that companies can license for commercial use. “You know what they never tell you about legends?” the AI-generated version of Stan Lee says in video released by ElevenLabs. “They outlive the page.” ### Popular on Variety In addition, starting Wednesday, users can generate the Spider-Man and Iron Man co-creator’s likeness within templates inspired by comic book panels through its visual generator — though the images and videos are restricted to non-commercial use — or use his voice to narrate any book through its Eleven Reader app. The voice was trained on professional recordings of Lee, according to ElevenLabs. “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,” Chaz Rainey, a lawyer and board member for Stan Lee Universe, said in a statement. “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.” The Lee partnership comes as celebrities — and, for those who’ve passed, their estates — experiment with how their likenesses are licensed for AI-related material. Other [actors and personalities whose voices and likenesses](https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvariety.com%2F2024%2Fbiz%2Fnews%2Fai-judy-garland-james-dean-burt-reynolds-elevenlabs-reader-app-1236058829%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ccbolies%40variety.com%7C59d5bf4cb09c45f3ec6d08debb34b589%7Ce950f25546e44144a778a6ff4f557492%7C0%7C0%7C639154032215964218%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=azbtQ3CXH%2B%2BVvKen8zjnsRKx6dDlVR8ThZdAr%2F2NSPA%3D&reserved=0) are available through ElevenLabs include include Michael Caine, Judy Garland, Burt Reynolds, David Hasselhoff and Albert Einstein. Separately, Val Kilmer’s estate also [recently allowed](https://variety.com/2026/film/news/val-kilmer-ai-film-as-deep-as-the-grave-1236691042/) the upcoming film “As Deep as the Grave” to use his image and voice to create an AI-generated version of him to lead the movie despite his 2025 death. “As producers, we are used to bringing very different people to the same table to solve hard problems, and that is exactly what this moment requires,” Lori McCreary, who co-founded production company Revelations with Morgan Freeman, said in a statement. “Technology companies and the entertainment industry need to work together to create AI systems that respect consent, protect name, image, and likeness rights, and preserve the value of human creativity. If we do that well, we won’t just keep up with technology, we will help shape it.” ElevenLabs’ Lee partnership also will see the company launch a new series, “Stan Lee Book Club of the Month,” through Eleven Reader that will use Lee’s voice to narrate a different book every month. June’s selection is Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island,” and ElevenLabs plans to add a new title in the public domain every month to commemorate Lee’s [love for books](https://therealstanlee.com/life-of-an-icon/the-adventures-of-stan-lee-book-lover/). “With great power comes great responsibility,” Lee’s replicated voice says in the video. “Excelsior!” The company also is adding two comic book-esque music filters inspired by Lee to its AI music generator, ElevenCreative Music, appropriately titled “Superhero Cinematic Swells” and “Retro Hero Fanfare.” The addition of the Marvel legend comes during a year of continued momentum for ElevenLabs, which [raised](https://elevenlabs.io/blog/announcing-an-employee-tender) $500 million in a Series D funding round earlier this year at an $11 billion valuation — five months after the company, which launched in 2022, offered employees a $100 million tender offer at a $6.6 billion valuation. The partnership also follows the [launch of its first volume](https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/elevenlabs-eleven-album-liza-minnelli-art-garfunkel-ai-music-1236635663/) of “The Eleven Album,” a collection of original songs co-created with singers such as Liza Minelli and Art Garfunkel (and some AI-generated music artists) alongside an AI model to produce “studio-quality compositions.” It released its second volume last month. Lee, who died in 2018 at the age of 95, had his name, voice and likeness licensed by his longtime home Marvel in 2022 for use in films, television shows and Disney theme parks. “His voice, his image, his love of storytelling… ElevenLabs gives us a way to keep that alive and in fans’ hands in a way that’s true to who he was,” Rainey said.