The unseen cost of speaking up for Stan Lee

Some stories stay buried not because they’re false, but because they’re inconvenient.

By J.A. Aleman

There is a cost to telling the truth in Hollywood, a place built on illusions, where it’s hard to tell the angles people are playing when it comes to doing the right thing. Sometimes the most obvious wrongdoing can go unsaid or even be brushed under the rug because of selfishness. 

Recently, the world was gaslit by high schooler Alaila Everett who swears with tears running down her face that she didn’t strike Kaelen Tucker with her baton during a relay race in the Virgina State Championships on March 4. But the video evidence speaks for itself as seen on NBC News. 

What this shows is a lack of ownership by people when it comes to their actions or for that matter their inaction. 

In another situation, perhaps messier, Jonathan Bolerjack, the late Marvel Comics icon Stan Lee’s former assistant published a Kickstarter on March 11, asking for $300 thousand to release a documentary showing footage of people taking advantage of Lee during the last years of his life. 

In a world full of weasels, finding someone trying to do the right thing is hard to do. Witnessing it happen is even more difficult to believe. 

There was backlash from many content creators pointing out Bolerjack is trying to take advantage of Lee’s legacy. YouTubers Dylan Page and penguinz0 among them talked about the Kickstarter account and what they saw was wrong with it, the consensus being something felt off about the whole thing. 

As of April 6, the Kickstarter was cancelled as the project found outside support after receiving over $84 thousand in pledges. 

Far be it for this journalist not to listen to others’ opinions, but in any situation the evidence has to speak for itself. Anyone opposed to elder abuse needs to give Bolerjack the benefit of the doubt, especially after listening to him speak for himself. 

“I don’t know who thinks I want to be doing this seven years later,” said Bolerjack in an interview with Comicbook.com. “I would have preferred to have done this in 2018. This is just where we are.” 

Bolerjack added, “Stan is gone, and I have this footage. To me it seems very disrespectful and shortsighted to just put it on the internet like that’s going to fix everything with no context, no explanation and just magically people will figure out what’s happening. It’s just not realistic.” 

Elders being taken advantage of is not a new story in America. That is the sad reality. If this can happen to someone as beloved as Lee by billions of people, who’s to say this won’t happen to someone not as famous? Many elders are stripped of their dignity and are left alone to mourn their loss with no one advocating for them. 

The U.S. Department of Justice states 10% of people aged 65 and older experience some type of elder abuse yearly. In 2021, over 65 thousand cases of various types of elder abuse were reported in Washington State, according to the Department of Social and Health Services. What’s worse is that a study done by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services revealed only 1 out of 24 cases are actually reported. 

This is why, even if it’s almost 7 years later, the public must give Bolerjack the benefit of the doubt. Even if people don’t want to invest in it, don’t tell others to stop donating because if the footage shows any criminal activity done to Lee, then those responsible must be brought to justice. 

Bolerjack went to the Beverly Hills police department with the footage and was told to let it go because nothing could be done. He then went to some media outlets and was turned away because they feared being sued. 

None of this is verifiable, but if what Bolerjack says is true, then it was the industry who failed Lee for all those years because it was easier to look the other way. 

Bolerjack made several more attempts at making this footage come to light but was met with the Covid-19 pandemic that halted everything. He even tried putting all the evidence he recorded on YouTube for 2 months but had only 2000 views and no support from any big names in the industry. 

This reveals what Hollywood is all about. No one will do what is right if they have everything to lose financially or everything to gain financially. 

None of this can be checked and the public has to take Bolerjack at his word for now. Maybe the finished documentary will have footage of these instances to give Bolerjack more credibility. 

Content creators were signaling him out for selling off memorabilia that Lee had given him over the years. In the interview, Bolerjack mentions he’s $200 thousand into the production of the film which could be the reason he was selling these items to begin with. We can only speculate and that is where the public’s frustration comes from. 

Bolerjack was sued by Max Anderson, Lee’s former manager, to silence him and stop him from making the documentary. That lawsuit was resolved, but Anderson was part of another lawsuit brought forth by Lee’s daughter, Joan Celia Lee in 2019, where elder financial abuse was a subject of interest. 

Anderson and a partner allegedly created a separate company to hide various undisclosed profits made from securing Lee’s presence at events among other types of financial abuse, according to The Guardian. The case is still being fought in court. 

“From all my interactions and conversations with Jon, I can say he was someone who was always concerned about what was going on with Stan,” said Comic Book Artist Todd McFarlane on Instagram. “Basically, Mr. Bolerjack was a ray of light when there were some dark clouds swirling around Mr. Lee. I wish there were more like him at the time.” 

Even McFarlane’s comments don’t stop the public from believing that this situation is not being used for gain of some kind. 

“Jon is not coming across well,” said YouTuber Amanda Mcknight. “I think he’s going about it in kind of the wrong way with how he’s approached this Kickstarter.” 

If Bolerjack was indeed trying to help at the right time and no one came out to support him, then that says more about the industry and what really makes it function. Hollywood is just a bunch of people waiting to take advantage of others no matter who they are. 

“The most important thing for me is that this movie gets out and people see it,” Bolerjack said. “It’s a spit on the face of the memory of Stan to just throw this half-concocted thing out there. It needs the honor it’s due to have it done well.” 

This journalist wants that too. Elder abuse of any kind is abhorrent and doesn’t belong in our society. If this documentary serves as a way to convey this message, then stand behind that possibility and not behind Bolerjack. 

Remember, the truth isn’t always wrapped tightly with a neat bow. Sometimes it’s hard to take, but at the same time, it’s inconvenient for those who benefit from the silence.