Marvel Legend “Stan Lee: The Final Years” in Revealing New Documentary

by Annika March 12, 2025

In his final years, Marvel legend Stan Lee was often accompanied by Jon Bolerjack and his camera. Bolerjack has now disclosed his secret project: a documentary on Lee titled “Stan Lee: The Final Years”. The film unveils unseen footage showcasing alleged misbehaviour within Lee’s inner circle and depicting Lee’s financial woes leading up to his death in 2018. The project seeks to shed a new light on the icon’s tumultuous final years.

Marvel Legend “Stan Lee: The Final Years” in Revealing New Documentary

– Longtime friend and filmmaker, Jon Bolerjack, is working on a documentary about the final years of Marvel icon Stan Lee, named “Stan Lee: The Final Years.”
– Bolerjack’s footage, including hundreds of hours of candid moments and conversations, revealed Lee’s exhaustive schedule, power struggles over his care and estate, and a financial ruin revealed in a public Kickstarter campaign.
– Despite Lee’s carefully crafted public persona as an always-upbeat Marvel representative, Bolerjack claims that Lee gave his blessing… knowing that the reality show they initially planned would instead become a revealing documentary.

In his last years, Stan Lee, the renowned Marvel figure, was closely followed by Jon Bolerjack, and his camera. Bolerjack accompanied Lee to comic book conventions and film premieres across the globe. He was able to capture intimate moments and private discussions at Lee’s residence in Hollywood Hills. However, Bolerjack claims his lens also captured some unsavory behavior by those in Lee’s inner circle.

Over time, Bolerjack has been transforming hundreds of hours of taped content into a documentary titled ‘Stan Lee: The Final Years’, secretive until now. Bolerjack recently disclosed a trailer and initiated a Kickstarter campaign for the completion of the project. He admits to having invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into the venture.

It is publicly acknowledged that Lee faced a turbulent few years towards the end of his life, as a 2018 report published by The Hollywood Reporter presented allegations of elder abuse amidst a rivalry for power of Lee’s healthcare and estate. However, Bolerjack implies that matters were even direr than understood before, specifying that Lee was in significant financial distress at the time of his death at 95 years old in November 2018.

The trailer narrates the account of an aged icon who, despite his exhaustion, is taken to comic book signings. Even though the trailer does not identify the individuals shown in the footage, one of them is Max Anderson – Lee’s former road manager who featured in The Hollywood Reporter investigation and has refuted any allegations of malpractice while working with Lee.

Bolerjack, a fan of comic books who studied film documentaries at film school, was introduced to Lee through a mutual acquaintance about ten years ago. Bolerjack pitched the idea of producing a reality show to Lee. The pitch was successful and soon, Bolerjack became ingrained into the creator’s inner circle.

However, it became clear that Lee’s demanding and hectic schedule was taking a toll on him. Bolerjack tried to assist in any possible way and admits to breaking the unwritten rule of documentary filming by forming a close bond with Lee.

Bolerjack considers Lee as a friend and family and has shared how he strived to look out for him. He tried to lighten the work burden for Lee and pushed for more breaks. Despite Lee’s well-curated public image as an eternally optimistic promoter of all Marvel and comic-related items, it’s rather surprising that Lee was content with the portrayal of his life’s low points in a documentary. But according to Bolerjack, Lee approves of this, aware that the reality show evolved into a documentary.

He expressed, “I had a long discussion with him about this, even towards his life’s end. A lot of incidents occured with him, but I didn’t ever feel that he was embarrassed about it,” adding, “I believe he wanted to disclose this as a cautionary tale.”