'Spider-Man' Director Sam Raimi Admits He Once Forged Stan Lee's Signature

With Stan Lee's passing earlier this week, fans have been sharing their experiences with the legendary Marvel Comics co-founder including those in the entertainment industry. While most of the stories and tributes share heartwarming memories of Lee, when it comes to director Sam Raimi at least one story is less about Lee and more about pretending to be him, sort of.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Raimi revealed that his very first Lee experience didn't directly involve Lee, but his signature instead.

"My first Stan Lee experience is pretty bad, actually," Raimi said. "I was an avid reader of Spider-Man and The Avengers in the late '70s, and come 1980, I was working on my first horror film in New York. I was also working as a counselor at a camp in Algonquin Park. One day they decided to have a Marvel banquet and said, 'Can you get Stan Lee to sign some posters?' I was so naive I said OK. I went to Marvel and asked if I could see Stan Lee. And the people there flipped. 'Are you out of your mind?! You can't see Stan Lee!' So I spent the whole cab ride back to the airport signing "Stan Lee" on all these posters. There I was, 20 years old, forging his signature."

Raimi would go on to work with Marvel in 1999 when he was chosen to direct Spider-Man. It's an opportunity that presented him with another Lee experience, this one being about the Spider-Man co-creator having an appearance in the film. Raimi revealed he was initially opposed to the idea because he felt like Lee couldn't act.

"I got the job for Spider-Man in 1999. And [Marvel head] Avi Arad said, 'I want you to put Stan in the movie.' And I was like, 'No. I know Stan, and he can't act,'" Raimi wrote. "And Avi was, 'I want him in the movie. We did it for X-Men, we're doing it here.' Now imagine you're a minor director in England doing Macbeth and you're told, 'Put the writer in the play.' It sounds absurd. 'Fine, you want Shakespeare in the play, I'll put Shakespeare in the play.' Now it's one of my favorite parts in the movie."

In the scene, the Green Goblin attacks the World Unity Fair and attempts to kill the Oscorp board members in attendance. But his assault ends up causing a lot of damage to the surroundings, potentially injuring the public. Stan Lee is seen panicking, but he manages to regain his composure and save a young child standing near.

Lee went on to be featured in a number of cameos across various Marvel movies, including one in the upcoming Ralph Breaks the Internet that, sadly, Lee did not get to see before he died.

What do you think of Raimi's forgery story? Let us know in the comments.