The IP services practice of Hilco Global, a diversified financial services company that delivers expert professional services and capital solutions to help clients maximize value and drive performance across the business lifecycle, has been engaged by Stan Lee Holdings (SLH) to sell a portfolio of intellectual property developed by Stan Lee, the iconic “father of the super hero.”
Known as the Omniverse Collection created by Stan Lee, the portfolio represents a collection of original characters and source material developed by Lee when he was leading Marvel Comics and when he built Stan Lee Entertainment. This collection of intellectual property encompasses dozens of superheroes and stories conceived by Lee from 1999 to 2001 as well as a franchise comprising over 50 characters, the only franchise of Marvel-created characters not owned by Marvel. Full details of the collection, including the individual characters, franchises and story properties it comprises, will be released in the coming weeks.
Through this collaboration, Hilco Global will work alongside SLH and former executive vice president of Marvel Entertainment, Shirrel Rhoades, to find a new home for a body of largely underleveraged superhero and other characters, as well as world-building intellectual property. Numerous supporting scripts, episodes and development materials spanning Lee’s career are also part of the offering.
“The Omniverse Collection created by Stan Lee is one of the most significant super hero IP offerings of the decade,” Eric Hurwitz, senior director of the Hilco Global IP services practice, said. “This large, diverse portfolio presents the opportunity to capitalize on untapped material with an unmatched pedigree. A buyer essentially has a blank slate to bring these characters to fans worldwide and expand on Stan Lee’s legacy. Hilco Global is thrilled to bring these assets to market, leveraging deep experience across intellectual property and media valuation, licensing and transaction execution.”
Among the intellectual property being offered is a connected entertainment universe of Stan Lee’s own creation.
“This one-of-a-kind IP collection illustrates just how far ahead Stan was in understanding the future of entertainment,” Rhoades said. “What we’re bringing to market isn’t a collection of isolated ideas. It’s pieces of one larger vision, a living digital universe in which characters can be created, experienced and expanded across every form of media.”
