Marvel Universe celebrates Stan Lee in ABC special

Christmas will come early for Marvel Universe fans. ABC will present “Celebrating Marvel’s Stan Lee” at 8 p.m. Dec. 20.

The hour special will feature many celebrities sharing their memories of comic book legend Lee, who died in November 2018 at age 95.

ABC said the special features Tom Hiddleston, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Saquon Barkley, Mark Hamill, Jimmy Kimmel, Method Man, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Lauren Ridloff, Kevin Smith, Deborah Ann Woll, Seth Green, CB Cebulski, Todd McFarlane, Kevin Feige and Gerry Conway.

Bob Iger, chairman and

CEO of the Walt Disney Company, also shares his memories. In 2009, Disney bought Marvel for $4 billion.

The special is produced by ABC News, which is also part of Disney.

ABC News highlighted Lee’s influence in announcing the special: “As the cocreator of many of Marvel’s iconic comic book characters, including Spider-Man, Ant-Man, Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, The X-Men and Black Panther, Lee is credited with making an unprecedented impact on the world of pop culture. He was a visionary and true pioneer whose work lives on in everything from blockbuster films, television series and comic books to video games and consumer products.”

Part of the special will be filmed in front of an audience at the New Amsterdam Theater in New York. The special will highlight Lee’s famous cameos in Marvel films.

“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,” said Joe Quesada, executive vice president, creative director of Marvel Entertainment. “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,” added Quesada, who appears in the special. “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.”