Celebrating Marvel’s Stan Lee Primetime Special Announced by ABC

Even after his passing in 2018, Stan Lee’s impact on the Marvel universe – and on the […]

December 4, 2019, 4:49pm

Even after his passing in 2018, Stan Lee‘s impact on the Marvel universe – and on the entertainment industry – is continuing to be felt. The characters Lee co-created and wrote have evolved into billion-dollar franchises across comics, movies, and other media, and a new special highlights Lee’s legacy in an awesome new way. On Wednesday, ABC News officially announced Celebrating Marvel’s Stan Lee, a prime-time special that is set to chronicle Lee’s life and impact. The special is set to air on ABC on Friday, December 20th, at 8/7c, and will feature special guests from the comic industry, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and beyond.

Videos by ComicBook.com

Celebrating Marvel’s Stan Lee is set to chronicle his more than seven decades in the industry, during which he co-created characters such as Spider-Man, Ant-Man, Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, The X-Men, and Black Panther. The special will try to encompass Lee’s time as “a visionary and true pioneer”.

The special, which was partially filmed in front of a live audience at New York’s New Amsterdam Theater earlier this fall, will feature an array of actors and comic professionals paying tribute to Lee. The list will include Phil Coulson actor Clark Gregg, who will be hosting the event, as well as Loki actor Tom Hiddleston, Vision actor Paul Bettany, Maria Hill actress Cobie Smulders, Agent May actress Ming-Na Wen, Karen Page actress Deborah Ann Woll, and Makkari actress Lauren Ridloff. Other celebrities will include Mark Hamill, Jimmy Kimmel, Method Man, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Kevin Smith, Joe Quesada, Seth Green, Bob Iger, CB Cebulski, Todd McFarlane, Kevin Feige, and Gerry Conway.

“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,” Joe Quesada, Executive Vice President, Creative Director of Marvel Entertainment, said in a statement. “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.”