Marvel architect and co-creator of most of your favorite superheroes Stan Lee passed away a little over a year ago, and Disney is looking to pay its respects to the legendary comics writer in a big way. Later this month, a primetime special titled Celebrating Marvel’s Stan Lee will hit ABC, and it’s a fair bet we should all have plenty of Kleenex nearby when we tune in to watch.
Image via Marvel
The special will feature brand-new interviews with the stars of Marvel Studios’ movies and TV shows sharing their memories of Lee, as well as archival interviews and rare footage of the man himself collected over the course of an incredible career that spanned nearly 80 years. In his time working at Marvel Comics, Lee collaborated with artists like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko to create some of the most iconic superheroes of all time, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Black Panther, the Hulk, Black Widow, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, and the Fantastic Four, among many others.
Portions of Celebrating Marvel’s Stan Lee were filmed with a live audience, and those segments will be intercut with appearances by MCU stars like Tom Hiddleston, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, and Clark Gregg, as well as Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D.’s Ming-Na Wen and Daredevil’s Deborah Ann Woll. Also making appearances are famous fans and collaborators like Mark Hamill, Method Man, Kevin Smith, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, and Seth Green, as well as Disney CEO Bob Iger and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, the man who essentially created the MCU. Interviews with other hugely influential comic book figures such as Joe Quesada, Todd McFalrane, CB Cebulski, and Gerry Conway will be featured as well.
Image via Sony Pictures
Quesada, the Executive Vice President and Creative Director of Marvel Entertainment, said, “As a young man, Stan ‘The Man’ Lee always dreamed of writing, going on to create some of the greatest heroes of our modern times. Stan showed each of us how to be a hero in our everyday lives, and the stories he wrote will go on to influence generations of fans for decades to come. We can’t wait for all you True Believers out there to see this special to honor and celebrate Stan’s incredible life and all the lives he has touched.”
Celebrating Marvel’s Stan Lee is set to air Friday, December 20th at 8pm EST on ABC.
