This weekend’s blockbuster release of The Fantastic Four marks the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest saga. While for some, seeing Marvel’s First Family on screen brings out fond memories of the characters’ co-creator Stan Lee’s classic paperback storytelling, at Trust Counsel, we’re reminded of his less-than-fantastic estate planning saga.
On November 12, 2018, legendary comic book creator Stan Lee passed away at age 95 due to heart and respiratory failure. While he left behind an empire of beloved characters, including Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Daredevil, just to name a few, the work he did to preserve his $50 to $70 million legacy seems… invisible.
After his wife’s death in 2017, who had long managed his finances, cracks in Stan’s financial security started to show. The main villain of this story? Jerry Olivarez, a publicist who, after Stan’s wife’s death, was hired on a whim to serve not only as his agent by contract, but under Power of Attorney. The thing is, Olivarez was not serving Stan’s best interest and was later accused of elder abuse and sued by Stan’s estate for misappropriating millions. Olivarez reportedly coerced Stan into signing over control of his assets and even selling his blood (yes, literally, like some twisted MCU plotline) to use in collectible merchandise.
And that’s the least shocking betrayal, with Stan’s daughter, J.C. Lee, who was often cited in reports of volatile behavior and power struggles over her father’s care and money. Towards the end of his life, Stan even exhibited concerns regarding his daughter’s irresponsible financial spending, including monthly credit card charges totaling $40,000. He worried she might financially destabilize his estate without the proper safeguards.
The lack of a clearly defined estate plan left Stan vulnerable to manipulation in his final years. Without a solid trust, a handpicked fiduciary, or a plan to lock out the chaos, the people circling around him—his so-called “inner circle”—torched his finances, and things got burned. Fast.
Eventually, in 2023, the estate settled a high-profile lawsuit against Olivarez, bringing some closure to a legal battle that spanned years. But the damage had already been done. Stan’s final chapter wasn’t the triumphant send-off he deserved, it was a cautionary tale about what happens when the superhero of your own story forgets to build a fortress of legal protection around their legacy.
Here’s the lesson
No matter how big your empire, how iconic your impact, or how powerful your brand, you’re still human. Without the right estate planning strategies in place, like naming trusted decision-makers, protecting yourself during incapacity, and documenting your wishes clearly, you risk leaving behind a legacy that’s doomed.
So, if you want your final saga to be epic for the right reasons, don’t wait for a post-credit scene. Plan now. Assemble your team. Draft your will. Fund that trust. Because the next great villain isn’t always a purple monster or a galactic world eater, it’s poor planning.
