Stan Lee Documentary Review
When I was a teenager, I came close to meeting the legendary Stan Lee when he came to my town for a convention. However, I didn’t want to pay the fee, so I ended up not meeting him. Then a few years ago, he arrived at another convention near me, so I bought a ticket to meet him. Alas, my ticket was either lost or stolen, so while I did get his autograph, I never got to meet Stan Lee in person, something I will always regret now that he’s gone.
For decades, Stan Lee was the face of Marvel. He started working with them when they were still called Timely Comics and never really left. He lived long enough to see the characters he helped create become cinematic icons, and fans were devastated by his passing in 2018. Five years later, Disney released a documentary about a man who helped define the modern-day Superhero. The documentary, simply named Stan Lee, is now on Disney+, but it doesn’t really add anything to the story of the man’s life. If anything, it dips its toes into the more negative aspects of Lee as a person. Chief among them the ego he had, especially as he got older.
A Strange Fusion of Archival Footage and Dollhouse Diorama’s
With the benefit of hindsight, it might have been more appropriate that a documentary about one of the biggest names in comic book lore would be framed as a comic book itself. It would be appropriate on a number of levels, but the documentary doesn’t do that. Instead, it alternates between using old photos, archival footage, and this still-life, dollhouse diorama style to tell the story of Stanley Martin Lieber, AKA Stan Lee. It’s an odd storytelling choice, but it doesn’t fully detract from the story.
The initial parts of the documentary discuss Stan Lee’s early childhood, and it does an excellent job of showing his initial motivators in life: his love of good stories and his desire for a stable job. He wound up finding both of them through chance or fate when he started working at Timely Comics, where he met greats like Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. He stuck around after World War II, worked his way up to writer, got a wife and kid, and got everything he wanted. Except he hated it.
Some people might be surprised, but for a long time, Stan Lee hated writing comic books. He hated the rules and restrictions he had to follow, he hated how juvenile they were, and he wanted to quit. It was only thanks to his wife’s encouragement to write the stories he wanted that he took a chance and co-created the Fantastic Four, and the rest is history.
Again, this would be perfect in a comic book style.
Barely Touching on the Darker Side of Stan Lee
Once it gets to the Fantastic Four, most of the documentary consists of Stan Lee narrating his influences for co-creating the other characters that made Marvel what it is: Spider-Man, the X-Men, Hulk, Black Panther, etcetera. However, anyone with an Internet connection or a copy of his biography could learn about that stuff. It’s the stuff that the documentary doesn’t touch on that’s the problem.
It’s only hinted at in the documentary, but Stan Lee could have an ego that was too big for his britches at times. Case in point, archival recordings of a live phone call he made to Jack Kirby to wish him ‘Happy birthday’ devolves into an argument over who gets bragging rights for creating their characters. Stan makes it clear he thought the guy who came up with them should get credit, but this makes him sound like he’s disregarding the other people who helped the process. It’s likely the reason why Jack Kirby eventually left Marvel to work for DC Comics. While it’s not confirmed, many suspect that it’s why Steve Dikto, the artist who helped draw Spider-Man and the earlier Marvel characters, eventually walked out, as well.
If Disney wanted fans to see everything about Stan Lee, good and bad, then they should’ve touched on both in equal amounts. The fact that it doesn’t makes it feel like Marvel is still pandering to a man whose reputation might be a little over-inflated. Stan Lee was as flawed as the characters he helped to create. They shouldn’t have to put him on a pedestal; it’s not healthy.
People Are Still Gonna Like this Documentary
Issues with events aside, I still know that people will like this documentary. It’s about Stan Lee, the man who helped make Marvel great. People will likely continue to hold him in reverence for a long time. That being said, the way the documentary frames his life teaches some important life lessons to viewers.
- If you’re a writer, write what you think you’re going to want to read. Forget about just pandering to the audience.
- Don’t be afraid to take risks in life. Stan took risks several times with his characters, and they laid off big time for him.
- Sometimes, you need to break the rules. Stan went behind his boss’ back to publish Spider-Man’s origin story. Then he defied the Comic Code Authority to tell a story about drug abuse on behalf of the US Government. Both worked out great for him.
That’s the beauty of the characters Stan Lee helped create. They’re not perfect gods but people with flaws. For all their power, they make mistakes, which is why people relate to them so much.
Maybe Marvel should’ve made a comic book film about Stan Lee’s life instead. That would’ve been worth seeing in theaters!
