Neal Kirby, son of the seminal Marvel Comics artist and writer Jack Kirby, has shared a statement expressing his distaste with Disney+’s new documentary spotlighting the life of Stan Lee.
Credited as one of the leading creators of Marvel Comics, Lee’s life and legacy are given a detailed exploration through the doc, which premiered on the streamer on June 16. Kirby released a skeptical statement about the film through the Twitter account of his daughter, Jillian Kirby.
“It should be noted and is generally accepted that Stan Lee had a limited knowledge of history, mythology, or science,” Kirby wrote. “On the other hand, my father’s knowledge of these subjects, to which I and many others can personally attest, was extensive. Einstein summed it up better; ‘More the knowledge, lesser the ego. Lesser the knowledge, more the ego.’”
My father Neal Kirby (Jack Kirby’s son) has asked me to post this written statement in response to the Stan Lee documentary released yesterday on Disney+. pic.twitter/V4be2xyEJg
— Jillian Kirby (Granddaughter of Jack Kirby) (@Kirby4Heroes) June 17, 2023
Kirby’s lengthy denouncement continues by calling into question Lee’s involvement in the creation of many Marvel characters in the early-to-mid 1960s. “You will see Lee’s name as a co-creator on every character, with the exception of the Silver Surfer, solely created by my father. Are we to assume Lee had a hand in creating every Marvel character? Are we to assume that it was never the other co-creator that walked into Lee’s office and said, ‘Stan, I have a great idea for a character!’ According to Lee, it was always his idea.”
Kirby also highlights that Lee took major credit for creating the Fantastic Four “with only one fleeting reference” to his father. He also claims that the Fantastic Four was initially created by Jack for DC in the “Challengers of the Unknown” comic. Kirby goes on by stating that Ben Grimm (The Thing) was named after his father’s real name, Benjamin, and Sue Storm was named after his daughter, Susan.
