November 14 2002
The creative force behind Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk and Daredevil filed a $10 million lawsuit on Tuesday, charging his old comic book company is cheating him out of millions of dollars in movie profits.
Stan Lee, who crafted a menagerie of superpowered heroes with very human flaws, now claims Marvel Entertainment Inc. has tried to shut him out of the “jackpot” success of this year’s Spider-Man movie.
Lee’s attorneys filed court papers in Manhattan federal court, claiming that Marvel signed a deal to give their client 10 percent of any profits from his characters used in films and television shows.
Spider-Man has been the year’s biggest hit in the US, grossing more than $400 million domestically – but the 80-year-old Lee says he hasn’t seen a penny.
“Despite reaping enormous benefits from Mr. Lee’s creations, defendants have failed and refused to honour their commitments to him,” the lawsuit charges.
Marvel has reported millions of dollars in earnings from the film but has told Lee the company has seen no “profits” as defined by their contract.
Lee hopes a judge will intervene and make sure he gets a percentage of profits from the Ben Affleck movie Daredevil, scheduled for release in February.
He also seeks a share of profits from the upcoming movie The Hulk, and the sequels to X-Men and Spider-Man.
The lawsuit demands damages and a court order forcing Marvel to turn over Lee’s share in any profits from movies about characters he created.
Marvel issued a statement saying Lee “continues to be well-compensated” for his contributions to the industry. It said the company is “in full compliance with, and current on all payments due under, terms of Mr. Lee’s employment agreement.”
Spider-Man stars Tobey Maguire as the teenage superhero, Willem Dafoe as the villainous Green Goblin and Kirsten Dunst as love interest Mary Jane Watson. A sequel is due out in 2004.