<\/p>\n
On the whole, streaming services aren’t necessarily known for actually enhancing the films and shows on their servers. Whether it’s Disney+ presenting beloved sitcoms in the incorrect aspect ratio<\/a>, or the general trend of cramming an increasingly nauseating amount of ads into movies, streamers often seem determined to absolutely ruin our collective viewing experience. But sometimes they do something right. Take the time HBO Max restored a Stan Lee cameo to an episode of “Superman: The Animated Series” which had previously been removed after Warner Bros. got nervous about using his and others’ likenesses.<\/p>\n The name HBO Max isn’t exactly synonymous with getting things right. Aside from the fact the streaming service has been rebranded twice now (during which time its name was changed to MAX and then changed back to HBO Max), it’s also struggled to shed the image of being one giant streaming vortex into which media is flung only to mysteriously disappear. Back in 2022, several shows and movies were quietly removed from HBO Max<\/a>, and while they’ve since re-appeared elsewhere, it was an eye-opening moment for audiences who have remained somewhat wary ever since.<\/p>\n But there’s no denying HBO Max got something right when it restored Stan Lee, or rather Funky Flashman \u2014 Jack Kirby’s satirical take on the Marvel legend \u2014 to a 1998 episode of “Superman: The Animated Series.” Despite the fact that the show was animated, it seems Lee’s appearance, alongside several other characters both real and fictional, was too much for Warners, and the company nixed them all following the episode’s initial broadcast. Now, that same episode has been restored, proving\u00a0the age of streaming\u00a0isn’t all doom and gloom.<\/p>\n