A father who has lost his son was told by the council to obtain permission from Marvel if he wanted to place a Spider-Man gravestone on his deceased 4-year-old son’s grave.
As Lloyd Jones explained, his son Ollie passed away due to leukodystrophy, a rare genetic condition that his daughter, 6-year-old Laillah, is also suffering from.
After the young boy’s tragic death, the family was hoping to be able to place a Spider-Man-themed gravestone on Ollie’s grave at Maidstone Cemetery in Kent, UK.
While they thought there would be no problem with their request, the family was shocked when the local council told them they were required to obtain permission from Marvel Studios.
“At the moment I go to his grave and see flowers, it would be nice to have something that really reminds me of him,” the 36-year-old father-of-six said in an interview.
Speaking of his son’s and daughter’s rare condition, Lloyd added:
“It’s a fatal condition. It affects them from the age of about two and then most people with it live to around 20.
“It’s not painful, but it disrupts their muscles. You try and put a shirt or their trousers on and their muscles can tense up. In the end, Ollie could only move his hands to play with his toys.
“It’s been awful, but we’ve made the most of it. We’re all away at theme parks and museums and all sorts of things every weekend. Last year we went to Disneyland Paris, we were supposed to go again this year with Ollie.
“We went last year with my girlfriend, we had two children in wheelchairs to get into rides and then four other children to look after. I lost more than a stone in weight on that holiday.”
Jason Jones, the uncle of Ollie, also spoke out and claimed the Spider-Man-themed gravestone means everything to the family at this point.
“My brother’s life has been shattered; it has shattered the whole family. We can’t move on until we have his headstone done – Spider-Man was Ollie’s entire life. He loved it so much,” Jason expressed.
“His coffin was covered in Spider-Man, the procession was led by someone dressed as Spider-Man, this would really mean the world to us.
“I didn’t expect it to be an issue – my funeral director, who’s also my friend, rang me and told me they can’t do it. I thought he was joking at first.
“We understand copyright but I don’t see why Marvel would have any issues with this. We’ve tried every email address and the number we can find but so far we haven’t heard anything back from Marvel.”
Despite claiming they understand their situation, the council was forced to turn the family’s request down due to copyright issues.
“Maidstone Borough Council is trying to help a family who has asked whether they can place a Spider-Man headstone at the grave of their young son,” a council spokesperson said according to LADbible.
“Sadly, these types of stones have to adhere to copyright and while we understand this is a very emotional time for the family we have made contact with Marvel to ensure the family are complying with their terms and conditions.
“The MBC Bereavement Services team will do everything they can to help the family throughout this process.”
What are your thoughts on this matter? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to SHARE this post with your friends and family!