Chronicling the Final Chapter of Stan Lee

From 2015 until his death in 2018, videographer Jon Bolerjack filmed Marvel legend Stan Lee at conventions, at home, and behind closed doors. What began as a fan's dream job turned into a years-long documentation of what Bolerjack describes as the exploitation of an aging icon. His footage now forms the core of the 108-minute documentary Stan Lee: The Final Chapter, released on Video on Demand.

The film shows Lee being pushed through a grueling convention schedule, often dozing off between signings and asking his bodyguard-turned-manager, Max Anderson, if he had earned enough to retire. Bolerjack says he tried to alert news outlets while Lee was alive but received no response. After Lee's death, he decided to turn the footage into a documentary to preserve what he calls an honest account of Lee's legacy.

Legal Fights, Industry Apathy, and One Man's Mission

The Exploitation Allegations

Bolerjack's documentary paints Lee as a man caught in a system that profited from his image while ignoring his well-being. Anderson, who managed Lee's convention appearances, maintained that Lee preferred to stay busy after his wife's death in 2017 and that his income came largely from selling autographs to dealers. However, Lee's daughter JC settled a lawsuit against Anderson in 2025, alleging he stole over $21 million from her father—a claim Anderson denies. The juxtaposition of claims leaves the full truth uncertain, but the film’s footage of an exhausted, disengaged Lee is damning on its own.

A Documentary Made Against All Odds

After Lee's death, Bolerjack faced a six-year legal battle when Anderson sued him for breach of an alleged oral agreement demanding all footage. The case was dismissed in 2025 when Anderson failed to appear for trial. The same month, Anderson was sentenced to prison for tax fraud after failing to report $1.2 million in proceeds. Bolerjack’s quest to make the film also hit walls with the entertainment industry: early backers walked away during the pandemic, and some executives dismissed the project, saying comic-book fans don’t watch documentaries. Bolerjack eventually self-financed the film with $500,000, partly via Kickstarter and new investors, and won an Industry Choice Award at the Dances With Films festival in Los Angeles.