In a video posted on his Twitter account, Marvel legend Stan Lee has thanked fans for their support and concern. He has also promised that they can expect a big surprise sometime soon. "in the near future," they can expect a "big surprise."

In June 2017, Lee's wife Joanie sadly passed away at the age of 93, after 70 years of marriage. Then, the last year has seen a flurry of news reports claiming that the vulnerable Stan Lee has since become a victim of elder abuse, which Lee himself has derided as "fake news." These reports have understandably left Lee's countless fans deeply concerned. And then, just a few days ago, Lee was ambushed by gunmen outside his house, but they fled when the police were called. Lee's fans have shown their support for the former comic book editor in response to all these reports, and now, he has responded promising something big.

Related: Black Panther Has Stan Lee's Most Self-Aware Cameo

Stan Lee posted a video message on Twitter, thanking his fans "for so caring, and for writing in, and for making my day so joyous." As Lee notes, he receives over a million messages on Twitter, but unfortunately, he only has time to read 900,000 of them or so! It's a customary example of Lee's legendary sense of humor, and is sure to make any Marvel fan smile. And now, he's promising a "big surprise" in the near future. Take a look:

Lee isn't too forthcoming about what his big surprise is - "I can't tell 'em what it is now 'cause it wouldn't be a surprise" - but that's sure to leave Marvel fans thrilled. It seems most likely to be related to the flourishing Marvel Cinematic Universe, currently celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Lee spent decades in Hollywood pushing for Marvel superheroes to make their mark on the big screen, and his delight at the MCU's success is palpable.

If this is related to the MCU, then there are really two possibilities. The first is that this is related to the much-teased title of next year's Avengers 4, which Marvel has held back for fear it would serve as a spoiler of some kind. This seems rather unlikely, though, as Marvel visionary Kevin Feige has suggested that keeping the title under wraps has effectively "backfired." In his view, Marvel "will have no chance to living up to any expectations of what it's gonna be." If that's the case, getting Stan Lee to drop a hint before its announcement would only serve to increase the hype.

The other possibility is that this is related to Marvel's post-Phase 3 slate. Marvel famously announced their entire Phase 3 at once, but the studio has been reluctant to do the same for the next few years' worth of films. Post-Avengers 4, only the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel has been officially allocated a release date, although Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is known to be releasing in 2020. Whatever the surprise may be, even if it's a new adventure separate from the MCU, Lee promises the surprise will be "in the near future." And that will leave Marvel fans thrilled.

More: Stan Lee Congratulates Marvel Studios on 10th Anniversary

Source: Stan Lee/Twitter