Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee files $1 billion suit over theft of image rights

  • Stan Lee, former editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, has filed suit seeking more than $1bn in damages.
  • The Spider-Man and Hulk co-creator said he never knowingly gave up exclusive rights to his name.
  • Lee has claimed his signature was fraudulently obtained.
A still from 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2'.
Source: Marvel
A still from 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2'.

The man who co-created Spider-Man, the Hulk and the X-Men has filed a $1 billion suit against a company he co-founded in 2001.

Stan Lee, a former editor-in-chief at Marvel Comics, is alleging that his name and likeness were taken fraudulently so that a company called "POW! Entertainment" could be sold to another firm in China.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, states that the defendants "forged or fraudulently obtained a signature from Lee" as part of the scheme.

Lee claims that co-founders of POW!, Shane Duffy and Gill Champion, used deception to make him sign over his name, image and likeness on a wholly exclusive basis.

The 95-year-old's signature was either forged, imposed from another document, or induced by a bait-and-switch tactic where Lee thought he was signing another contract due to his failing eye sight, according to the lawsuit.

A promotion image from Marvel's 2018 hit "The Black Panther".
Source: Marvel
A promotion image from Marvel's 2018 hit "The Black Panther".

Camsing International, the Chinese firm that bought POW!, says on its website that in October 2017, it had "completed the acquisition of POW! Entertainment founded by Stan Lee — Father of Marvel."

Lee added that the pair, along with former business partner Jerardo Olivarez, took advantage of his ill health and his "devastation" following the death of his wife.

In April, Lee issued a separate suit against Olivarez claiming that his former partner had transferred $4.6 million out of his bank account without authorization. He also claimed Olivarez was carrying out bogus schemes to enrich himself.