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Stan Lee AI Hologram Unsettles Fans
Defending the move, Bob Sabouni, Head of Stan Lee Legacy Programs for Kartoon Studios and a former Marvel executive, said in a statement:
“We’ll never put words in his mouth that aren’t in line with things he spoke about in his lifetime. Fortunately, with decades of footage capturing his thoughts on so many subjects, we can build a voice that stays true, not always word for word, but always faithful in spirit, context, and intent.”
Translation: trust us, we’re not about to have Zombie Stan Lee plug Avengers: Doomsday… at least not yet.
And for decades, Lee was the king of conventions, co-creating iconic characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Daredevil, while becoming the most recognizable face of comic book culture. Now, nearly seven years after his death, he’s back—sort of.
And Marvel fans? Let’s just say they’re not giving this one a “true believer” stamp of approval.
The hologram was built by Proto Hologram (best known for the creepy promotional The Conjuring mall mirror) and Hyperreal, a firm specializing in avatars so realistic you forget you’re supposed to question them. Legally, Kartoon Studios acquired exclusive rights to Lee’s name and likeness from his own company, POW! Entertainment.
But the deal isn’t exactly squeaky clean: shortly before his death, Lee attempted to sue POW! executives for trying to “fraudulently steal” his identity, even seeking more than $1 billion in damages.
As the suit noted:
“Lee did not even grant an exclusive license to his identity, image, name and likeness to the Walt Disney Company in a multibillion dollar deal, let alone give his name and likeness away for free to a company in China.”
And I thought Thanos was evil.
Because nothing says “tribute” like a price tag, fans had to cough up between $15 and $20 just to enter the 1,500-square-foot “Stan Lee Experience” booth—plus extra for a photo or a three-minute chat with the AI.
Inside, the hologram greeted fans with lines like:
“It’s great to be back at conventions like this, surrounded by fellow Marvel fans and enthusiasts.”
Which is sweet, until you remember… he’s literally not back.
TikTok user @melmadog posted her meet and greet with the AI Lee hologram below:
Imagine explaining to your kids that you met Spider-Man’s creator… but only the beta version.
Another user @such.polina posted their experience:
Of course, this isn’t the first time a celebrity has been digitally puppeteered past the grave. James Earl Jones granted Disney permission to keep his Darth Vader voice alive via AI, which now pops up in Obi-Wan Kenobi and even in Fortnite, where you can squad up with a chatty Sith Lord.
Organizers even teased that Lee’s hologram could “surprise” fans at random panels—less like a tribute, more like a jump scare.
Perfect timing for Halloween.
Social media erupted with reactions ranging from mild amusement to “this is gross,” “incredibly disrespectful,” and “f**king weird.” As one Reddit user bluntly stated: “Even in death, they won’t let the guy rest. It’s all pretty dystopian.”
You can scroll through more reactions here:
And if you think this is just a Comic Con gimmick, think again, girlfriend. AI holograms are increasingly appearing everywhere, from concerts to museums. CNN’s Jim Acosta even interviewed the hologram of Parkland shooting victim Joaquin Oliver to highlight gun violence—proving this technology is already blurring the line between memorial and marketing.
Oh, and the pay for these AI holograms? It’s far from comic book change. Industry analysts estimate that companies specializing in holograms and digital likeness rights are already making millions of dollars a year, with licensing deals, convention booths, and concert revivals expected to push the market into the billions.
For developers, the dead aren’t just remembered—they’re monetized.
So no matter how you feel about seeing the dead “return” in AI form—celebrity meet-and-greet or a dystopian séance—it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing more of them down the line.
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Ne-Yo Attacked by Fan
According to Billboard, Ne-Yo was midway through his 2007 hit “Because of You” when a spectator in a white T-shirt danced up the stairs, turned to face the crowd, and spread his arms wide. Wearing a black cowboy hat, sequined blazer, and leather pants, Ne-Yo looked startled for a split second—then shoved the fan in the face and neck area as security rushed in.
The Grammy winner kept singing throughout, lowering his mic just long enough to move the intruder aside.
Security quickly detained the trespasser, while Ne-Yo never missed a beat.
After the show, the “So Sick” singer took to Instagram to issue a warning:
“This is what you DON’T do. I’m a gentleman but I WILL slap the sh*t out of a person disrespecting my stage. And then keep the party going. Don’t try me. All love, til it’s not.”
No word yet on whether the stage crasher faced charges.
Ne-Yo added:
“Had he ran up with love I woulda let him rock for a minute… idiot. Don’t be this guy.”
A publicist for Ne-Yo declined to comment further.
The incident occurred amid a surge of stage crashes and concert chaos this year. A fan joined Katy Perry mid-performance during “Hot N’ Cold,” and Ava Max was slapped by a concertgoer who slipped past security. Bebe Rexha was left with a black eye after being hit in the face with a phone, while Drake’s tour has been disrupted by everything from bras to books flying at him.
You can watch the incident below:
Ne-Yo’s shove also follows weeks of headlines about his personal life. On Kai Cenat’s Mafiathon 3 stream, the three-time Grammy winner revealed he is romantically involved with four women—Cristina, Arielle Hill, Moneii, and Brionna Williams—whom he describes as his “wives,” though not legally married.
The singer proclaimed:
“My love life is phenomenal. I’m in a great space. I am currently in a polyamorous relationship. I have four beautiful ladies that move with me on the regular. They’re actually here.”
And yes—he even bragged about all of them sharing one oversized Alaskan King bed, which is… a choice. Fun fact: sheets for that monster of a mattress can run you up to $300 on Amazon.
The singer said the decision came after his 2022 divorce from Crystal Renay:
“I’m 45 years old. At this point in my life, everything I do is about what’s best for me, what’s best for my kids, what’s best for my tribe. That’s it.”
Looks like Ne-Yo’s tour isn’t the only thing with multiple stops—his love life comes with a full lineup too. And when it came to the stage-crashing drama, social media had no shortage of opinions:
@ant___williams/Instagram
@pushforwardtvyt/Instagram
@kg_the_terrible/Instagram
@chillvibes/Instagram
@jadareneeholmes/Instagram
@ms.cherylblinks/Instagram
@calypso_cruz/Instagram
@missshell808/Instagram
@youroneandonlyeddie2/Instagram
@sheee1a/Instagram
@bboyninjadance/Instagram
@chiva1rous1/Instagram
Ne-Yo returned to the stage at the Blue Note Jazz Festival Japan 2025, performing alongside Norah Jones, Tower of Power, and Daichi Miura. He’ll head back to Las Vegas on Oct. 11 before shows in Sri Lanka and Singapore later this year.
Beyond music, Ne-Yo is also expanding into acting and business. He’s set to portray Mr. Albatross in the upcoming film The Pact, play a team owner in the 2025 TV series Global Gaming League, and continue managing boxer Paul Bamba while making appearances in the Starz drama BMF.
Jimmy Kimmel And Stephen Colbert Unload On Trump In Rare Crossover Event As Guests On Each Other's Shows
When Kimmel returned, he called out the government interference that led to his suspension, saying that Trump "celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can’t take a joke" and is now "openly rooting for NBC to fire Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers and the hundreds of Americans who work for their shows who don’t make millions of dollars.”
Colbert has also been impacted by Trump. Over the summer, CBS, citing economic concerns, announced that his program would go off the air next May—news that came as its parent company, Paramount, sought government approval for a merger with Skydance.
Paramount executives insisted the move bears no relation "to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.” The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the merger after Paramount paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Trump, which Colbert said amounted to a payoff to secure approval for the merger.
Kimmel posted a photo of himself with Colbert and fellow late-night host Seth Meyers along with the caption "Hi Donald!" last night.
@jimmykimmel/Threads
You can also watch Kimmel's appearance on Colbert's show below.
- YouTube www.youtube.com
Colbert asked Kimmel, "Did you ever think the President of the United States would be celebrating your unemployment?”—to which Kimmel replied:
"I mean, that son of a b*tch. No, I never imagined that we’d ever have a president like this, and I hope we don’t ever have another president like this again."
"I never even imagined there would ever be a situation in which the president of our country was celebrating hundreds of Americans losing their jobs. But somebody who took pleasure in that, that to me is the absolute opposite of what a leader of this country is supposed to be.”
Kimmel also revealed how he learned that his show had been taken off the air:
"It was about 3 o'clock, we tape our show at 4:30. I'm in my office, typing away as I usually do, I get a phone call. It's ABC. They say they want to talk to me. This is unusual. They—as far as I knew—didn't even know I was doing a show previous to this."
"I have like five people who work in my office with me. So the only private place to go is the bathroom. So I go into the bathroom, and I'm on the phone with the ABC executives, and they say, 'Listen, we want to take the temperature down. We're concerned about what you're going to say tonight, and we decided that the best route is to take the show off the air."
"I put my pants back on, and I walked out to my office, and I called in some of the executive producers. There are about nine people in there. And I said, 'They're pulling the show off the air.' And I was—my wife said I was white, I was whiter than Jim Gaffigan when I came out of there."
"I thought, that's it, it's over. It is over. I was like I'm never coming back on the air. That's really what I thought. So we told our staff—meanwhile the whole audience was in their seats."
You can watch Colbert's appearance on Kimmel's program below.
Kimmel, when Colbert appeared on his program, said he'd texted Colbert to let him know about the suspension, to which Colbert recalled:
"I was on stage, I had just finished the show... my executive producer comes over and says, 'Hey, I just got this text from Carrie and I think it's right to show it to you.' And that's how I found out, in front of the audience with my mic up." ...
"There's no signal in the Ed Sullivan Theater so they didn't tell me why, there was no rationale given, just that you'd been yanked."
He joked:
"I genuinely assumed it was your fault. I know you well enough to do that."
Separately Colbert described his own apprehension when he learned his own show was getting the axe, describing the conversation he had with his wife Evelyn:
“Evie said, ‘Are you going to tell your staff tomorrow?’ I said, ‘Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I will tell them after the summer break. Maybe I’ll tell them in September.’ She said, ‘You’re going to tell them tomorrow.’ I said, ‘I don’t think so. I just don’t think I’m up for it.’ And then she goes, ‘I am coming to work with you tomorrow because I think you are telling your staff.’”
“We get into the building. I go up in the elevator. I walk through the offices. By the time I get to my offices, I have sweat through my shirt. Because I didn’t want to know anything my staff didn’t know.”
“I was so nervous about doing it right. Because there was nothing on the prompter, I was doing it off the cuff. I f**ked up twice and I had to restart."
"And the audience thought it was a bit. They started going, ‘You can do it. Come on, Steve. You can do it.’ Because I always messed up on the sentence that told them what was happening."
"And then I got to the sentence that told them what was happening and they didn’t laugh. They didn’t laugh. That is it. So that’s how I did it.”
The crossover was a hit.
Stay tuned—Trump's bound to have lots to say about this.
