Hilco to auction IP from legendary comic creator Stan Lee

Image: Hilco Stan Lee Omniverse Collection

Hilco Global’s IP Services division is auctioning a portfolio of intellectual property developed by Stan Lee, the celebrated co-creator of super heroes including Spider-Man, the X-Men, Thor, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, and Black Panther, on behalf of the IP’s current owner, Stan Lee Holdings (SLH).

Most of Lee’s famous characters were developed during his time working for Timely Comics (which would become Marvel in the 1960s) between 1939 and 1942 (when he joined the US Army), and then again from 1945 to the mid-1990s. He ended up as Marvel’s publisher and chief ambassador and then president emeritus (until his death), appearing at comic conventions around the globe and in cameos in Marvel films.

However, it is understood that the IP Hilco is currently auctioning – the Omniverse Collection – includes characters Stan Lee created for Marvel between 1999 and 2000 but which became Lee’s property under an agreement with Marvel, and possibly also some developed for his own internet-based animation company, Stan Lee Media, between 1998 and 2000.

Hilco’s announcement says: “This rare and valuable collection of Intellectual Property encompasses dozens of compelling super heroes and stories conceived by Stan from 1999 to 2001 as well as a franchise comprising over 50 well-known characters – the only franchise of Marvel-created characters not owned by Marvel. Full details of the collection, including the individual characters, franchises, and story properties it comprises, will be released in the coming weeks.”

Stan Lee died in 2018 at the age of 96; unfortunately, his last few years, and the years immediately following his death, were marred by a number of lawsuits, including some over his IP.