Stan Lee’s legacy is making headlines once again—but this time, it has nothing to do with Marvel. A new documentary alleges that the legendary comic book creator was exploited during the final years of his life by his former manager, claiming millions of dollars were lost while Lee continued making high-profile appearances at fan conventions.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Stan Lee: The Final Chapter is set to premiere on July 23 at San Diego Comic-Con before arriving on VOD on July 28. The documentary draws on years of behind-the-scenes footage to present what it describes as a disturbing look at the final chapter of the comic book icon’s life.
Directed by Stan Lee’s former assistant, Jon Bolerjack, the documentary focuses on Lee’s relationship with his former road manager, Max Anderson, who is alleged to have exercised extensive control over the comic book legend’s public appearances while also overseeing aspects of his medical care and finances.
According to the film, when Lee questioned whether he had earned enough from his convention appearances, Anderson allegedly dismissed the concern with a blunt response: “Not enough. It’s never enough, Stan.”
The documentary argues that those claims did not reflect reality. Producer Alex Barajas, who previously worked on Lee’s merchandising team, alleges that Anderson’s inner circle regularly counted large amounts of cash collected from autograph signings and convention appearances before turning it 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 that once the money was counted, he had no knowledge of what happened to it afterward.
One of the documentary’s most emotional moments features Bolerjack recalling a conversation in which Lee quietly asked how much money he had actually earned from his convention appearances.
“He just had no idea,” Bolerjack says.
After Lee explained that Anderson repeatedly told him the financial totals were not yet available, Bolerjack said he was shocked.
“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 admits he struggled to understand his own finances, claiming Anderson frequently moved money between different accounts.
“I’d like you to just write down what you did so I’d understand it. But he hasn’t done that,” Lee says in the film.
The documentary arrives after years of legal disputes involving Lee’s estate. Last year, Anderson was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for failing to report approximately $1.2 million in income connected to his work with Lee.
Months earlier, Lee’s daughter, J.C. Lee, reached a settlement in a lawsuit alleging Anderson siphoned more than $21 million from her father’s autograph signings and appearance fees. Anderson has denied ever handling the cash generated from those events.
The release of Stan Lee: The Final Chapter also comes during another eventful period for Lee’s legacy. AI company ElevenLabs recently announced a licensing agreement that allows fans to recreate Lee’s voice and likeness using artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, actress Pam Grier recently claimed that Lee and other Marvel creators drew inspiration from her while developing characters such as Misty Knight and Monica Rambeau.
