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SALT LAKE CITY — Stan Lee is returning to Salt Lake Comic Con.
Lee, the creator of some of Marvel's most well-known superheroes, was a "fan favorite" at Salt Lake Comic Con's inaugural event last September "and is sure to be enthusiastically welcomed back this year," event co-founder Dan Farr said Thursday. "Stan is really the king of the comic con circuit, and his presence at our event the last two years is a huge honor and is further proof that Salt Lake City is becoming one of the most important pop culture hotspots in the world."
Lee, whose creations include Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, was a last-minute addition to last year's inaugural event. He was picked up at Salt Lake City International Airport by Gov. Gary Herbert and escorted to the Salt Palace Convention Center by U.S. Air Force personnel for the final day of the convention.
Lee was also a 2-to-1 favorite among fans in a Salt Lake Comic Con poll of which alumni guest they wanted to see return for the Sept. 4-6 event.
"So we're bringing him back this time for two days so he can have a better chance of meeting all the fans that want to meet the legend who is Stan Lee," said Bryan Brandenburg, Salt Lake Comic Con co-founder and chief marketing officer. "It will be fun to see him interact with our other guests like Lou Ferrigno, who Lee said was born to be the Hulk, and Michael Rosenbaum, who Lee said was "the best Lex Luthor ever."
Lee joins a growing roster of celebrity guests that includes Simon Helberg, "The Big Bang Theory"; Manu Bennett, "The Hobbit"; Dean O'Gorman, "The Hobbit"; Jon Heder, "Napoleon Dynamite"; Stephen Amell, "Arrow"; Ernie Hudson, "Ghostbusters"; Cary Elwes, "The Princess Bride"; Bruce Campbell, "Army of Darkness"; John Barrowman, "Doctor Who" and "Torchwood"; Sam Witwer, "Being Human"; Christopher Lloyd, "Back to the Future"; Eliza Dushku, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"; Kevin Sorbo, "Hercules"; Erin Gray, "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century"; and Giancarlo Esposito, "Revolution"; as well as Ferrigno, "The Incredible Hulk," and Rosenbaum, "Smallville."
Salt Lake Comic Con attracted 72,000 guests to its inaugural event last fall and had 100,000 at its FanX convention in April. Brandenburg predicted last month that the 2014 Salt Lake Comic Con could draw as many as 120,000 guests.
For more information about Salt Lake Comic Con or to buy tickets, visit saltlakecomiccon.com. Email: jpage@deseretnews.com Twitter: jaredpage
