Deadpool Creator Rob Liefeld Will Not Attend Hollywood’s Stan Lee Tribute

Earlier this week, details about Hollywood's upcoming tribute to the late comics legend, Stan Lee, began to emerge. Many celebrities, including those close with Lee and those involved with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will be in attendance. Unfortunately, that does not include longtime collaborator, Rob Liefeld, who is best known for creating Deadpool.

The creative took to Instagram yesterday to express his love for Lee and explained that he will not be involved in the event.

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I was fortunate to have met and known @therealstanlee since I was a kid. He will always be the greatest ambassador for comic books ever! I’m writing to inform that despite being listed in several releases, I will not be attending, involved with or participating in any way with the upcoming Stan Lee Hollywood event. At least I think that’s what it’s being called. I will however share wonderful stories and memories of Stan online as well as when we see each other in person or at the many conventions I attend. His legacy endures! #marvel #stanlee #robliefeld

A post shared by Rob Liefeld (@robliefeld) on Jan 25, 2019 at 8:17am PST

"I was fortunate to have met and known @therealstanlee since I was a kid. He will always be the greatest ambassador for comic books ever! I'm writing to inform that despite being listed in several releases, I will not be attending, involved with or participating in any way with the upcoming Stan Lee Hollywood event. At least I think that's what it's being called. I will however share wonderful stories and memories of Stan online as well as when we see each other in person or at the many conventions I attend. His legacy endures!," Liefeld wrote.

While the post does not include the reasoning behind his absence, the fact that he says he's not sure of the name of the event makes us wonder if the organizers neglected to include him. That is, of course, speculation, but if it's accurate, it's definitely a shame. Liefeld is an important staple in Marvel Comics, and fans would have loved to see him at the tribute.

The full name of the event is "Excelsior! A Celebration of the Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible and Uncanny Life of Stan Lee," and will be held on January 30th at Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theatre. To find out how you can attend the ticketed event, click here.

According to Deadline, the list of people participating in the event is vast. The famous names include Mark Hamill (Star Wars), Clark Gregg (Agents of SHIELD), RZA (of Wu Tang Clan), Jeph Loeb (Head of Marvel Television), Felicia Day (The Guild), Tom DeSanto (Executive Producer of X-Men), Joe Quesada (Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Comics), Bill Sienkiewicz (Elektra: Assassin artist), Marv Wolfman (Blade creator), Michael Uslan (Executive Producer of The Dark Knight), Bill Duke (Predator), and Gill Champion (POW! Entertainment). Various cast members of multiple Marvel Television series are also expected to be in attendance, including some from The Runaways, The Gifted, and Legion.

Interestingly, Deadline included Liefeld's name in the article, making us wonder if the man behind Deadpool was in fact asked to be a part of the event, but ultimately declined. Either way, we hope the comics creator keeps his word and continues to share memories about Lee.

Stan Lee will always be remembered fondly for his many contributions to entertainment, but especially the co-creation of characters such as Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch and Ant-Man.

Upcoming MCU movies include Captain Marvel on March 8, Avengers: Endgame on April 26, and Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5.