- A new documentary alleges that Stan Lee was swindled out of millions of dollars by his own manager in his final years, with claims of missing funds while Lee continued to make high-profile convention appearances.
- The documentary, Stan Lee: The Final Chapter, premiering at San Diego Comic-Con, focuses on Lee’s relationship with former road manager Max Anderson, who allegedly had near-total control over Lee’s public engagements and financial services.
- The allegations come after years of legal battles over Lee’s estate, including Anderson being sentenced to prison for failing to report income and Lee’s daughter settling a lawsuit accusing Anderson of siphoning millions from her father’s autograph signings and appearance fees.
Stan Lee’s legacy is once again in the spotlight—but this time, it’s not because of Marvel. A new documentary claims the comic book legend spent his final years being systematically swindled by his own manager, alleging that millions of dollars disappeared while Lee continued to make high-profile convention appearances.
According to Entertainment Weekly,Stan Lee: The Final Chapter, premiering July 23 at San Diego Comic-Con before hitting VOD on July 28, uses years of behind-the-scenes footage to paint a troubling portrait of the comic book icon’s last chapter.
Directed by Lee’s former assistant Jon Bolerjack, the documentary zeroes in on Lee’s relationship with former road manager Max Anderson, who allegedly exerted near-total control over Lee’s public engagements and helped arrange his medical and financial services.
Anderson brushes him off with a blunt response: “Not enough. It’s never enough, Stan.”
The film argues that the answer was far from the truth. Producer Alex Barajas, who worked on Lee’s merchandising team, says Anderson’s trusted circle routinely counted stacks of cash collected from autograph sessions and appearances before handing everything over to him.
“There was no oversight,” Barajas says. “We were just handed tons and tons of cash and told to count it, and we just handed it over to Max.”
Former business development manager Jerry Blank recalls a similar process, saying once the money was counted, what happened afterward was out of his hands.
One of the documentary’s most heartbreaking moments comes when Bolerjack recalls Lee quietly asking him how much money he’d actually earned from convention appearances. “He just had no idea,” Bolerjack says.
After Lee explained that Anderson kept telling him the totals weren’t ready, Bolerjack says he was stunned: “I know Max knows how much money he made. I was in the room when they were counting it. I know it’s written down.”
In another scene, Lee himself admits he couldn’t make sense of his finances, recalling Anderson moving money between accounts and saying, “I’d like you to just write down what you did so I’d understand it. But he hasn’t done that.”
The allegations land after years of courtroom battles surrounding Lee’s estate. Last year, Anderson was sentenced to one year and one day in prison after failing to report roughly $1.2 million in income connected to his work for Lee.
Months earlier, Lee’s daughter, J.C. Lee, settled a lawsuit accusing Anderson of siphoning more than $21 million from her father’s autograph signings and appearance fees. Anderson has denied handling the cash generated at those events.
The documentary also arrives during another busy stretch for Lee’s legacy. AI company ElevenLabs recently announced a licensing deal allowing fans to recreate Lee’s voice and likeness through artificial intelligence, while actress Pam Grier made headlines by saying Lee and other Marvel creators drew inspiration from her when developing characters like Misty Knight and Monica Rambeau.
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