The 2025 LA Comic Con is giving fans a chance to relive the magic of comic book history with its new Stan Lee Experience, a 1,500-square-foot booth featuring an AI-powered holographic image of the legendary Marvel co-creator.

The interactive display allows attendees to “converse” with Lee, who passed away in 2018, through a carefully trained large language model built from decades of his interviews, writings, and public appearances.

LA Comic Con Brings Stan Lee Back to Fans

Fans visiting the exhibit can ask questions of “Stan Lee” and receive responses drawn from archives like Stan’s Soapbox, the Marvel back-page column Lee penned between 1967 and 1980. The holographic projection is powered by Proto Inc. and Hyperreal, with the latter’s CEO Remington Scott best known for bringing Gollum and Smeagol to life in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings.

Chris DeMoulin, CEO of Comikaze Entertainment Inc., which operates LA Comic Con, described the project as deeply personal:

“One of the most thrilling things of my entire life was getting to work with Stan Lee when this was Stan Lee’s Comic Con. What was such a joy was watching him interact with fans. Old fans and then people that were bringing their 8-year-old kid who had just read their first Spider-Man comic book.”

What Is a Hologram?

A hologram is a projection technique that creates the illusion of a three-dimensional person or object in space. Unlike flat digital video, a hologram allows audiences to feel as though the figure is physically present. Some holograms are generated in real time, while others are based on pre-recorded content.

However, the Stan Lee image is technically more of an interactive avatar. George Johnson of Hyperreal explained:

“Hologram is a technology that’s different than this. This is more of an avatar presence, or a telepresence, if you will. Unlike ChatGPT, this is not a web crawler. It’s specifically Stan’s words… but with guardrails.”

Technology Beyond Entertainment

Proto Inc., which created the display hardware, bills its platform as “The World’s First Holographic communications platform”.

The system has applications beyond fan conventions, including classrooms, retail, and even telemedicine. “Any Proto device can have any piece of content in it, and we also beam people in live,” said David Nussbaum, Proto founder and chairman. “These are great for classrooms, museums, labs, retail.”

A Legacy Extended by AI

For $15 plus fees, Comic Con visitors can engage with this AI-powered homage to Stan Lee, ensuring his voice continues to inspire both lifelong Marvel fans and younger generations discovering superheroes for the first time. As DeMoulin put it:

“This avatar, to us, is an entry point into the world of storytelling that he created. We wanted to create something which can be part of maintaining and expanding on that legacy.”

The Stan Lee Experience runs through Sunday at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Tickets are available on the LA Comic Con website.

Relevant Links

• Proto – Experience the world's first holographic communications platform.
• Comic-book legend Stan Lee, co-creator of Spider-Man and Marvel heroes, dies at 95 - Los Angeles Times
• VAULT | Hyperrealiss the late Stan Lee? Might be time to chat with the comic book legend's AI-fueled avatar