(AFA NEWSWIRE) Adding to the long list of comic book icons to die in recent years, Marvel Comics has announced that it will kill off Stan Lee at San Diego Comic-Con in July.
"He should feel honored, really," said a Marvel spokesman, "Everybody who's anybody in the comics world has died at least once; Superman, Batman, Captain America, Mr. Spock, Wolverine... "
Marvel is keeping the details of Lee's death secret, revealing only that it will be part of a dramatic, once-in-a-lifetime onstage event on the final day of Comic-Con.
Asked what prompted Marvel to kill Lee, who transformed the fledgling comic book company into a multi-million-dollar entertainment powerhouse of Spider Man and X-Men movie franchises, their spokesman replied, "Sometimes a character runs his course and it's just time for him to go. Who wants to pay good money to see a once-beloved icon hamming it up in a contractually obligated cameo that can't be cut from a $200-million-dollar movie that's already half-an-hour too long?" adding, "Not us, that's for sure. It was either this or sending him to a farm in the country but something had to be done. We're sure Stan will understand on some level."
Reached for comment at his home in Beverly Hills, California, Lee, 91, was non-plussed about his impending demise, stating, "I'm not too worried, Marvel characters tend not to stay dead for very long."