Having built a failing, two-bit comic company into a revolutionary force in the comic world, it seems that Stan Lee has everything he ever wanted: fame, fortune, and the world at his feet. But when he falls for the captivating Joan, he finds that charisma and success aren't enough to win her heart.

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Joan wants more. She wants someone who believes in something, and when Stan is asked to write a Spider Man comic to help fight the heroin epidemic, it's the perfect chance to prove to her that he can do more than just create cheap thrills for kids.

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But Judge Murphy of the all-powerful Comics Code Authority has other ideas: he refuses to give the comic approval because of its depiction of drugs. When Stan gives in to the judge's demands, it's too much for Joan, and she leaves him. Finally, Stan is at the moment that  eventually comes to each of his superheroes: is he prepared to sacrifice everything for what he believes?

 

Risking it all, Stan goes out on a limb and prints the comic, the first comic to be published without approval since the CCA was first established. Judge Murphy has closed down comics for much less than this, and while Stan is awaiting the Judge's fury, Joan walks back into the Marvel offices, and back into his arms. Stan has shown himself to be the man Joan always hoped he was - even if it cost him Marvel Comics.

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Whatever the judge does next doesn't matter anymore - Stan has found the woman he will spend his life with, and the courage to be a hero - even if it's one without a cape and superpowers. However, when Judge Murphy finally arrives and passes his sentence, it is one that nobody saw coming.