5 Iconic Stan Lee Heroes Who Will Never Appear in the MCU

Without Stan Lee, there'd be no MCU, with the legendary writer co-creating everyone from Spider-Man and the Hulk to Doctor Strange, Iron Man, Thor and Black Panther. However, there are some of Lee's creations who fans will never get to see on the big screen, no matter how long the media juggernaut rolls on. Here are Stan Lee's best characters you're never going to see in the MCU, and why...

5 Lucky Man, aka Harry Clayton

Created with Neil Biswas, Played by James Nesbitt

Released in 2016, Stan Lee's Lucky Man was a TV show created for the UK market. It stars Detective Inspector Harry Clayton, who acquires an ancient bracelet that redistributes his personal luck. Clayton's new powers allow him to win any game of chance and survive life-threatening circumstances, but transfer misfortune to other areas of his life.

Running for three seasons, Stan Lee devised the initial concept, basing it on a fan question about what superpower he'd most like to have. Produced by Carnival Films and POW! Entertainment with no ties to Marvel, it would take a lot of legal wrangling to get Lucky Man to appear in the MCU, all to debut a character that few fans worldwide have even heard of.

4 Just Imagine... DC Heroes (Including Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and More)

Created with Chris Bachalo, John Buscema, John Byrne, John Cassaday, Gary Frank, Dave Gibbons, Joe Kubert, Jim Lee, Kevin Maguire, Scott McDaniel, Jerry Ordway and Walt Simonson

What if Stan Lee had created DC's greatest heroes? That's the question DC asked with its 2001 Just Imagine... initiative, pairing Stan Lee with a murderer's row of acclaimed artists to reimagine everyone from Batman and Superman to Shazam, Aquaman and the Flash. Lee took the famous names and some key lore and reinvented DC's most iconic characters in his own shared universe.

Lee's creations include a Flash injected with the DNA of a hummingbird, a Green Lantern tied to Norse mythology, and an Aquaman who is transformed into living water. Stan Lee's Just Imagine... characters were resurrected in 2022 for Tales from Earth-6: A Celebration of Stan Lee.

While Marvel might one day spring to have DC's heroes cameo in the MCU, it's highly unlikely they'll pursue the rights to these obscure twists on their main competition.

3 Heroman and Ultimo the Mechanical Boy

Created with Tamon Ohta | Hiroyuki Takei

A fan of Manga, Stan Lee created multiple characters, including the benevolent robot Ultimo and mech-piloting American teen Joey, who battles the alien menace of the Skrugg with a toy hero brought to life by lightning.

Karakuridôji Ultimo contains the ultimate Stan Lee cameo, as Lee used his own likeness for the series' villain, complete with his iconic catchphrase "Excelsior!" Again, it's unlikely Marvel will ever want to wrangle for the rights to use these characters.

2 Soldier Zero, Starborn, and The Traveler

Created with Chris Roberson, Mark Waid and Dan Abnett

Created in partnership with Boom! Studios, these three heroes were created as the pillars of a new shared universe, with Boom! describing them as "a time traveler, an unwitting heir to an intergalactic empire, and a wheelchair-bound professor who winds up bonded to an alien weapon."

Lee worked on the core concepts for the characters and worlds, with different creative teams then tackling series dedicated to each hero. Marvel has no claim on these characters, so Boom! Studios might want to look into their potential for movie adaptation, given the strength of Lee's brand.

1 Stripperella, aka Erotica Jones

Voiced by Pamela Anderson

A satirical adult cartoon created for Spike TV, Stripperella follows secret agent Erotica Jones, who has a range of bizarre superpowers such as being so 'hot' she can set people on fire. The risque nature of the franchise means that - all legal issues aside - the real issue with introducing this character to the MCU would be the reaction from censors.

Those are the five heroes (okay, properties) that will never appear in the MCU, but they're not the only ones - let us know which other Stan Lee projects will never be included in the MCU in the comments below.