On Thursday, the 31-year-old musician appeared on an episode of Hot Ones, where he boasted about his early-edition Iron Man comic book, which was personally signed by the late artist.
He told Sean Evans that it was a gift from documentarian Morgan Spurlock, who collaborated with Lee on the 2011 film Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope.
Zayn revealed that Morgan gave it to him after packing up for his former band One Direction’s film One Direction: This Is Us in 2013, and that he still has it hung on a wall in his home.
“I love to brag about it to my geeky, nerdy friends who love comic books,” he said.
He also revealed that his One Direction comrades were jealous of his memorabilia, saying, “They certainly want that comic book from me. None of them will have it while I’m alive, so they’ll have to wait.
“I remember the boys being really upset about it because they didn’t get as good gifts, and [Morgan] gave me this signed Stan Lee comic.” I remember thinking, ‘This is f—ing sick,'” Zayn said.
