UpdatedMon, August 24, 2026 at 5:56 AM UTC
Stan Lee left the world in 2018, but his remarkable voice and familiar likeness are set to reach fans again through artificial intelligence. The Marvel legend is still remembered for his contributions to the superhero world, along with his energetic personality and famous cameos and signature “Excelsior!”
Now, he is at the center of a new AI project as ElevenLabs has entered into a licensing agreement with Stan Lee Universe to recreate selected aspects of Lee’s voice and appearance. This means that AI will be used to create new projects to resemble Lee’s late comic-book icon under an authorized arrangement.
This development seems significant, as Lee’s voice became almost as recognizable as his face. Fans who watched his interviews, convention appearances, and Marvel cameos can instantly associate that distinctive delivery with him.
So, the AI technology can reproduce Lee’s voice and style even though he’s not here. This agreement promises to give AI narration to licensed commercial projects so that fans get a new way to experience a familiar part of Lee’s legacy.
Find more details below!
How AI is bringing Stan Lee’s legendary voice and likeness back to fans
Stan Lee, born Stanley Martin Lieber was one of the most recognizable figures in comic-book history through his work with Marvel. His name became closely associated with characters including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk and Black Panther.
Lee’s work was not limited to just comics as he also did cameos in the MCU, entertaining millions of fans with his brief appearances. Lee’s personality and style of delivery his dialogues and voicing characters in animated projects.
Now, that familiar identity is being recreated through artificial intelligence. ElevenLabs announced a licensing agreement with Stan Lee Universe around late May 2026, allowing the company to develop AI versions of Lee’s voice and likeness for approved uses.
This agreement is a licensing rather than taking control or taking ownership of Lee’s identity. Stan Lee Universe manages relevant rights connected to his name, voice, likeness and other aspects of his legacy.
The technology behind the recreation is also significant. Rather than relying only on old clips played back to audiences, the AI voice model was trained using professional recordings of Lee.
This means that there can be new projects with Lee’s voice that he never created. AI will be used to recreate his style and will likely be used in voicing other characters.
What the AI version of Stan Lee will actually do
According to the agreement, AI will be used to recreate projects in different ways. ElevenLabs can offer Lee’s synthetic voice for approved commercial projects, including narration and advertising, while keeping those uses within the licensing arrangement.
The voice will also feature in Eleven Reader, where users can listen to written material through the AI-generated version of Lee’s voice. One of the most notable projects is the “Stan Lee Book of the Month Club” which plans to release a classic book each month.
The initiative was set to begin with Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, which is a book described as one of Lee’s personal favorites. And the projects will be beyond audio, too. Users can generate Lee’s likeness in comic-inspired visual settings, although those creations are restricted to non-commercial use.
