Stan Lee: The Final Chapter - Elder Abuse Tale, About and By Some Who Could've Stopped It

By John Kirk

Rating: B-

By dint of its extraordinary subject matter, the amateur documentary Stan Lee: The Final Chapter debuted this week at San Diego Comic Con. But there are issues.

Marvel Comics pioneer and one-man marketer Stan Lee was a legend. But his last few years of life were devoid of the respect he deserved. To see four years of empirical evidence about the abuse and exploitation of Stan Lee in his 90s, is absolutely heartbreaking.

What makes it worse though, is that many of the hard-core comic-fans who watch this film will have been among the conventioneers and such who met him during that time, including me.

I had multiple meetings with Stan Lee, including an interview that never saw the light of day. The first time I met his manager Max Anderson (who bears the brunt of blame in this film), he affably invited my daughter to get a picture with Stan, calling her “the princess.”

But the film indicts both Anderson and self-described film producer, Keya Morgan, for the elder abuse Lee suffered. These accusations rest heavily on years of firsthand video recordings gathered by Jon Bolerjack, once a fan who, by luck, found himself swept up in Lee’s entourage as an assistant and general odd-jobs guy.  He was able to personally witness how much Anderson pushed Lee to accept convention engagements and how hard Stan worked. For a nonagenarian, Lee was subjected to an intense pace.

Bolerjack delves into Anderson’s background: his family and his criminal past. There’s even a moment when he takes Stan to an ersatz firing range set up in a back alley to shoot pistols and automatic weapons. It’s creepy to know that one of America’s greatest pop culture icons was exposed to someone like this.

Bolerjack was privy to many uniquely personal moments, and this is the film’s strongest feature. He drove him to and from the airport, helped out at home, and was even present with Stan at the death of Stan’s wife, Joanie. Lee’s marriage of 66 years to Joan, and his desire to provide for her, was a fundamental motivation for his convention work. But after her death, there was arguably no reason to continue working. And yet, he was persuaded to.

That raw, firsthand experience is the major strength of the film. But Bolerjack’s video evidence is arguably contextual, and it’s difficult to completely accept his motivations as completely altruistic. He, admittedly, was part of the entourage that supported Anderson’s exploitation of Lee. He even states in the film that he was not going to be a hero, given Anderson’s reputation for violence.

Bolerjack relies on an assortment of witnesses from the entourage, which adds to the validity of his claims. When Lee is shown being wheeled out in front of fans, asleep in photo ops and even left discarded in a back room in one of the many convention centres, they admit their own shame and it’s difficult not to share in that guilt.

The collection of bodyguards and nurses are also disturbing. Though these people exclaim how badly they felt during the last few years of Lee’s life, they also had jobs and were largely self-interested. They did little to mitigate Stan’s circumstances.

I was one of those slavering fans who either lined up to meet, chat with, get a photo, or interview Stan. Stan Lee Presents was the emblem of many of my greatest comic-book memories as a child, adolescent and yes, adult. Stan “The Man” spanned generations. Few creators in both the 20th and 21st centuries received as much acclaim. At the time, few knew about his situation, and who didn’t want to be a part of his magic?

Even though this elderly icon was of sound mind when he started his work on the convention circuit, the film correctly points out that there was nobody to check his handlers, even Bolerjack. By the time of Anderson and Lee’s falling out - and Keya Morgan’s entry as Lee’s handler - Bolerjack was not around. There was also very little mention of Lee’s daughter until the very end and the last moments of his life.

The film accomplishes two things: it illustrates how alone Stan Lee was at the end of his life. But it also hammers home to everyone who ever got a signature, a picture or paid for his appearance at an event how much he was exploited unbeknownst to them.

It also does remind us how much Stan was loved. Bolerjack’s own declaration of his love for Stan is clearly stated, but it’s also important to remember that he also has his own personal collection of signed Stan Lee memorabilia.

Some of it’s for sale.

Stan Lee: The Final Chapter. Produced and directed by Jon Bolerjack. Available on Apple, Amazon Prime Video, Fandango, YouTube Movies & TV starting July 28.