Sexual embarrassment allegations against Marvel's Stan Lee were released earlier this week. Fans have now weighed in, suggesting the timing is a bit too convenient.
Damning Allegations
On Jan. 9, sexual harassment allegations emerged against Lee in The Daily Mail, rocking his fan base to their very core. The publication revealed that several serious allegations had been made against the 95-year-old editor by the nurses hired to care for him in his luxurious Los Angeles home.
The exclusive nursing home, which caters to celebrities, has since ceased providing services to Lee. The legendary comic book creator stands accused of groping and demanding oral sex from nurses, as well as wandering around naked in front of them.
An insider told The Daily Mail that Lee had sexually harassed virtually every single nurse employed by the home. Lee has denied the allegations outright, with his legal team describing them as "categorically" false.
Fans Weigh In
Now, the internet has reacted. Twitter lit up with a combination of relief that Lee wasn't dead or dying, and bizarre conspiracy theories surrounding the timing of the allegations.
Me seeing "Stan Lee" trending for sexual assault pic.twitter.com/c0JCo0L5TC
— Cornelius Moore (@CMooreHere) January 9, 2018
Folks, the Stan Lee story was broke by Daily Mail and Nancy Grace.
Might as well be the Daily Bugle and J. Jonah Jameson.— WaywardAbnormalNerd (@KatCandee) January 9, 2018
There were also the usual bad taste jokes surrounding Lee's screwing of beloved characters.
Why is Stan Lee being accused of sexual misconduct now when he fucked Jack Kirby decades ago? — Fryer, Walk With Me (@Bacon_Incident) January 9, 2018
Particularly disturbing were suggestions from several Twitter users, some said that the reveal was engineered to mess with the release of the hotly anticipated Black Panther.
Stan Lee is now being accused of sexual misconduct & Marvel fans are implying that Zack Snyder fans are manufacturing this controversy to boycott BLACK PANTHER & INFINITY WAR. I just... can’t. #StanLee pic.twitter.com/ybBJxr1zY2 — Jesabel (@JesabelRaay) January 9, 2018
Due to hit theaters next month, Black Panther is a huge deal to put it lightly. An eye-watering trailer dropped for it earlier this week that had even the most casual fans salivating.
Discounting Blade, Black Panther is the first African American-led superhero movie ever, and a major coup for 31-year-old director Ryan Coogler (Creed, Fruitvale Station).
Starring Chadwick Boseman as the titular character, the movie also counts big names including Michael B. Jordan (as villain Erik Killmonger), Get Out's Daniel Kaluuya and Star Wars' Lupita Nyong'o, among its cast.
To see its release overshadowed by such terrible allegations would be a real shame, but suggesting there's some kind of conspiracy afoot could be even more detrimental to the movie's near-guaranteed success.
Although fan-favorite site Inverse gave the usual "innocent until proven guilty" spiel, they also acknowledged that fans should be wary of discounting the allegations purely because of their love for Lee.
The year is set to be reliably huge for Marvel, with Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Deadpool 2, Venom and Ant-Man and the Wasp all due for release in the next 12 months.
Regardless of what happens with Lee, their 2018 slate is pretty solid.
